Antoine Davis missed his shot at making history.

Head coach Mike Davis of the Detroit Mercy Titans is seen during the game against the Butler Bulldogs at Hinkle Fieldhouse on November 12, 2018 in Indianapolis, Indiana. DETROIT – The Detroit Mercy basketball team has canceled its next two games for the mental health and well-being of its players, according to the Horizon League. Detroit’s Jan. 1 and Jan. 2 games against the University of Illinois at Chicago have been canceled. “The pause for a week is only for the mental wellness and safety and not at all due to any positive tests in the Detroit Mercy program.”Detroit last took the court Saturday and Sunday in back-to-back losses against Oakland. “The health and safety of our student-athletes have always been and will continue to be our top priority.

DETROIT – Terry Duerod, a college basketball standout who played for Dick Vitale at the University of Detroit Mercy in the 1970s before winning an NBA title with the Boston Celtics, has died. The school announced Duerod's death Friday and said he'd been fighting Leukemia. Vitale said in that news release that he'd found out from Duerod's wife about his death. In 1977 — Vitale's last year coaching at the school — the Titans won an NCAA Tournament game for the first time. He played two more at Detroit after that, averaging 23.3 points a game as a senior and helping the team to another NCAA Tournament appearance.

DETROIT – The basketball world is in mourning after former University of Detroit Mercy basketball coach Smokey Gaines lost his battle with cancer. Gaines joined Vitale’s staff as an assistant and when Vitale went to the Pistons, Smokey became the University of Detroit’s first Black head coach. He also get the team to the NCAA tournament and, two years later, Gaines left to become the head coach at San Diego State University. Gaines had a long career in basketball, but he never forgot where he came from and always stayed close to the Detroit Mercy Titans program. Smokey Gaines smoked the nets and opened doors for others.