The UDM Men’s Basketball team played exceptionally well this season starting in October and finishing in March. The Titans won a total of 8 games and are looking forward to their upcoming season.
Detroit Mercy came back out of the woods again after a one-win season, surprising many teams in the conference.
Coach Mark Montgomery said, “We beat Robert Morris who was headed to the NCAA Tournament.”
A challenging slate for UDM this year included Wisconsin, who played for the Big Ten Championship. One of Wisconsin’s players was runner-up for Big Ten player of the year.
Even though the season has come to an end, senior Mak Manciel said, “This season was better than last year.”
A change in the coaching staff was like a culture change for the men’s basketball team.
Senior Emmanuel Kuac said, “Even though it wasn’t an ideal season, it was fun to play with my teammates.”
The team came together well in the beginning and started off strong. However, multiple injuries on the team made it harder to achieve more wins. Manciel suffered from an ankle dislocation, which benched him for about 20 games.
One of the key additions to the team was transfer Orlando Lovejoy. Coming over from nearby Eastern Michigan, Lovejoy led the team in scoring, rebounding, assists and steals. He was one of eight Titans to score at least 7 points per game.
The team is young, giving them room to grow and expand their skills. Most of the teams that UDM plays are older, giving them the perfect opportunity to improve against seasoned opponents.
Manciel and Kuac both knew that they wanted to play college basketball from an early age. They both hope to continue to grow and expand their careers as they play more games.
Kuac reflected, “We put in a lot of work over the summer and now we know what to do to move forward. I think we are on the right track to become a good program.”
The team motto is grit. Grit pushes the players forward to be their best and bring their best game. During the off-season, the team utilizes strength training coaches and a player development coach to improve its game.
One of the new additions to the team was Nate Johnson. Johnson, a freshman from Grand Rapids, is the team’s shooting guard. He described his experience at UDM as “electric and monumental.”
Johnson brought versatility to the team, being able to cover multiple positions. Finishing with 8.8 points and 4.5 rebounds per game, Johnson was named to the Horizon League All-Freshman Team.
When it comes to his teammates, Johnson mentioned, “I learned a lot about leadership from Mak and Emmanuel.”
He is thankful for the support from his parents and friends and is looking forward to what the next UDM season has to offer for this group of Titans.
