McCallum Jr. Commitment Shakes up the Horizon League

The most highly-touted high school commitment in the history of the Horizon League committed to the Detroit today. Ray McCallum Jr. signed his national letter of intent and committed to his father, Ray McCallum Sr., in a somewhat expected move that has a huge impact on the landscape of the Horizon League.

It's not hyperbole to say Ray McCallum Jr. is the best high school player to ever commit to a Horizon League school. He's a consensus top-20 player in the country. McCallum Jr's most impressive performances have come in all-star games and against the best competition. He's much more athletic than he was originally given credit for and he seems to improve every time he steps on the court. A coach's dream. A coach's son.

McCallum Jr. fits perfectly with the players Detroit has coming back next year. Woody Payne was a great on-ball defender but he really struggled shooting outside of 12 feet and couldn't consistently get his teammates in the correct position on the offensive end. Too many times the ball stalled in Payne's hand and stayed out of the hands of the team's best scorers with the game on the line. This won't be a problem with McCallum running the point. He has the pedigree and profile to come in and be a leader right away. He's a good distributer who has a great feel for the game. A coach on the floor. I wonder where he gets that from? "Ray J" will undoubtedly be given the ball his first day on campus and asked to run the team until his time at Detroit is finished.

What does this mean for the rest of the Horizon League?

Very simply, if Gordon Hayward goes pro, Detroit will go into next year with the most talented starting lineup in the league. McCallum is that good. It will be a show when Detroit plays Butler to see Ron Nored defend McCallum Jr. Detroit was an excellent defensive team last season and Coach McCallum has a long track record of putting together solid defenses. It will be up to Ray McCallum Jr. to turn around the very average Titan offense. Better ball movement, shot selection, and fewer turnovers are at the top of the "To Do" list for UDM going into next year. McCallum is the elixir to all of those problems. This is truly the perfect fit on the court.

Detroit did send out a release today noting that Lamar Lee, Jordan Fee, Curtis Eatmon and Xavier Keeling will not be back next season. The biggest name is obviously Keeling. "X" is an enigma wrapped in a riddle shrouded in mystery. His measurables are off the charts. He's a 6-7 bull who has good speed and excellent quickness for someone his size. So why is he looking for his third college team? Attitude. Keeling played when he wanted and didn't commit fully to coach McCallum's program. It's tough to say, especially when you picked him first team all league at the beginning of the basketball season.

Four departing players, along with a couple JUCOs and two freshmen, evens out Detroit's scholarships. Without the four players departing the scholarship distribution would have been very top heavy.

Much has been written about McCallum Jr's recruitment because of his unique situation with his father. While this seems like a nice story about family, McCallum has put a target on his back and it will be very difficult at times to play for his dear old dad. Just ask Saul Smith, son of Kentucky coach Tubby Smith, about being the point guard for your father. It's not always easy. The similarities between the Smiths and McCallums don't stop there. They are both very faith-driven coaches that believe in defense first and demand a lot from their point guards.

As someone who's been high on the job that coach McCallum Sr. has been doing in Detroit this certainly isn't doing anything to change my mind. Detroit basketball is back on the map. 20 wins is nice but expectations have now risen. It would take a good amount of convincing to tell me that Detroit won't be the second-best team in the Horizon League next year. Come the fall, all they'll have to do is prove it.