Men's Basketball Preview, Part 3: Detroit

Oct. 25, 2007

Perry Watson - the dean of Horizon League coaches - is perfectly willing to look back in order to view the future. And he likes what he sees for the 2007-08 Titans.

There are many who would willingly close the door on the recent past, one which, in Detroit, has meant a rarity under Watson. His teams have gone three straight seasons without compiling a winning record after they turned that trick in 10 of his first 11 years on the job at UDM. Instead of refusing to look back, he uses the past as a springboard. It has steeled Watson's resolve for this season as he knows the experiences endured by his team over the last three years will make a difference for 2008.

His senior class is an amazingly hardened and seasoned one. It's a group of three perimeter players who truly have earned their battle scars.

Jon Goode and Zach Everingham are fifth-year seniors, having redshirted early in their Titan careers in order to be a part of the season that lies ahead. And Brandon Cotton, who has led the team in scoring for three straight years, is a rare sixth-year senior, having been granted an extra year of eligibility by the NCAA for an injury he suffered at Michigan State prior to transferring to Detroit.

"These guys have seen everything," Watson said. "They're in a position to lead us this year."

The value of experience doesn't stop with the seniors, too. Watson's also got a five-man sophomore class which, a year ago, had no college basketball testing to speak of. Now, that group - Nemanja Jokic, Woody Payne, Jason Praet, Justin Sample and Eulis Stephens - has 933 minutes of court time, and five starts, between them after last season, and they're ready to go for more.

Sample, in particular, is in a position to step up his role in 2008. He saw action in one game in 2005-06, then went to the sidelines with an ankle malady. Last year was his first full year of duty. And now, the 6-8, 235-pounder has the opportunity to step into the lineup at center and fill the shoes of Detroit's biggest graduation loss, All-Horizon League center Ryvon Covile.

Last season, Covile became the first Titan to average a double-double - 13.7 points and 10.6 rebounds, the latter figure sixth-best in the country - since Joe Kopicki in 1982. While putting up those numbers on game day, he also served as a mentor in practice for Sample, who was pushed by the veteran big man on a daily basis.

"I told Justin that I didn't know exactly how much he's play last year because we had Ryvon, but he wouldn't ever play against anybody who was better than Ryvon," coach Watson recalled. "Justin took it to heart. He worked hard in practice against Ryvon and he got better. He made plays at the end of the year that you never would see when the year started.

"Now he has a chance to step up and make a big contribution for us. He may not have a lot of experience yet, but he has a lot of experienced people around him. There's nothing better for a young center than to have experienced players out there with him."

And that experience starts with the seniors.

Cotton is the Titans' marquee player. He has earned Second-Team All-Horizon League honors for three straight years, and joined the Titans' 1,000 Point Club last season while finishing with an 18.1 scoring average, third-best in the conference.

The explosive Cotton scored in double figures 26 times last season. He had a pair of 30-point games down the stretch, scoring 31 against Green Bay and a career-high 33 at Youngstown State in the first round of the Horizon League post-season tournament.

"He's a marked man. Every team has Brandon's number circled on their scout boards," Watson noted. "He's done a better job of learning how to handle that. He had to play most of last season with pins in his left hand (following an off-season automobile accident) but that's past him now. He should have a great season."

Goode, who started 31 games as a sophomore and then served as the Titans' sixth man last winter, has a chance to return to the starting lineup at point guard, a position left open when Brandon Bell didn't return for his senior season. Goode led the 2006 Titans with 106 assists, and he was third on the most recent UDM edition with a 9.2 scoring average off the bench. He scored in double figures 16 times as a junior, with a high of 18 against both Milwaukee and Buffalo. Goode hit a team-high 49 three-pointers last winter, shooting 37.7 percent behind the arc.

More importantly, he enters the new season with a clean bill of health. Goode had to bounce back from summer foot surgery and it slowed his start last year. Now, he's raring to go.

Everingham, the third senior, also has the chance to crack the lineup after averaging a career-high 4.9 points a game last winter. At 6-4, he could be the biggest of the three guards Watson generally starts, replacing the graduated Muhammad Abdur-Rahim. Everingham is a heady player who can shoot from long range and he knows how to find the open man, too. His total of 54 assists was second to Bell among the Titans a year ago.

Payne and Stephens are also ready for increased duty on the perimeter, and the group of veterans will also face competition from junior college transfer Josh Samarco and freshman David Boarden.

The slender Payne has shown already show flashes at point guard, and is one of the best defenders on the team, owning quick feet and even quicker hands. Stephens, at 6-4, is a quick slash-to-the-basket player on offense and averaged 1.3 points in his rookie season. Samarco, who played one season at nearby Schoolcraft College - which also produced the likes of former Titans Rulon Harris and Torvoris Baker - is an outstanding outside marksman and could help shore up Detroit's three-point shooting which hit at just a .327 accuracy rate in 2007. Samarco's brother, Martin, led Bowling Green in scoring last year as a senior.

Up front, the Titans have an experienced junior to run in tandem with Sample in the person of 6-9 Chris Hayes, who started all 30 games a year ago. The lanky Hayes averaged 5.2 ppg in his first year as a starter, and was second to Covile in rebounding (3.6) and blocked shots (11). Hayes also showed greater range on his jump shot as a sophomore.

To go with Sample and Hayes, the Titans also return Jokic (6-6), Praet (6-7) and 6-8 redshirt freshman Russell Allen who, like Sample, had the opportunity to learn plenty by battling Covile in practice all last winter. Coach Watson believes Jokic, in particular, could make major strides now that the Serbian sophomore has had a year to adjust to the speed and physical style of Division I basketball. Jokic averaged 2.1 points and 2.5 rebounds as a rookie.

Another junior college addition, 6-8 Michael Harrington, also figures prominently in the forecourt. Harrington is a bruiser who figures to join Sample and Hayes in the post rotation. A third J.C. transfer, 6-5 Mychael Broom, is a versatile inside-outside player, but his Titan debut was put on hold by early October knee surgery.

All together, it's a group which could produce a turnaround in Watson's 15th season at UDM. The coach is definitely looking forward to it.

Story provided by Detroit Office of Sports Information