Exciting seasons not over just yet
Michael Martinez
Issue date: 3/3/10 Section: Sports
By the time we return from spring break, there might be two new banners hanging in the rafters of Calihan Hall.
They might say "2010 Horizon League Women's Basketball Champions" and "2010 Horizon League Men's Basketball Champions" and they might signify a picture-perfect ending to two starkly different, but equally remarkable seasons. They might even represent the first of multiple titles for coaches Ray McCallum and Autumn Rademacher.
Or they might not be there at all.
If things don't work out perfectly and the Titan basketball teams don't win the Horizon League championship this year, their seasons should not be labeled failures. Both teams have proven too much and come too far for us to base our opinion on them solely on the outcome of a single playoff game.
No matter what happens in the tournament, the men's team has had a historic year, completing the largest turnaround in school history after winning the last three games to finish 18-13, with 11 wins more than last season.
With a regular season victory - and season sweep - of reigning champion Cleveland State last week, Detroit Mercy guaranteed its first winning season since 2004.
Still, the team has been criticized for inconsistent play, especially an inability to close out close games. The Titan's biggest weakness - turnovers, free throw shooting and (sometimes) field goal percentage - can be corrected and should improve with time.
The most remarkable aspect of this team, and one seldom acknowledged, is that the key players are all in their first or second year in a Titan uniform.
On the women's side, a promising season turned sour when injuries decimated the team roster. Through sheer willpower and determination, the team battled with some of the best in the nation in a tough nonconference schedule, and it paid off.
The women tore through the Horizon League, surprising everyone but themselves, and even held the top spot in the conference for much of the year. They paused to take a breath in the season's final week, and as a result fell to the third seed. But that shouldn't diminish their efforts much.
The best news for the women is that with the healthy bodies they will get back next season, they will be even more dangerous. A glut of post players added to the small lineup that worked well during parts of this season will give Rademacher more options than any other coach in the league.
Regardless of the outcome of this postseason, both teams have given us something fun and exciting to cheer for all year long.
Does either team have one more trick, one more heart-stopping play or one more winning streak left in them? They might.
They might say "2010 Horizon League Women's Basketball Champions" and "2010 Horizon League Men's Basketball Champions" and they might signify a picture-perfect ending to two starkly different, but equally remarkable seasons. They might even represent the first of multiple titles for coaches Ray McCallum and Autumn Rademacher.
Or they might not be there at all.
If things don't work out perfectly and the Titan basketball teams don't win the Horizon League championship this year, their seasons should not be labeled failures. Both teams have proven too much and come too far for us to base our opinion on them solely on the outcome of a single playoff game.
No matter what happens in the tournament, the men's team has had a historic year, completing the largest turnaround in school history after winning the last three games to finish 18-13, with 11 wins more than last season.
With a regular season victory - and season sweep - of reigning champion Cleveland State last week, Detroit Mercy guaranteed its first winning season since 2004.
Still, the team has been criticized for inconsistent play, especially an inability to close out close games. The Titan's biggest weakness - turnovers, free throw shooting and (sometimes) field goal percentage - can be corrected and should improve with time.
The most remarkable aspect of this team, and one seldom acknowledged, is that the key players are all in their first or second year in a Titan uniform.
On the women's side, a promising season turned sour when injuries decimated the team roster. Through sheer willpower and determination, the team battled with some of the best in the nation in a tough nonconference schedule, and it paid off.
The women tore through the Horizon League, surprising everyone but themselves, and even held the top spot in the conference for much of the year. They paused to take a breath in the season's final week, and as a result fell to the third seed. But that shouldn't diminish their efforts much.
The best news for the women is that with the healthy bodies they will get back next season, they will be even more dangerous. A glut of post players added to the small lineup that worked well during parts of this season will give Rademacher more options than any other coach in the league.
Regardless of the outcome of this postseason, both teams have given us something fun and exciting to cheer for all year long.
Does either team have one more trick, one more heart-stopping play or one more winning streak left in them? They might.
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