this team....

i dont know what it is but this Flyer's team finds way to win. Agianst Ole Miss, Benson gets hurt and they pull it together to win that one. wins against SLU and Temple and yeah the loss to the Bonnies. But the loss to the Bonnies they played tough and just got wore down at the end. The only big negative i seen tonight against Lasalle is they played 37.5 minutes of quality basketball and then the last 2.5 they went through the motions. to be 3-1 in the A10 at this point is big. Coach Millers's motto this year is "ALL IN" and i thing these guys are deffently all in. they have bought into his style and are playing really good ball. the next one is the big one with X coming to the arena. For Dayton to win they got to get to the free throw line and and shoot a descent % from the field. Regardless as a
Flyer fan i extremely pleased with this season so far and excited for whats to come. LETS GO FLYER's BEAT X!!!

GO UD!!!

WE ARE UD!!!

First of all, nice win over Xavier yesterday. Dayton is finally playing the way they are capable. Would hate to see where this team would be with Brian Gregory's system still in place with losing Benson and CJ banged up. Dayton's record would probably be just the opposite that it is now. it's good to finally have a coach who knows what he is doing and can get the kids to play, even under adverse situations. I said before the season started that 20 games was well within reach, just due to the coaching change. Few people actually believed that could happen. Taking Benson out of the mix.......even less people believed.

Right now thet are on top of the A-10 alone after disposing of both LaSalle and Xavier. Also, only 6 games away from 20. I'd say between the 11 conference games left, the A-10 tournament, and the post season.......at least 20 will happen......as I said it would! They call me Misteright for a reason. :)


GO UD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I dont want to look to far ahead but i believe 20 wins will come before the A10 tourney, but i would agree 20 wins will happen. i cant get over how Big Kav is just having his way inside. He looks totally different from the past 2 years. If BG was still here... yes they would be in big trouble. The coaching change is night and day. in the off season i read an article with comments from some of the players and they commented on how coach Miller lets them play to there strenghts. It just seems like there more confident and they play as a team more. No more Chinnesse Fire Drill either!!! Either way there exciting to watch and things are looking up down the road.

GO UD!!!

WE ARE UD!!!

This season is going very well and the win over X is a great one.  I think people are starting to take notice of the Flyers.  I'm going to call myself Mister Right too because when lots of people said this team was left depleted by BG I disagreed.  Yes we lost CW, which was big, but others also thought the loss of Staten and Spearman would hurt too.  Staten (and his father for that matter) were cancers to the team.  Spearman came on at the end of last season but I never got the feeling that he had a lot of pure basketball skill as much as he was just very athletic.  Dillard is better than I anticipated, but i knew he would be very good.  CJ and PW were both established players and Josh Parker showed signs of being a very good scorer last year, its too bad BG did not use him correctly.  Josh Benson in my estimation got better and better with every game last year so i figured he may sneak up on people this year, just too bad it was only for half a season.  With those established players and the emergence of Kav its not surprising that we are playing as well as we are.  I also predicted from the start that there will probably be some very good wins (see Minnesota, Mississippi, Alabama, SLU, Temple, X, ) but also some head scratching losses (see Miami, Buffalo).  The last 11 games should be fun and i expect UD to be right in the mix for the A10 regular season and post season titles, as well as an NCAA berth.  Go UD!!!

As one of the people who said I thought it would be tough to win 20 games this year I am here to take my medicine.  At this point I will be surprised/disappointed if they don't win 20 in the regular season, (in fairness I think you said that they would win as many or more games than they won last year which would be 23, but I still think that is attainable at this point).

With all that said, I still don't know how they are doing it.  I am amazed at the development of Kavs, Benson (before he got hurt) and Alex.  To me this is the biggest difference (along with an unselfish point guard who realizes he can still be the man AND put his teammates in position to succeed).  I will also humbly admit that this is coaching pure and simple.  OP and BG did not develop big men, period.  In a half a season we are seeing big time development and it has me drooling for what is to come when we actually have a full compliment of scholarship players.  I don't think Archie is the one working with the bigs on their post moves, but he certainly gets the credit for having someone on his staff who can do that work and apparently the last two coaches did not have that guy on their staff.

I also think big time props need to go out to Ralph Hill and Devon Oliver.  They have both given big time minutes in big games this season.  If they can get some confidence on the offensive end, look out!  Archie may have a problem finding minutes for everyone next year with the two highly regarded forwards coming in along with Derenbacker being eligible.  All in all, this just goes to show what team chemistry and (yes I admit it) coaching can do for a group.  Anyone who is being honest with themselves has to admit that UD does not have more talent than Xavier or Temple, but apparently the have something better.

And finally, I have a request.  Can we stop using every Flyer success as an opportunity to bash BG.  The guy is gone.  Long gone.  From what I have seen this year I'm glad he is down in Atlanta and we have Archie here.  But, BG certainly played a role in bringing the program back to where it is today and he did it the right way.  The past is past and as I recall we were all gaga over BG in his first year.  Just let it die and enjoy the present and future.  For what it is worth, some of the X fans are now questioning Mack's future on their message board and one of their big complaints is substitution patterns.  I guess it just goes to show that perspective is a matter of what happened yesterday.

UD needs this win tonight at St. Joe's.  With the next two at home against URI and Duquesne, a win tonight might lead to a 7-1 mark half-way through the A-10 season....and a very solid portfolio for the dance.  Who would have thought?  Flyers up 32-27 at half despite foul trouble and poor shooting.  Hopefully UD can keep it up, play another solid 20 minutes and close out what could be another big win.  Go Flyers!!

Awful second half!  Need defense to lead you to victories when the shots aren't falling and we certainly didn't play much defense in the second half tonight.  Back to the drawing board.  Need to hold serve at home over the next two games.

Very disappointing 2nd half tonight @ St. Joe's. Flyers looked like they were in the drivers seat after the first half with a 5 point lead. Dayton gave up 50 in that second half and defensively you can't allow that to happen. 19 point turn around!! It's basically going to come down to how many they can win on the road. On the road, they still have St. Louis, Xavier, Richmond, Duquense, and a much improved Fordham.

Xavier has proved they are human by losing a conference game at home tonight to St. Louis for the first time in 43 games. Maybe this is the year Dayton breaks that long drought against them down there!!!

GO UD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

How quickly things can turn around. 11 days ago, 4-1 in conference play and sitting on top of the conference. Third loss in a row tonight (2nd in a row at home) now 4-4 in conference and back to the middle of the pack. Automatic wins at home are no longer automatic. Four of the next five games are on the road and three of those road games are against St. Louis, Xavier, and Duquense which beat Dayton tonight. So it's only going to get tougher!!

I've noticed in the games I've seen, opposing teams are getting waaaaay to many uncontested 3's. Duquense tonight was 10-15 from 3-point land at one point. Got to at least get a hand in their face......uncontested 3's are going to fall more times than not. Dayton needs to go inside more and definitely has to step up their defense.......especially against the 3.

This year the league is MUCH more competitive. Everyone in conference has at least 2 losses, so it's still anybody's title to win. Even Rhode Island at the bottom, just knocked off Dayton Saturday and knocked UMASS out of first with a win tonight. NO ONE in this conference can be overlooked this year!! Dayton needs to turn it up on the defensive end, if they want to compete... there's still plenty of time!!!

GO UD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This kind of performance for the Flyers don't surprise me at all. Look at their history in the A-10 and it proves what I have said for years, they can't compete in this league. Look at their non-conference season again this year, they beat Wake Forest, Minnesota, Alabama, then St. Louis, Xavier and LaSalle at home and Temple on the road. then they lose to St. Bonaventure, St. Joes and then the pathetic losses at home to Rhode Island and Duquesne. I have been a Flyer fan since the days of Henry Finkle but after these last two games I have made up my mind that there will be no more Flyer games on my TV as long as they are in the A-10. When they finally realize they need to play in a different league where they can be competative, I can't watch anymore.

I dont know how you say they cant compete in the A-10? Be happy with the wins they have with what they got to work with. Coach Miller has gotta a ton of praise for the job he is doing. I dont think anyone thought they would compete this year. Three of the wins you named are top tier teams in the A-10. They will compete next year. There is a great recruiting class coming in and not to mention the 2 transfers sitting out this year (derenbecher and Sanford). The A-10 this year is a little crazy, Rhody beat Umass after they beat Dayton. BTW if you have been a Flyer Fan as long as you say you have than you should know the meaning of "Flyer Faithful" (dont take any offense to it but come on)

GO UD!!!
WE ARE UD!!!

udfan13, here is my reasoning for saying they can't compete in the A-10:

95-96  9-4 NL  6-10 A-10   finished 8th of 12
96-97  7-4      6-10                      8th of 12
97-98  10-7   11-5 (Tri-Champ)     T4 of 12
98-99  6-6      5-11                      9th of 12
99-00  11-4   11-5 (West champ)  T2 of 12
00-01  12-6    9-7                       T5th of 12
01-02  11-5   10-6                       W3rd of 6
02-03  10-4   10-6 Champ            2nd of 6
03-04  12-5   12-4 champ
04-05  8-5     10-6                      T2nd of 6
05-06  8-7    6-10                        T11th of 14
06-07  11-4   8-8                         T7th of 14
07-08  15-3   8-8                         T7th of 14
08-09   16-3  11-5                       T2 of 14
09-10  17-4   8-8                         7th of 14
10-11  15-5   7-9                         T8th of 14
So far this year 14-8  4-4

These numbers speak for themselves. In 16 seasons they have finished third or better five times. Thye have finished in the bottom half of the league eight times. One tournament championship in 16 years is not competing. That is not competing.

i see your point and you make a pretty good arguement but for them to leave the A-1o and go down to a easier conference would make recruiting even harder. believe it or not the A-10 is pretty competetive. If Dayton would change conference i believe they would go up not down. (call me crazy but thats what i think)

udfan13, think about this. If you are being recruited to come to Dayton and you are told that "we play in the A-10. We never win the league and usually finish in the bottom half. You will never play in the NCAA but maybe once you will get to go to the NIT" or "we play in (whatever, MAC, Horizon), we have a very good chance to win that league almost every year and play in the NCAA" which are you going to want to go to? for me, I want the go where we can win.

You are a total joke, do you hear yourself?  You really think playing in the Horizon league is going to help recruiting?  Maybe you have been a Flyer fan for too long.  First of all I would say that this team is one of the more competitive programs in the A10.  Maybe you havent noticed than XU and Temple have dominated this league for a very long time.  The problem is not about the league.  The stumbling this team has done this year is not because Dayton cant compete with Duq, St Joe, Rhode, and St Lou.  Take your pick from the problems this year such as no bench, short on talent, banged up, young coach.  One thing is for certain its not because this team is outclassed by their opponents.

PS Do you think recruits would rather wipe the floor with UL Lafayette or lose at Madison Square Garden?  By your theory Dayton Football should be getting tons of five star recruits. 

You are an idiot. 

gregory189, maybe you had better look up at the stats I posted. It isn't just this year. It has been consistant almost from the very beginning. Look at the non-league record and then check the conference record year in and year out. They have great records and beat some very good teams outside the league but look at what happens when the A-10 schedule rolls around. They finish in the middle of the pack almost every year. You say it is not that Dayton can't compete with with Duquesne, St. Joe, Rhode Island and St. Louis, you have some other excuse. If they can compete with these teams, why are they losing to them more times than not? You have all kind of excuses for this other than the fact they just can't compete. If Dayton was good enough to compete here, they would be right up there dominating just like XU and Temple, not finishing 7-8-9.

You say their problem is no bench, short on talent. That goes to show they aren't getting the great recruits even playing in the A-10. You say it is because the are banged up. As far as I know the only one out is Josh Benson. And keep in mind this isn't the first time Miller has stepped foot on the court to coach, only his first head coaching job. You arguement doesn't hold water with me.

I think recuits are going to want to play where they will be playing in the NCAA not the NIT or worse, nowhere. Again, referring back to my original post, if you were being recruited which wouuld you rather hear. We will never win the league, most likely never play in the NCAA tournament, but maybe go to the NIT once or twice. Trust me, the kid will want to win, not sit home watching the winners play.

Do you think recruits would rather wipe the floor with UL Lafayette or lose at Madison Square Garden

I think recruits want to go where they can win. You asked if they would rather lose at MSG. How many times have they been there in the last 40 years? ONCE.

I am not talking Dayton football. In case you don't know, Dayton doesn't offer scholarships for football so I wouldn't expect them to have any 1-2-3-4 or 5 star recruits.

As for me being a total joke, I can accept that from someone so blind the truth slaps them in the face and they can't see it.

Anyone who can beat St. Louis, Xavier, and Temple @ Temple, can definitely compete in the A-10. The conference they are in is not the problem. I been saying for years the players need to be taken to a shrink to find out what their problem is.......I wasn't kidding. You don't beat the really good teams and then lose to the weak teams and struggle on the road to whoever they're playing...that is definitely mental, NOT a physical inability!!!

Dayton for years has been playing to the level of their competition and struggling on the road....this is not new, but definitely needs to be addressed, quick!!! The league is more competitive this year......however beating St. Louis, Xavier, Temple, Alabama, Ole Miss, and Minnesota, while losing to Miami, Buffalo, Rhode Island, and Duquense, the latter 3 at home, is unacceptable and makes no sense!! I know it's tougher to play on the road and the difference between home records and away records of 90% of the teams is ridiculous, but the teams who make the Big Dance, and go deep into it, are the teams that win on the road as well as at home!!

It just really bothers me when they beat someone really good and then lose to someone really bad......especially when they lose to bad teams at home.....that is inexcuseable!! Dayton has the talent and they still have time......they need to pretend they're playing Duke or North Carolina every night and they would be fine!!!!

GO UD!!!!!!!!!!!

daytonflyers,

I still think you are a joke, even more so after reviewing your last post.  As far as I am concerned competing is finishing in the top half of the league most years.  Dayton has done this for as long as I can remember.  Dayton wins, I am surprised that you dont think they do.  Do you expect them to win 30 games every season?  And play in National Championships?

In the last 11 years Dayton has had more than 20 wins in 9 of 11 seasons, and they finished worse than 8th place only once.  Get your head out of the sand.  That is the definition of competing.  They have also played in the tournament 3 times and in postseason 7 times. 

I believe that you will find that most teams lose more conference games than out of conference games because conference teams play Dayton every season and know them better than out of conference opponents.  Unless you have a very gifted team like Kentucky this year most teams will lose conference games.

If they play in a lower conference than their television exposure drops and the product is less available to people like me in Michigan.  Some of Daytons most solid players have come from Detroit. 

It doesnt matter because this team is going to be really sad next year, regardless of the conference.

Gregory,

I agree 100% with your take on moving to a lesser conference but I don't share your pessimism regarding next year.

I think gaining Vee Sanford will be about a wash for losing Paul Williams and JP, (better slasher, good defender, good size for the 2 spot at 6'3", probably not as good of a 3 point shooter but Paul wasn't either for a good stretch of this season and JP is streaky as well).  Matt Derenbacker is a great shooter and a better ball handler than CJ although I won't go so far as to say I expect him to be as good an all around player as CJ.  I am hoping that Derenbacker and an improving DO can help fill some of the void left by CJ.  I really don't think you lose a ton with Luke leaving, he had a couple good games but he is not a threat other than from the perimeter and doesn't give you anything in terms of post defense or rebounding.  You have Kavs back and he has really developed this year, Gavs with another year of development, Benson back and the two freshman forwards which I think equals a huge upgrade to the front court from what we had this year if only in terms of depth.  I don't really expect a ton from Jevon Thomas as a freshman point guard but you don't really need a ton from him other than being able to spell KD for the 4-5 minutes a game he needs a blow, (I also think he can play some at the 2).  All reports are the kid can really play and has a great handle which is not a familiar trait in UD guards.  Anything you can get from Ralph Hill is a bonus and he showed some signs this year on defense and on the boards, he doesn't turn it over and is usually in good position.

I tend to forget about Derenbacker and Sanfordwhen thinking about 2012-2013 but Derenbacker started for LSU most of his freshman year and Sanford was burried on the bench behind Chris Wright at Georgetown but played well when he played,  Bottom line these are both kids that were 4 star recruits (last one we had was CW) and obviously impressed people at Georgetown and LSU.  Call me crazy but I am actually looking forward to next year.  Given what this team did this year with 10 scholarship players to start and then losing their only athletic big, 2nd leading scorer and top rebounder for 60% of the season, I am really excited to see what Archie can do with some decent talent and 12 scholarship players (plus anyone else he picks up late in the game).