By Corey J. Corbin

Allied News Sports Editor

No offense to his former Grove City High teammates or to his teammates at the United States Air Force Academy’s prep school, but former GCHS standout Jordan Fee is surrounded by the best talent he ever has seen .... at Detroit University.

“I told my dad that I have never been on a team with this much talent before,” Fee said. “It’s really exciting. You hate to make predictions or get thoughts in your head. If we keep working, we should make the (NCAA Division I men’s) tournament soon. It may not be this year, but we have plenty of talent to make the tournament. It’ll be fun to see how it all works out.”

After graduation, Fee headed off to Colorado Springs to attend a prep school for a year before possibly enlisting at the Air Force Academy, but after a trying year in Colorado Fee contemplated going elsewhere.

“My biggest thing was I really felt like it was a great place and great experience, but my main reason for going there was to give myself another year to go to another school,” Fee said. “While I was there, I kind of transitioned to the thought ‘I might as well stay here.’ Throughout the year I realized that I wanted to be there, but I didn’t want to be in the military. I have dreams and goals, but that wasn’t part of them. I’m thankful for the coaches there. Overall, it was the hardest year I’ve ever been through. I’m better for it now.”

When Fee returned to Grove City early this summer after spending nearly a year in Colorado Springs, Detroit — a mid-major competing in the Horizon League with teams like Butler, Valparaiso and Youngstown State — became an interesting option.

“The whole Detroit thing came up about a month, a month-and-a-half ago,” said Fee, who posted over a 1,000 career points and led Grove City to the PIAA Class AAA Western Region Finals as a senior. “I went on a visit to Indiana (University) because we knew one of the coaches out there and he asked me to come out. While I was out there, I met coach (Ray) McCallum, who got the job at Detroit two or three weeks later. He invited me out (to Detroit). It was the first visit — other than the Air Force — where I felt comfortable. I played well. I think I connected with the guys and I felt like I was a part of things here before I even got here.”

Throughout summer workouts, the Titans have been looking at Fee as more of a shooting guard than his more traditional point-guard position.

“The funny thing was I came here to run the point,” the 2007-08 Associated Press all-state selection admitted. “They have a kid who’s a good point guard, and he’s going to be a junior. For me, I wasn’t so close-minded that I had to be a point guard, but wherever I’m going to be able to play. Shooting guard-wise, they only have one. He’s not necessarily a shooting guard. He can be a ‘three,’ too.

“They’ve moved me toward (being a shooting guard). It’s a hard transition, playing without the ball in my hands, because I’m used to having the ball in my hands and running the show. I’m a pass-first, shoot-second kind of guy, but I’m changing that a little bit. They want me to be a shooter. That’s what I’m transitioning into now.”

Due to NCAA rules barring coaches from attending most offseason workouts, Fee doesn’t have a firm grasp of what McCallum and the rest of the Titans’ staff in store for him once preseason conditioning and practices begin this fall.

“That’s something people always ask me and I truthfully don’t know,” Fee said. “The coaches haven’t been in (the gym) to see us because they’re not allowed. All our workouts have been with the trainers and the strength-and-conditioning coaches. (The coaching staff) has an idea, but I don’t think anyone will really know until closer to the season. I think a lot of people will play.”

Perhaps the biggest difference between the academy and Detroit, for Fee, is what he does with his time.