Ray McCallum Jr.

[wh]

I'm not a Valpo fan, but I do like the program, and always wish it well, The game on ESPN last night was great and did alot for the league, Valpo and Detroit nationally, since many of us out there in basketball land are Butler-ed out, it's nice to have two teams like Valpo and Detroit represent the league. As for JR's dunk, he's a kid, and a pretty good kid at that, he went to a outstanding HS (Detroit Country Day) got Dean's List grades, and comes from a wonderful normal family. If there were more kids like him in the counrty maybe we'd be in better shape. The Univ of Detroit has been and is a outstanding school, one that Valpo should model itself after. For Valpo fans to blast the school and team because it's in Detroit is like blasting Valpo because it's near Gary. You people need to grow up, the truth is if you had the chance you'd take JR on your team in a heartbeat, and he'd do for Valpo what he's is doing for Detroit. You people need to listen to him speak, he is a bright, class young man, and the league should be proud that he will be the face of the league the next 2 years. I for one enjoyed seeing him work so hard and win the game for his school, his efforts against you, CSU and YSU are classic, would you people be happier if he flipped the crowd like the Super Bowl half time show? Why is Detroit any worst then other inner city schools, have you visited USC lately.

Enjoy your NIT run, I hope to see your team in the Garden, it's something your players will remember for ever, they say Detroit may play Michigan State the first round, you need to root for Detroit to "pay back MSU for taking your ticket to the big dance this year, player Wood.

I agree that Detroit provides a good education, but don't say that we should MODEL ourselves after the school.  We are consistently ranked higher than UDM in the various rankings out there, with UDM being 23 to our 4 in the most recent US News & World Report for the Midwest.  That means both schools are good, but not that we have to model ourselves after the school.  No one is bashing UDM's educational merits, so please don't take it that way.

Let's model our basketball program after this:

wh - Since we are on the topic of "class,"  do you really think it's fair and classy to refer to another man as "sleaze" without a single fact to back up that opinion?  And for what cause? I think your comments say more about you than they do Ray McCallum.

Here's a few things you obviously already know about your own program and have chosen to close your eyes to, but for some of our own naive fans:

Accusation of player tampering directed toward McCallum by IU Coach Crean re. Holman transfer to Detroit – believes Holman was "coached up" on what to say:

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=3388282

Accusation by Oakland Coach Kampe that Detroit reneged on a scheduling agreement:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/06/13/AR2010061303909_2.html

Accusation of player tampering directed toward McCallum by WMU re. transfers of Lamarcus Lowe and Juwan Howard, Jr. – refuse to play Detroit in future

Some unhappy with Detroit's talent infusion - http://espn.go.com/blog/collegebasketballnation/tag/_/name/ray-mccallum

Detroit freshman Boutte arrested in Oct. for possessing stun gun and minor in possession of alcohol – never suspended:

http://annarbor.com/news/crime/college-basketball-player-arrested-with-stun-gun-outside-ann-arbor-bar-police-say/?cmpid=NL_33_block_headline

The fact remains that immediately before coming to Detroit Mercy McCallum was an asst. coach on two of the sleaziest basketball programs in recent NCAA history.  If you think he had no knowledge of what was going on there, keep kidding yourself.  It really doesn't matter.  He's doing a good job on his own of displaying how NOT to build a respected basketball program.   And we should model ourselves after you?  What a joke.  Enjoy it while it lasts, my friend.

There's none so blind as those who will not see...

[wh]

It was not hard to hear derogatory cheers and chants from the UDM student section.  Most fouls garnered a Bullsh*t chant for starters.  This lovely article seems to speak even more highly of the representatives of UDM at Valpo last night:
http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/porter/valparaiso/police-detroit-fans-suspected-in-vu-area-vandalism/article_bd6179b2-86f7-5c85-9d6d-adab4f9c2c7a.html
is it fair to judge the whole university and sports program based on the actions of one player, and a handful of students?  No.  But it's the loud minority that often ruin things for everyone. 

Let me save the apologists some time:

Said in a weak, milk toast voice:

Let's not paint these incidents with too broad a brush......Or......How do we know that it wasn't angry Valpo fans trying to make it appear as though our visitors from the north did it?

Does that pretty well cover it?

[KL31NY]

Had some friends with houses and cars vandalized last night. I cannot prove who did it or who exactly to blame. All I know is that everything associated with the past 24 hours has made it really hard for me to have the same respect for Detroit that I have for other league schools. Maybe it's only a few bad eggs on or off the court, but when I think "Detroit" or "Titans" right now, I find myself getting pretty riled up. Like govalpogo said, the loud minority has some power, and it's tough to imagine that I'll ever forget what happened.

I hope we can move past this soon. We will move on at some point, but not without a scar to remember for quite some time...

[FWalum]

Take a player like Holman, he had problems in HS, at IU yet somehow he got through Detroit, and there is no doubt he is better for the experience, and is that not a schools mission? As for the game, Detroit came out and had a plan that Valpo would not beat them by the 3, they had 20 3's the first 2 games, so Valpo took it to the paint, and it was working, Detroit adjusted at half time and that adjustment worked for them second half.

I hope that Eli Holman turns out to be a productive and successful member of society.  If he does he probably has his university and coach to thank for those accomplishments.  I agree that as a coach there is nothing better than to watch a young man "see the light" and graduate from college. It is a wonderful thing to have a mother thank you for what you have done for her son.  You are correct, this is one of the missions of the school and church.

Next subject, Ball pressure was the key to the Titan's second half resurgence.  The initial pressure to drive the ball to the sideline and then trap was very successful after VanWijk was injured.  Before the injury he was running layup drills on Detroit.  How many uncontested layups did he have? There was no huge halftime adjustment, Detroit gained confidence at the end of the first half and this carried over into the second half as VanWijk became ineffective. As we saw in the regular season, when Kevin was out or not at 100% we had trouble running offense.  If Detroit would have been made to adjust for Kevin's inside play of the first half then these traps would not have happened and more open outside looks would have fallen for VU IMHO.

[valpopal]

It was not hard to hear derogatory cheers and chants from the UDM student section.  Most fouls garnered a Bullsh*t chant for starters.  This lovely article seems to speak even more highly of the representatives of UDM at Valpo last night:
http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/porter/valparaiso/police-detroit-fans-suspected-in-vu-area-vandalism/article_bd6179b2-86f7-5c85-9d6d-adab4f9c2c7a.html
is it fair to judge the whole university and sports program based on the actions of one player, and a handful of students?  No.  But it's the loud minority that often ruin things for everyone. 

If you watch the tape of the game on ESPN, the Detroit student section is prominently displayed a couple of times pointing at the VU players and chanting "F#@* You." Since this was a league tournament, their actions reflect poorly not only on Detroit but the whole league. Combine this with the other outrageous behavior, including criminal actions of vandalism and property damage, and I wonder what it would take for the Horizon League to at least open an inquiry about the school's responsibility for its students or disciplinary measures.

[DCBaller]

wh - those are some pretty weak links!  Coaches are very competitive people. Of course Crean didn't like losing Holman to Detroit. But the fact is, Holman had a relationship with McCallum and views him as a father figure and wanted to follow him to Detroit.  Crean tried to exert a sense of ownership over his new players, and Holman, to his credit, didn't want to stay and did what he needed to to get out.  It's a case of sour grapes. Crean tried to bully Holman into staying, and then tried to bully McCalum with his very unprofessional comments and handling of the issue afterwards.  Crean is a whiny little b*tch who I can't stand watching on TV for more than about 2 seconds.

Oakland and Detroit are rivals.  Kampe and Perry Watson hated each other.  So there is a history there that pre-dates McCallum.

If I was Western's coach, I'd be upset if two of my players left the program and went to Detroit too.  But there is abslutely nothing in that article you linked to that suggests any wrong doing on McCallum's part. Juwan Howard Jr is a Detroit product - he wen to Detroit Pershing.  Guys transfer back to U of D all the time after spending a year or two at other D-1 schools.  I wouldn't want to schedule a team with two of my former players on it either - it would be a reminder to all of my school's fans that my program is dysfunctional enough that players want to leave and play elsewhere.

By the way, the word is milquetoast, not milk toast, lol.

[drewsaders11]

to the detroit fan who posted a novel on our board, it was blatantly obvious that your fans were chanting "F*** you" at one point. 

Also, saying that McCallum is a kid is ridiculous.  Gordon Hayward carried himself with class while he was young and in the national stage, yet had time to have fun (created a rap that went viral for a while) without making himself, his family, his school, and his conference look awful. 

If there was vandalism in Valpo, that is ridiculous, and only adds to the impression that Detroit made last night.

The rest of Detroit's team really didn't do anything to warrant being called "thugs", but the "team" definitely plays less of a team game of basketball than most other respectable programs in the league and nation.

Finally, TC28...you said something like "nice school spirit you got there" in reference to someone posting about our football program.  Valpo's football program is to the university what Alaska is to the United States, what your small toe is to your body, etc...you don't really notice it.  Those are actually bad examples, because in my opinion, and probably most other individuals at the university, the school would be better off without the program, whereas getting rid of Alaska would make for an imbalanced flag, as would losing a small toe.

Anyways, McCallum is a good basketball player, but didn't display himself with much humility last night.

[covufan]

The fact remains that immediately before coming to Detroit Mercy McCallum was an asst. coach on two of the sleaziest basketball programs in recent NCAA history.  If you think he had no knowledge of what was going on there, keep kidding yourself.  It really doesn't matter.  He's doing a good job on his own of displaying how NOT to build a respected basketball program.   And we should model ourselves after you?  What a joke.  Enjoy it while it lasts, my friend.

I'm not sure that either IU or Oklahoma could be called the "sleaziest" of basketball programs.  Yes, Sampson was somewhat sleazy and Sampson and McCallum are both associated with those programs and their probation - although how much McCallum was involved is up for debate.  As I recall, the problems were too much contact with recruits - calling and texting.  Many programs do much more sleazy things.  Sampson was a sleaze for doing it again, but hardly a sleazy thing to call a recruit too often.

[covufan]

I'm troubled by what McCallum Jr. did at the end of the game.  I would hope better from our Valpo team, if the roles were reversed and we were on their court.  I accept the apology.  I hope that he learns from this, and wish the Detroit team well in the NCAA tournament.  I think they have won 13 of 15, and are playing better.  With the talent they have, I am sure they will represent the Horizon League well - and hopefully get a chance at a win in the last moments of their game.

[StlVUFan]

1.  I have zero problem with most of the posturing by jr.  As Mark Lazerus would say, let them enjoy and feed off their good feats on the floor.

2.  Allegedly, Edwards' problem was taunting, not celebrating.  That's crossing the line, and yeah, if jr. did any of that then a double standard is being applied.

3.  I absolutely have a problem with the last dunk.  (a) I trust chef implicitely, (b) if he's mistaken then I have just as serious a problem with it for a different reason: not Act like you've been there before" but "Act like you still have work to do".

4.  Just because this is the city of Detroit we're talking, I can't help wondering what kind of vandalism would have occurred if the Titans had lost.  Sorry, but it's there.  I'm not making an accusation, but I think it is entirely appropriate to ask the question.

5.  I too have a very sour taste in my mouth - not because we lost, but because of the dunk and the vandalism.

6.  Imagine Valpo running out the clock at Calihan Hall last night.  With 3 seconds to go, Buggs suddenly flashes to the basket and dunks at the buzzer to make it Valpo 70 Detroit 50.  Detroit residents report "462 Valpo Crusaders!!!" (not even very creative when you think about it).  How would Titan fans be feeling right now?  (P.S. That's assuming all this would actually happen.)

[MattCarter]

I'm not sure that either IU or Oklahoma could be called the "sleaziest" of basketball programs.  Yes, Sampson was somewhat sleazy .....

Calling Sampson "somewhat" sleazy is like calling someone a little bit pregnant.  You either are a slime ball or you aren't, and he is a slime ball.  Like it or not, guilty by association.  There is a reason that Samson isn't coaching in NCAA and never will again.  Ray worked under and learned from him.  Then he wrangled up a bunch of players and headed to Detroit, not before Holman threw a potted plant through Samson's window though.  If you, as a coach, recruit those type of players....associate yourself with coaches like Sampson....and not TOTALLY condemn the actions of YOUR OWN SON ON YOUR OWN TEAM...then that will lead to your fans doing the types of things they did.

We are Valpo fans.  Most of us because of Homer and or Bryce Drew.  While some of us may chant and or rib...I am positive that we would write "219 Valpo Crusaders" all over cars in Detroit or any city for that matter. 

Once Ray Jr graduates and the shine wears off "Dick Vitale Court", Ray Sr. will be gone from the Horizon League.

[nymike]

Like Sampson invented slez......OSU Football...........KY basketball...............Lousiville basketball........Alabama football...............USC everything..........Sampson was just a bit player.  And like IU has a history of hiring Mary Poppins as basketball coach. For every Homer Drew's there must be 50 dirt bags out there.

[MattCarter]

Like Sampson invented slez......OSU Football...........KY basketball...............Lousiville basketball........Alabama football...............USC everything..........Sampson was just a bit player.  And like IU has a history of hiring Mary Poppins as basketball coach. For every Homer Drew's there must be 50 dirt bags out there.

Which is why I am not a fan of the other 49 

[lowposter]

I have to say that I am more concerned about VU's performance in the 2H than RMc's theatrics. 

Quite honestly, VU's performance left me very puzzled.  We seemed to have far too many unforced, or milding forced turnovers against pressure.  This is a team we beat twice during the season and we were outscored by 27 points during the most important 25 minutes of the season.

lowposter

[crusaderjoe]

I'm not sure that either IU or Oklahoma could be called the "sleaziest" of basketball programs.  Yes, Sampson was somewhat sleazy .....

Calling Sampson "somewhat" sleazy is like calling someone a little bit pregnant.  You either are a slime ball or you aren't, and he is a slime ball.  Like it or not, guilty by association.  There is a reason that Samson isn't coaching in NCAA and never will again.  Ray worked under and learned from him.  Then he wrangled up a bunch of players and headed to Detroit, not before Holman threw a potted plant through Samson's window though. If you, as a coach, recruit those type of players....associate yourself with coaches like Sampson....and not TOTALLY condemn the actions of YOUR OWN SON ON YOUR OWN TEAM...then that will lead to your fans doing the types of things they did.

We are Valpo fans.  Most of us because of Homer and or Bryce Drew.  While some of us may chant and or rib...I am positive that we would write "219 Valpo Crusaders" all over cars in Detroit or any city for that matter. 

Once Ray Jr graduates and the shine wears off "Dick Vitale Court", Ray Sr. will be gone from the Horizon League.

To be consistent in this thread, if you are going to assess blame, make sure you do it the right way and put it squarely on the shoulders of whom it belongs.  The dunk, the graffiti, and the rain that washed out my golf game today was directly caused by Keri Gaither.  She hired McCallum. 

[FWalum]

Give it up. Enough is enough on this thread, it needs to end.