VALPARAISO, Ind. — Eli Holman cradled it like it was
a baby, bouncing it on his giant forearm.
LaMarcus Lowe gave it a cockeyed "it's been too long, baby" grin.
Ray McCallum Jr. couldn't even smile while he posed for pictures with it. He
was shaking too hard.
Ray McCallum, the coach, proclaimed Tuesday as his "best birthday
ever."
Visiting fans sang a Journey song. Players held up a single No. 1 finger. And
everyone remaining after Valparaiso cleared the court chanted one thing over
and over:
"We goin' to the dance!"
No matter how the Detroit Titans reacted to the Horizon League tournament
trophy, it was theirs.
"This is my baby right here," said Holman, holding the trophy.
"This is why I came to Detroit, why I followed coach McCallum. This right
here."
On the strength of a near flawless second half, the Titans beat the Valparaiso
Crusaders 70-50 to capture the 2012 Horizon League tournament championship and
an automatic NCAA tournament bid.
There have been a handful of greats who have passed through Calihan Hall in
Detroit: Dave Debusschere, Dick Vitale, Terry Tyler, Willie Green, to name a few.
After this tournament, it might be time to add a new name to the list of Titans
greats: Ray McCallum Jr.
The sophomore point guard certainly made a case for himself in the title game,
with 21 points, six rebounds, three assists and four steals.
"I was just in the zone out there tonight," McCallum Jr. said.
"I just felt right."
Right indeed.
The Titans hadn't made a trip to the Horizon League's title game since 2005.
They hadn't won it since 1999, the last time they made the NCAA tournament.
It's been a decade since the Titans have even sniffed the postseason — cameo
NIT appearances in 2001 and 2002.
What a welcome back party Valparaiso hosted.
All parties feature that awkward introductory period, though, so call the Titans’
first-half performance a product of rust.
It sure was an uneven one. The Titans forced 11 turnovers, yet trailed by three
at the break — a deficit aided by shooting just 29 percent.
"Our offense in the first half was as bad as we've played in a while,"
coach McCallum said. "But we only had three turnovers. Staying close was
all on our defense."
The Titans' defense was explosive, disruptive and frustrating. They had nine
steals in the game, five in the first half, and most came on the ball.
They held Horizon League Player of the Year Ryan Broekhoff to two points in the
first half and 13 for the game on 5-of-9 shooting.
Specifically, Chase Simon held Broekhoff in check. The Titans senior forward
had three steals in addition to his five points and four assists, and his
defense was top-notch.
The Titans' overall defensive effort was the difference in the game, and their
offense, feeding off that defense, did enough to turn it around over the final
20 minutes.
After allowing a quick Broekhoff layup to start the second half, the Titans —
that is Holman and McCallum Jr. — went on a 12-2 run. The most telling part of
the game happened during that run.
McCallum Jr. had just received the ball near midcourt, and he crossed over the
timeline to the right side. As he set up the play, he moved left, which he's
done nearly every time he's touched the ball during his career.
Then came the moment McCallum Jr. appeared to mature beyond his sophomore
status.
He shouted at his team, screamed at them, as he pounded the ball off the floor.
If he wasn't making a point, then he was directing unfiltered anger at the
Crusader painted on center court. He had just hit a hanging jumper and a
free throw on the previous trip, and now he was looking for a knockout punch,
an exposed jaw in the Valparaiso attack.
He worked the ball around the floor, then found a slashing Holman for a
rim-rattling slam dunk to put Detroit up by three — a lead it wouldn't
relinquish.
"I have no idea what I said out there," McCallum Jr. said. "But
I was talking a lot, trying to get my teammates fired up, keeping me fired up.
Whatever I said, it must have worked."
Everything seemed to work in the second half for the Titans. They were 15-of-26
shooting (58 percent) and kept the Crusaders from rallying back when they were
down.
That's something the Titans couldn't do during their two regular-season losses
to Valparaiso.
"We had lost the two previous games, which were very close," coach
McCallum said. "They got all the hustle plays those games. They got the
50/50 balls. They got the free-throw tap-out. They got the charges when they
needed to. All the little things.
"And tonight, we were able to do all that, not them. This is the best
birthday present ever."
