On the same night they christened "Dick Vitale Court at Calihan Hall" the Detroit Titans paid an honorable homage to their former-coach-turned-famous-ESPN-commentator by bouncing the St. John's Red Storm 69-63 on Monday.
Sophomore guard Roy McCallum poured in 21 points and on 7-12 shooting and fellow backcourt mate Chase Simon added 20 points for the Titans, who improved to 4-6 and snapped a three-game losing streak.
Vitale notably coached Detroit to the NCAA tournament in 1977 after a win against the Marquette Golden Eagles in 1977, who went on to win the championship. Vitale was honored on the same night that marked his 32nd anniversary of becoming an analyst for ESPN.
"I've had many honors come my way, the ultimate was going into the Basketball Hall of Fame, but having a court named after you is an incredible honor and I'm emotionally spent about it," Vitale said earlier in the day. "When they called to tell me about it, I didn't feel comfortable with it.
"But they made it clear that this wasn't based on solely what I did as a coach, but also for the visibility and exposure I've given the school with my career at ESPN."
It was a strong night overall for the Horizon League of which the Titans are a part, as the Milwaukee Panthers defeated the DePaul Blue Demons 87-76 as the league went 2-0 against the Big East on the evening.
Detroit takes the court next when they host the Western Michigan Broncos on Dec. 8.