DETROIT -- University of Detroit Mercy sophomore guard Ray McCallum (Beverly Hills, Mich.) has been named to the 2011-12 James Naismith Award preseason watch list, according to an announcement made by the Atlanta Tipoff Club Monday afternoon.
McCallum adds the honor to an already impressive preseason list of accolades. The sophomore standout is the Horizon League's Preseason Player of the Year and was the preseason pick for top HL player by Lindy's. He is among the top 25 of all mid-major palyers vying for the Lou Henson Award and he was also selected to the John Wooden Award Preseason Top 50 list, an award that chooses the top 50 returning players in all of Division I basketball.
McCallum led the Titans in scoring (13.5 ppg) and was among the nation's leaders in assists (161) as a freshman. The coach's son parlayed a standout rookie season into invites at Deron Williams' and LeBron James' camps this summer. He then worked a late invite to the Team USA tryout into a roster spot, impressing coaches and media along the way. His USA squad finished fifth at the World University Games in Shenzhen, competing against some of the top talent in the world.
The watch list, which includes freshmen players unlike the Wooden Award, was compiled by the Atlanta Tipoff Club's Board of Selectors. The Board bases its criteria on player performances from the previous year and expectations for the 2012 college basketball season. The Naismith Trophy will be awarded at the 2012 NCAA Men's Final Four in New Orleans, La.
Two teams -- Kentucky and North Carolina -- boast four players each on the list, while three schools -- Connecticut, Ohio State and Vanderbilt -- have three players. The list represents 14 different conferences and features 28 upperclassmen and 22 underclassmen.
Naismith Preseason Top 50
Tim Abromaitis, F, Sr., Notre Dame
Harrison Barnes, F, Soph., North Carolina
Will Barton, G, Soph., Memphis
Brad Beal, G, Fr., Florida
William Buford, G, Sr., Ohio State
Aaron Craft, G, Soph., Ohio State
Anthony Davis, F, Fr., Kentucky
Marcus Denmon, G, Sr., Missouri
Andre Drummond, C, Fr., UConn
Festus Ezeli, C, Sr., Vanderbilt
Ashton Gibbs, G, Sr., Pittsburgh
Michael Glover, F, Sr., Iona
Drew Gordon, F, Sr., New Mexico
Draymond Green, F, Sr., Michigan State
JaMychal Green, F, Sr., Alabama
Tim Hardaway Jr., G, Soph., Michigan
Elias Harris, F, Jr., Gonzaga
John Henson, F, Jr., North Carolina
Tu Holloway, G, Sr., Xavier
Robbie Hummel, F, Sr., Purdue
Joe Jackson, G, Soph., Memphis
John Jenkins, G, Soph., Vanderbilt
Orlando Johnson, G, Sr., UC Santa Barbara
Darius Johnson-Odom, G, Sr., Marquette
Perry Jones III, F, Soph., Baylor
Terrence Jones, F, Soph., Kentucky
Kevin Jones, F, Sr., West Virginia
Kris Joseph, F, Sr., Syracuse
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, F, Fr., Kentucky
Jeremy Lamb, G, Soph., UConn
Kendall Marshall, G, Soph., North Carolina
Ray McCallum, G, Soph., Detroit
Doug McDermott, F, Soph., Creighton
Khris Middleton, F, Jr., Texas A&M
Quincy Miller, F, Fr., Baylor
Reeves Nelson, F, Jr., UCLA
Andrew Nicholson, F, Sr., St. Bonaventure
Alex Oriakhi, C, Jr., UConn
Austin Rivers, G, Fr., Duke
Thomas Robinson, F, Jr., Kansas
Terrence Ross, G, Soph., Washington
John Shurna, F, Sr., Northwestern
Peyton Siva, G, Jr., Louisville
Josh Smith, C, Soph., UCLA
Jared Sullinger, C, Soph., Ohio State
Jordan Taylor, G, Sr., Wisconsin
Jeffery Taylor, G/F, Sr., Vanderbilt
Marquis Teague, G, Fr., Kentucky
Patric Young, C, Soph., Florida
Tyler Zeller, F, Sr., North Carolina
(Release courtesy DetroitTitans.com)
