Detroit Mercy Basketball: 2017-2018 season preview

Key Reserves:

DeShawndre Black- Senior

Black enters the season as the backup point guard for the Titans. He is a key piece of this team, as he will be able to provide a much-needed break for McFolley on the floor. Black was not much of a scorer or rebounder last year and is a pass-first point guard who likes to get his other teammates involved. Black averaged 17 minutes a contest last year, and, while he didn’t shoot the ball a whole lot, when he did shoot, he liked to shoot three’s and made them at about 40%. If Black continues to shoot from beyond the arc with that kind of accuracy he will provide a ton of value to the Titans who will show more consistent on the offensive end of the floor.

Roschon Prince- Senior

Prince is a graduate transfer from Long Beach State. While with the 49ers, Prince averaged about 10 points per game and led the team with seven rebounds. Prince is going to step right in and help the Titans on the glass immediately. Detroit Mercy was not a good rebounding team last year, and need all the help they can get. Prince is a viable scoring option for Detroit Mercy as well and is a much-needed frontcourt piece for a team who relies so much on their guards. Prince will help provide some stability to the bench and will be able to step into a starting role if needed. Prince started his career at USC. Anytime a team like Detroit Mercy can get transfers from high major schools, it will help them improve in many ways, and usually always on the offensive end.

Tariiq Jones- Junior

Jones is a JUCO Transfer who is coming back home to his home city of Detroit. Jones is another player who is a dynamic scorer. Last year in junior college, Jones showed he could score in a multitude of ways. He shot 50% overall from the floor including 46% from three. If Jones comes anywhere close to repeating those numbers, he will be in line for a lot of minutes for the Titans. Jones also showed that he could rebound last year as well. As discussed earlier, the Titans need all the help they can get on the glass. If Jones shows he can shoot threes and rebound, and score as well as he did last year, he may crack the starting lineup.

Isaiah Jones- Senior

Jones is a JUCO as well but missed last season due to an injury. Jones is the second tallest player on this roster, and, at 6’11,” he is a rim protector. While Jones does not score a lot of points, he can protect the rim and is a good post defender. The Titans need a lot of help on the defensive end of the floor. It remains to be seen how fast Jones is able to get up to full speed, so his minute allotment remains up in the air until the coaching staff can see how he reacts to extended minutes. With his ability to protect the rim, he can be a game changer and one that Detroit Mercy desperately needs.

Jermaine Jackson Jr.- Freshman

Jackson is the son of Titan assistant coach and former Horizon League player of the Year Jermaine Jackson. Jackson has a nice offensive game and it would not surprise anyone if Jackson were to bump one of the five starters as early as the first month of the season. Jackson did draw the start in the exhibition game, but, usually, coaches are able to experiment with lineups a little bit in the exhibition games. Jackson is a good shooter from deep and will be able to get into the lane. Jackson being the son of a coach will know what to do in every situation so it will be hard to keep him off the floor in most situations.