With his father taking over at the University of Detroit, Ray McCallum Jr. had to find a school where he could be comfortable off the court, but where he could also be a great fit on the court. McCallum seems to have found that at Detroit Country Day (MI), and TheShiver.com caught a few minutes with Country Day’s head coach Kurt Keener.
When it came to talking about Ray McCallum, coach Keener didn’t have much trouble speaking about his 6’1″, 175 lb. point guard. In fact, Keener even had comparisons to some of his former players that have made their way through Country Day.
“Ray is a super kid and a serious student. He fit right in when he arrived and his teammates accepted him right away,” Keener said. “He really likes to get everyone involved first, and then he scores. His approach to the game is a lot like a kid I had here a few years ago, Shane Battier. Like Shane, Ray loves learning about the game, practices hard and watches a lot of film.”
One can’t help but to think that Ray’s film watching habit has to have something to do with his father, Ray Sr., being a coach, and the new head coach at the University of Detroit.
“That certainly has a lot to do with it. With his dad being gone a lot when Ray plays, I know that Ray takes a DVD of games and him and his dad watch it and break down the games,” Keener said.
Breaking down film with his father has certainly translated well to the court for Ray and his Country Day team.
“We (Country Day) didn’t have much experience at point guard coming into this season. Ray has stepped right in and filled that and has been a great addition. He is physically gifted and is like a coach on the floor with a very high basketball IQ,” Keener said of McCallum.
With McCallum at the point for the Yellow Jackets, they had won 18 in a row earlier this season and were ranked #4 in the USA Today High School Basketball Rankings. McCallum is averaging 17 points per game to go along with his 5.5 assists, 2 steals and 5 rebounds per game. McCallum is also shooting 62% from inside the arc and 56% overall.
When it comes to the next level, coach Keener certainly thinks that McCallum will transition just fine.
“I think he will be a point guard at the next level. He has the personality, skill set and understands team aspects,” Keener said.
There is a large list of major schools that are courting McCallum. According to Keener, the list of interested schools never seems to stop growing.
“KU and OU have offered, with Notre Dame, UCLA, Duke and a lot of the who’s who of college basketball,” Keener said of the schools interested in McCallum. “A group of kids, including McCallum, went up to see Michigan play during winter break,” Keener added.
As far as Kansas is concerned, Keener feels that McCallum could certainly fit into Bill Self’s system where the guards play more of a combo role than a defined position. Coach Self is also a big teacher of defense, which is where most young players struggle when moving to the next level.
“I think he would fit in Self’s style of play. Ray is used to being shifted around now as it is. Sometimes we move him over to the wing,” Keener said of McCallum. Ray is good defensively and he works hard to keep his man in front of him,” Keener added.
Ray McCallum is a a perfect combination of talent and basketball IQ. McCallum has transitioned into his role at Detroit Country Day and will do the same once he arrives on a campus. His ability to fit in, learn systems and being a coach on floor will certainly make him a great addition to any program.
