Terry Foster: Bacari Alexander-UDM Match Is A Match Made In Heaven

By Terry Foster
The Family Deal

Bacari Alexander won't just become the head coach of the University of Detroit Mercy. He will become Detroit's basketball coach.

This is a natural fit and Alexander will give every ounce of blood, sweat and tears that he has to make sure that the Titans thrive. There are a lot of great things happening in Detroit and Alexander will ensure that the Titans and Detroit is a match.

The first time I met Alexander he was a hard-working scrapper who played center and forward for Perry Watson at Detroit Mercy. He was never the most talented guy on the court and was undersized for the job that Watson asked him to do. However, he was always the smartest guy on the court. He thought the game as much as he played the game.

Alexander was a defensive and rebounding whiz that helped Detroit advance to the NCAA tournament where the Titans beat St. John's in 1998 and UCLA in 1999. Those are two programs that would want nothing to do with him as a player. But they could not match his hustle and desire.

Alexander replaces Ray McCallum who went 16-15 his final season. Boosters became impatient a couple of years ago because they believed the program underachieved. So this has been boiling for a while. There were scattered seeds within the program and discipline and smart play became secondary.

Players that want to cut corners and believe Alexander will be a soft touch are in for a rude awakening. Alexander is a very friendly guy that you'd want your son to play for, but he does not believe in short cuts. It will be interesting to see what players leave the program after learning the Bacari way.

It might say something about their character if they do leave.

The university did not rubber stamp Alexander as head coach. It interviewed a number of candidates and even got some surprise candidates. But at the end of the day this Alexander-UDM match is a match made in heaven and this era had to happen.

** My people are telling me that Detroit and Oakland will play the final basketball game at Joe Louis Arena and that they will play the first game at the new Red Wings arena in the stadium district. This should be a growing rivalry that plays one game a year downtown.

UDM should make at least one trip downtown a year whether it plays Oakland or not.

(Foster can be reached at Terry.Foster@cbsradio.com. Twitter: TerryFoster971.)