BY Tim Krafchak
VN SPECIAL WRITER
With the men’s basketball season over, numerous honors were handed out to Titans last Thursday at the annual awards banquet at the President’s Ballroom.
Dan Leach, the voice of the Detroit Titans, hosted the event.
Coach Ray McCallum recapped the past year and presented awards to those in attendance.
Captain Juwan Howard Jr. took home the Robert Calihan Most Valuable Player Award and John R. Kirwan Leading Scorer Award after leading the team with a 17.5 points per game, second best in the Horizon League. He was named all-league second team.
“It’s a great accomplishment for Juwan and his family,” said UDM junior Frank Onwenu, a computer information systems major.
Onwenu said that Howard is a great player with a hard work ethic and strong leadership skills on and off the court, which makes him deserving of the award.
Junior guard Anton Wilson received the Dave DeBusschere Most Improved Award after averaging 8.5 points per game. Wilson improved his points per games average by 1.5 points per game over last season.
Wilson also led the Titans from the charity stripe shooting an improved 85.7 percent from the line compared to last year’s average of 78.8.
Junior center Youssoupha Kane was tabbed the William Ebben Academic and Athletic Excellence Award winner for his hard work on the court and in the classroom.
Junior guard Carlton Brundidge received the Frank R. Gerbig Sr. Sportsmanship Award for the character he showed on and off the court.
“It means a lot to me,” said Brundidge. “It reflects all the hard work that I put in this year.”
Brundidge stated that winning the award will help him work harder next year and hopefully get him the minutes that he feels he deserves.
The Larry Doyle Most Dedicated Titan Award was given to senior guard Brandon Kearney for his countless hours spent in the gym working to improve his skills and performance.
“It is a no brainer,” said sophomore criminal justice major Aidan Kuhls. “Kearney is one of the hardest workers that the Titans had.”
Kuhls said that he remembers countless times seeing Kearney practicing by himself in the gym.
Freshman star Paris Bass, the 2015 Horizon League Freshman of the Year, received the Norm Swanson Top Newcomer Award after averaging a 12.5 points per game, which led all freshmen in the league.
Bass also became just the fifth Titan to score more than 400 points during his freshman year, finishing with 410.
“I am not surprised,” said sophomore criminal justice major Ryan Ruloff. “Bass was a scoring machine all year.”
Ruloff said he thinks Bass will be able to reach the 2,000-point club as long as he stays at Detroit for all four years.
Freshman forward Jaleel Hogan took home the Most Courageous Player / Rashad Phillips Award after averaging 5 points and 2.5 rebounds per game as a true freshman.
Hogan stepped up for his team during Horizon League play, averaging 6.5 points alongside 2.8 rebounds.
However, Hogan had his best game against regular-season champion Valparaiso with 10 points and 9 rebounds.
The Titans men’s basketball season ended following a 70-53 loss to No. 4 Cleveland State in the quarterfinals of the Horizon League Championship.
The Titans finished 15-18 overall and 7-9 in conference play, good for sixth place in the regular season.
