Detroit Mercy’s Department of Athletics celebrates several Titan legends for their achievements while in the red, white and blue during the Titans Champions Tour beginning tonight and running through Saturday.
Fifteen people will be inducted into the Detroit Mercy Athletics Hall of Fame, while three former men’s basketball players earn the distinction of having their number retired.
All celebrations will be at Calihan Hall during the Jan. 23 and Jan. 25 men’s basketball games. The Jan. 23 game against IUPUI starts at 7 p.m., while Jan. 25’s contest vs. UIC tips off at 1 p.m.
Willie Green and Eli Holman’s jersey retirements
Jan. 25 — pregame (Holman, No. 32) and halftime (Green, No. 34) of men’s basketball game
Former Titan basketball stars Green and Holman are being honored twice during the Titans Champions Tour. Both men are part of the 2020 Titan Hall of Fame class and will have their numbers retired Jan. 25. The first 250 fans in attendance will receive a free bobblehead, featuring Green from his days as a Titan.
A two-time NBA champion, Green was a part of four winning seasons at Detroit Mercy from 1999-2003, including a pair of 20-win campaigns and two postseason appearances. He is still fourth all-time in scoring with 1,779 points. As a senior, he was an AP All-American Honorable Mention and the Horizon League Player of the Year after averaging a league-best 22.6 points per game.
Green is currently in his first year as an assistant coach for the Phoenix Suns. He won two NBA championships in three seasons as an assistant with the Golden State Warriors.
Read more about Green being honored here.
Holman was part of the biggest turnaround in school history, as Detroit Mercy went from 7-23 in 2008-09 to 20-14 and the Horizon League Championship semifinals in 2009-2010. As a senior, he led the Titans to the Horizon League Championship and NCAA Tournament, while earning the league’s Sixth Man of the Year honors.
Holman became the 34th player in school history to reach 1,000 career points, as he averaged 11.5 points and 8.6 rebounds with 29 double-doubles in his three years, while shooting a school-record 61.0 percent from the field. He was also one of the best defensive players in the Horizon League; his 163 blocks remain second in school history.
Holman has had an outstanding playing career overseas and in 2016, through a generous gift, helped finalize the Thomas and Arvie McNamara Family Student-Athlete Academic Center with the Eli Holman Study Hall.
Read more about Holman being honored here.
Earl Cureton’s jersey retirement
Jan. 23 — Halftime of men’s basketball game
Cureton, a color analyst for Detroit Mercy men’s basketball games and 2007 Titan Hall of Fame inductee, kicks off the Titans Champions Tour by having his No. 24 jersey retired. The first 250 fans in attendance can join in the fun as Detroit Mercy is giving away free Cureton jersey t-shirts.
A 12-year NBA veteran and a two-time NBA champion, Cureton suited up for the Titans from 1977-80. He helped the Titans make the 1979 NCAA Tournament as the team went 22-6, following it up with another winning season as a senior.
Cureton averaged 11.7 points and a team-high 9 rebounds with 1.3 assists, 1.1 blocks and 1 steals per game in 1978-79, and then topped the team in scoring (20.0) and rebounding (9.1) to go with 1.6 assists, and 1.7 blocks and steals in 1979-80. He is still 12th all-time in school history in career blocks with 79 – holding the second spot after his playing career.
Read more about Cureton being honored here.
2020 Athletics Hall of Fame class
Jan. 24 induction ceremony; Jan. 25 celebration
Fifteen Titan greats spanning 10 athletic programs are enshrined into Detroit Mercy’s Athletics Hall of Fame. The class features the first-ever Hall-Of-Fame selections in the sports of women’s golf and lacrosse. Also included are six basketball stars, two football players and one standout from fencing, track and field, baseball, soccer and softball.
Detroit Mercy established its Titan Hall of Fame in 1977 in order to honor student-athletes, coaches and administrators who have helped develop the successful tradition of Titan Athletics. With the 2020 class entering, the Titan Hall of Fame will now stand at 144 all-time greats.
The Hall of Fame ceremony will take place in a private event on Jan. 24. All inductees will be publicly honored during Jan. 25’s men’s basketball game, which tips off at 1 p.m.
Read more about the 2020 Hall of Fame class here.
