Detroit-Mercy will be looking for its third head coach since 2016, when athletic director Robert Vowels decided to fire Bacari Alexander on Monday. Alexander is a 1999 alum, helping the Titans to two NCAA appearances, and had a lot of expectations placed on him to restore glory to Calihan Hall. He was not able to, going 16-47 in just two seasons, and 10-26 in Horizon League play.
The Titans lost 23 games in 2017 and a record 24 in 2018, the worst two-year stretch in school history. Partner that with Alexander’s 7-game suspension for “personnel reasons”, and a change was bound to happen.
Assistant coach Jermaine Jackson Sr. was named interim coach by Vowels in a press release, which also announced the firing of Alexander. They played together at UDM in the late 90s.
Many like Jackson to have the interim tag removed from his name when a new head coach is officially announced. Until then, here is a list of possible candidates, some farfetched, to keep an eye on.
Jermaine Jackson Sr.: Jermaine Jackson Sr.: Who cares if you don’t like him as a person? Jackson can coach basketball. He is currently the interim coach at Detroit-Mercy and went 4-3 during Alexander’s suspension this season. He is a 1999 graduate and Titans great on the hardwood. He has a great rapport with the high school coaches and recruits in the area, having coached at Mt. Clemens High for a couple of seasons. Current Titans Josh McFolley, Gerald Blackshear, Tariiq Jones, and his son Jermaine Jackson Jr., all played for him in high school. Jackson is only 41, is familiar with the area, having played at Finney High, and can obviously recruit. Many think it is his job to lose…again.
Derrick McDowell: He is currently the head coach of Western High School in Detroit. Two of his former players for the Cowboys are on Detroit’s roster: McFolley and Blackshear. They won a Class A state title game in 2015, going 26-0. He also spearheaded those great Redford teams in the late 90s and early 00s. Enough of McDowell’s high school resume. He also has college experience, making stops at Eastern Michigan, Central Michigan, Wayne State, and even Detroit from 1985-1988 as an assistant. He attended Northern High and is very respected in the area. McDowell is more than qualified for the job.
Mychal Covington: A budding star in the coaching ranks and metro Detroit basketball community, Oakland University assistant Mychal Covington is one to keep an eye on. He just completed his first year at his alma mater, playing for the Golden Grizzlies from 1998-2002 under Greg Kampe. Covington comes from a basketball family coaching tree. His father Craig was the head coach of the men’s and women’s program at Marygrove College in Detroit and his brother Craig Jr. coached high school basketball in the city. A Pontiac native, Covington played his high school ball at Northern High. The Titans need a boost in recruiting and that is one thing the 38-year-old Covington can bring to the table.
Cornell Mann: His Twitter handle says “8 Mile Corn.” The man has Detroit embedded in him, originating from Royal Oak Township and starring at Ferndale High. “Corn”, as he is affectionately called in the area, has been coaching at the Division I level for decades, with stops at Colorado, Central Michigan, Western Michigan, Dayton, Iowa State, Oakland, and is now at Missouri. It’s time for him to run his own program now. Mann’s son, Malik, is a standout sophomore basketball and football player at nearby Oak Park High. Maybe that will give him some incentive to return home if offered.
Lou Dawkins: His legacy at the high school level is set in stone, leading Saginaw High to two straight Class A state titles in 2007 and 2008 with current NBA player Draymond Green. His late son even had an AAU team named after him: Dorian’s Pride. The Dawkins name is well-respected in the Detroit area and his resume at the college ranks speaks for itself. He coached at Northern Illinois for a few seasons and is currently at Cleveland State, where he has recruited the Detroit area well. Dawkins to Detroit-Mercy is more than possible.
bhunter@michronicle.com
Twitter: @justcallmebhunt
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