Congrats to GW on A10 wn #2

[Section 200]

GW 57 cryers 54 on a 3 with 1.9 seconds left. Congrats Colonials!

[GoMuskies]

Ouch. At least UD will get a home game or two in the NIT.

[Snipe]

Too bad about the Flyers. They showed so much promise. Now I look at every game on their schedule and think it will be tough for them to win.

They have lost 5 of their last 7. Truth be told they should have tanked the Charlotte game too, which would have made it 6 of 7. Charlotte gave that game away. And before the streak started they were taken to overtime at St. Louis. I guess they are lucky to have that one.

GW was 251 in the RPI. This is the type of loss that is really going to sting Dayton. Put a fork in them. They are done.

They do have beatable teams left on the schedule, but George Washington was supposed to be one of them. Dayton is beatable every freaking night.

Knock on wood, but I could only imagine what the old MM board would be like if we would have hit a stretch like that.

Dayton plays the Dukes next. It is a home game at UD Arena. The Dukes are on a roll. They rolled SJU out of their gym and then went on the road and rolled LaSalle tonight.

The Mighty Dukes just might come in and rip their heads off.

[pimpinthebox]

Nice dive, Flyers. Glad they're almost back to full strength with Little back. That's really done a lot of good. Shocked GW won without Maurice Rice scoring a single point. Looks like "Hobes" is going young with his lineup. That Diggs dude was out of his mind tonight (although he missed an alley-oop dunk that would've sealed things). Roberts almost led them back (a la the Charlotte game), but it wasn't enough. Gotta give credit to those GW fans. They do a nice job pulling for their lousy team.

[Lasser83]

As much as Xu fans dislike UD, this is the truth:

It hurts the conference and XU when Dayton, Rhode Island, Umass, and St. Joes lose to other conference foes.

[X-band '01]

Who will UD blame for this loss? Will they blame La Salle for ripping GW's manhood back on Wednesday?

With Duquesne coming to Dayton on Wednesday, will we see a "Would You Switch?" thread on UDPride?

[Snipe]

As much as Xu fans dislike UD, this is the truth:

It hurts the conference and XU when Dayton, Rhode Island, Umass, and St. Joes lose to other conference foes.

Oh it hurts this conference a good bit. I was rooting for them. Their fall has been spectacular.

[Section 200]

Who will UD blame for this loss? Will they blame La Salle for ripping GW's manhood back on Wednesday?

With Duquesne coming to Dayton on Wednesday, will we see a "Would You Switch?" thread on UDPride?

The problem is, switching might be the right answer.

[AviatorX]

LOL at the will you switch thread. I wish our coach was as much of a genius as RE is up in Pittsburgh.

[Snipe]

Who will UD blame for this loss? Will they blame La Salle for ripping GW's manhood back on Wednesday?

With Duquesne coming to Dayton on Wednesday, will we see a "Would You Switch?" thread on UDPride?

Thanks for bringing up the classics.

When Duquesne beats them on Wednesday, they will pass them as a program. The Dukes are looking to go 6-4 in league with a win and the Flyers will drop to 4-6. The Flyers are losing their best player at the end of the year, while the best players on the Dukes will be seniors next year.

Those Dayton fans just might want to switch.

[PM Thor]

I would expect a team to have a couple of losses after those injuries that they had.

But it's been over 2 weeks now since they lost Little and Wright. You would have thought that they would have made adjustments and people would step up. Apparently not, outside of Roberts this was their other starters numbers.

Binnie 4 REB, 0 assists, 5 pts.
Huelsman 5 REB, 0 assists, 7 pts. and fouled out.
Sandoval 2 REB, 1 assist, 0 points.
Johnson 5 REB, 4 assists, 8 pts.

Four starters combine for 20 points and 5 assists in a combined 108 minutes on the floor. You can't win like that. Ever.

They did get Little back and he did have 12 off the bench, but Little too Late. (HA, made that up)


I love that it is happening to dayton too.

If it was any other upper tier team in the conference, then I might be upset that it hurts the conference, not dayton though. That 7th place pick by the coaches is looking pretty dead on right now.

[xuab]

If it was any other upper tier team in the conference, then I might be upset that it hurts the conference, not dayton though. That 7th place pick by the coaches is looking pretty dead on right now.

Right now they are in 9th place tied with LaSalle. Wasn't it just a little over 2 weeks ago they were ranked 16th?

[joebba]

I do not see Dayton getting to the Dance now unless they get to the A-10 tourney finals.

[X-band '01]

That 7th place pick by the coaches is looking pretty dead on right now.

Or generous, depending on your point of view.

[AdamtheFlyer]

I would expect a team to have a couple of losses after those injuries that they had.

But it's been over 2 weeks now since they lost Little and Wright. You would have thought that they would have made adjustments and people would step up. Apparently not

Exactly. I can live with losing. It really doesn't bother me too much as a fan. What does bother me is a lack of effort. And outside of Roberts, this team doesn't have it.

Two plays stood out to me tonight more than any other. It was in the first half, during GW's big run. Roberts drove and dumped the ball to Binnie, who was wide open for a 10 foot jumper. He pumped faked with no defender around, and then when someone finally came to guard him, he passed.

The second came late in the game. GW missed a shot, and 4 Flyers went for the rebound. All four guys tried to tip the ball to someone else instead of grabbing it, and GW came away with the ball and quickly scored.

Roberts aside, the team lacks the heart and desire needed to take the next step.

[Snipe]

And you lose Roberts at the end of the year.

You can't have a player of his quality for four years and not go dancing without taking an honest inventory of your coaching staff.

[joebba]

And you lose Roberts at the end of the year.

You can't have a player of his quality for four years and not go dancing without taking an honest inventory of your coaching staff.

Ouch... Zing. Good point. :cool:

[vee4xu]

I said when ud was something like 10-1 that they would fade just like they did last year. And, they are. They have a losing record in the conference and are losing regularly late in the season. These factors will render those early wins versus UL and Pitt pretty meaningless. They are NIT material at best.

[Snipe]

[B]

You would have thought that they would have made adjustments and people would step up. Apparently not, outside of Roberts this was their other starters numbers.

Binnie 4 REB, 0 assists, 5 pts.
Huelsman 5 REB, 0 assists, 7 pts. and fouled out.
Sandoval 2 REB, 1 assist, 0 points.
Johnson 5 REB, 4 assists, 8 pts.




Johnson's stats aren't that bad. I think that kid can play. Little can play as well. When Wright gets healthy he is a baller.

Binnie is a waste of space. Sandoval is robbing some deserving D-II player from a scholarship opportunity. Those guys are horrible. Huelsman would be a decent back up, but that is about it.

[AdamtheFlyer]

And you lose Roberts at the end of the year.

You can't have a player of his quality for four years and not go dancing without taking an honest inventory of your coaching staff.

I've taken the inventory. Problem is, he's under contract until 2012. He's not going anywhere. I'd do a happy dance if Anthony Grant was the coach next year (and from my semi in the know contacts, some pretty influential people around the program feel the same way).

Maybe I'm just an eternal optimist, but I still feel good about the future. We lose Roberts, but we get 4 guys who can flat out put the ball in the hoop, and three of them are known for defense as well. Add that to Johnson, Little, Wright, and Huelsman, and I think the team could be pretty good next year. The key will be PG play, which seems like a broken record at UD.

Plus, getting rid of Binnie will be a good thing too. He's a decent spot up shooter when he has the guts to let it go, but he's a total liability in every other facet of the game. It's 4 trying to guard 5 when he's out there.

[joebba]

I think the top ranked NCAA womem's team could probably beat the dump's "men's" team now.

[dc_x]

I just got back from the Smith Center - that was quite a game.

A few observations:

1. UD had no answer for GW's athletic big ugys (Diggs and Witherspoon). Huelsman and Binnie were too slow and Little was too small.

2. UD desperately needs another shooter. GW followed the same formula that the rest of the A-10 has used - focus on Roberts, pack it in, and let anyone else shoot from outside.

3. UD fans are ridiculous. There was a group of guys sitting behind me that booed every single call against UD...not just the questionable calls....EVERY call. I've never seen anything like it. It's like they were programmed to boo the refs.

4. I have a lot more appreciation for every Xavier road win. When X played @GW, the place was sold out and LOUD. Tonight it was maybe two-thirds full and there about half as many GW students as when X played at the Smith Center. The Xavier game was GW's super bowl. Tonight was just a home game.

5. The Rice off-the-backboard alley-oop to Diggs was sick.

[XU Dozer]

As much as Xu fans dislike UD, this is the truth:

It hurts the conference and XU when Dayton, Rhode Island, Umass, and St. Joes lose to other conference foes.

This may be true most of the time, however with all the injuries ud has had, better them to tank than someother top of the conference team. If they lose out, alot of pundits will write the season off as them merely able to rebound from the injuries.

[GoMuskies]

LOL at the will you switch thread. I wish our coach was as much of a genius as RE is up in Pittsburgh.


Having Duquesne at 15-7 is pretty remarkable.

[Lasser83]

Yeah, I'm sure Gregory can recruit. And he has nothing to be embarassed about off the court. In fact, he has a strong record off the court with graduating players and other factors.

BUT, UD has to be concerned with not making the NCAA tourney several years in a row. It's amazing how much more important the tourney is now than 10 years ago.

There's no excuses. UD should make the tourney at the same frequency as XU. But they havn't. The bottom line: UD should start searching for a new coach.

[PM Thor]

Johnson's stats aren't that bad. I think that kid can play. Little can play as well. When Wright gets healthy he is a baller.

Binnie is a waste of space. Sandoval is robbing some deserving D-II player from a scholarship opportunity. Those guys are horrible. Huelsman would be a decent back up, but that is about it.

Yeah, Johnson is not bad. When he is on. He is inconsistent at best. Look at his last 8 games. He went for 1, 15, 12, 10, 4, 10, 5, 8. What player is going to show up? You can never tell with that kid.

[Snipe]

Thor, Johnson is a soph. Since Wright and Little went down he plays with a bunch of idiots. Put him on a real team with basketball players and he could be quite a decent fellow. Johnson is not the problem. The problem is they need 4 more like him.

[PM Thor]

That's fair Snipe. He's a soph. I get that. Thing is, his supporting cast is not impressive. Wright, Warren, Perry, Little, Huelsman, and Searcy will be back. 2 of them are very good players, young players. The rest? Not something to get excited about.

[AdamtheFlyer]

That's fair Snipe. He's a soph. I get that. Thing is, his supporting cast is not impressive. Wright, Warren, Perry, Little, Huelsman, and Searcy will be back. 2 of them are very good players, young players. The rest? Not something to get excited about.

Huelsman is a solid player when he stays out of foul trouble. Not a star, but he certainly holds his own. He'll be tough if he can develop a 7 foot jumper. And the recruits next year are looking promising. To be honest, by the time next February rolls around, I think next year's team has the potential to be almost as good as this year's team was playing pre-injuries. No Roberts, obviously, but there will be more talent on the floor. It may be a rough start, but once they find their groove, I like the potential.

But this year isn't over. Win or lose, there's still 7 games plus AC left to salvage something special. It's all about how much heart this team has, IMO.

[PM Thor]

Adam really? You are already prognosticating where the incoming froshs are going to be?

Ok then I think Frease is going to average a double double, Redmond is going to average over 15, Lyons will be RSed, and our other guy is going to be the surprise of the league. Woo hoo! Bank it. We already won the conference next year just based on hype.

[Nigel Tufnel]

OK, not a huge Dayton fan here...at the same time, I would like to see them in the tourney. Having said that....when one of your starters is Binnie, I'm not sure you deserve to be in the Big Dance. I've watched him play for the last couple of years...and for the life of me, I can't figure out how he sees more than 10 minutes per game. The guy looks like he has a hard time garnering the coordination to run up and down the court...honestly, it looks difficult for him to run.

I don't want to completely rip on some 20 year old...but damn, that guy has no business on the court with a D1 team. I feel kind of bad typing this...because he's a kid and has a family...but when I watch Dayton and he's on the floor...I just know, as a program, they aren't there yet. The guy could probably average 30 ppg on a D2 school...but he has no business playing in a D1 game...let alone in the A10...let alone on a team that was in the Top 15 a few weeks ago.

I've never felt like more of a dick for posting the absolute truth in my life. Dayton will never be big time when guys like Binnie are starting....lest we forget the debacle when he was trying to guard D Brown earlier in the year...at the same time, I have to blame Gregory for allowing that matchup to happen. The entire game I laughed with my buddies during that matchup....keep getting the ball to Brown....keep getting the ball to Brown.

Dayton is toast this year. I apologize to all X fans when Binnie has the game of his life and lights X up for 30 on Feb 24th.....ok.....I just laughed at myself for typing that...the guy, God love him, is not good.

[AdamtheFlyer]

Adam really? You are already prognosticating where the incoming froshs are going to be?

Ok then I think Frease is going to average a double double, Redmond is going to average over 15, Lyons will be RSed, and our other guy is going to be the surprise of the league. Woo hoo! Bank it. We already won the conference next year just based on hype.

Heck, I think Frease could average close to a double-double if he gets enough minutes. Kid's going to be awesome.

But I'm not just banking on the freshmen. I'm banking on Wright, Johnson, and Little combining for 30 a game more than anything. That, solid PG play (bigger ? than the freshmen in my mind) and decent perimeter shooting is what will matter.

I'll eat crow if I have to, but I really like the immediate potential of the recruits next year. I'm more excited to see them than I was Wright. It's a much better class overall. The only one I think may struggle right away is Fabrizius, because of his size (6'9", but prefers the perimeter on offense). I don't think he'll be ready to play the post game right away, and he may never be. But from all accounts, he's a good perimeter shooter.

[pimpinthebox]

This whole thread screams of "The Ewing Theory" to me when it comes to UD losing Roberts. We will see. God knows they (Flyer fans) call their shot every year and it never happens. Let's just hope the Muskies take care of business on Sunday. Glad X doesn't have to call their shot.

[jdm2000]

The Dayton message board is at Defcon 5 right now. It's not pretty.


Really, I was hoping X, URI, UMass, St. Joe's and UD could separate from the rest of the league and make 5 bids possible (if not reality). At this point, I feel good about X, ok about URI making it, and worried that only 1 of SJU/UMass/UD will make it.

And I'm really thankful we pulled it out against GW a couple weeks back.

[NO JUSTICE! NO PEACE!]

Props to PMThor for constantly telling everyone that "UD will be exposed as the frauds that they are" when they were 12-1 and on everyone's prom queen list. Looks like the prom queen just got knocked up.

[Snipe]

I think the top ranked NCAA womem's team could probably beat the dump's "men's" team now.


The more I think about it the more I agree with you. Not just the top women's team. I think our girls could give them a run for their money.

[PM Thor]

Props to PMThor for constantly telling everyone that "UD will be exposed as the frauds that they are" when they were 12-1 and on everyone's prom queen list. Looks like the prom queen just got knocked up.

I do this every year. The dayton prom queen is always an ugly ***** who never, ever puts out. No big deal really. When was the last time dayton ever met or exceeded expectations?

[AdamtheFlyer]

I do this every year. The dayton prom queen is always an ugly ***** who never, ever puts out. No big deal really. When was the last time dayton ever met or exceeded expectations?

BRob's freshmen year. Mark Jones was the best non-freshmen, and Warren Williams started at PG. That had all the makings of a single digit win season, especially after the loss to EKU in the opener, and they nearly won 20.

Overall last year wasn't really below expectations, just a disappointing ending. They were likely one game shy of the NIT, which was really the best we could have reasonably hoped for out of that team before the season.

This year will be a disappointment if we don't get to the dance.

[PM Thor]

No NCAA. Bad season. Done and done.

[Lasser83]

adamtheflyer, I agree with you.

if Dayton doesn't make the tourney with B. Roberts, there will be a large, influential group starting to push for a new coach.

that doesn't mean that Gregory will be fired in the immediate feature.

But in the next 1-3 years, it will be likely

personally, i like gregory an hope the best for the program.

[joebba]

The Dayton message board is at Defcon 5 right now. It's not pretty.


Really, I was hoping X, URI, UMass, St. Joe's and UD could separate from the rest of the league and make 5 bids possible (if not reality). At this point, I feel good about X, ok about URI making it, and worried that only 1 of SJU/UMass/UD will make it.

And I'm really thankful we pulled it out against GW a couple weeks back.

I did a bit of looking around on the dump's fan site. It is brutal over there. More than one poster has said something along the line of "We suck". One poster thought anyone who thought they are still making it to the NCAA was smoking dope.

And one poster pointed to their meltdown in conference play for several years.

Here is a taste:


For Those of you that are going to cast me aside as a simple BG hater...look at the facts

2003-2004
OOC-10-2
Conf-12-4

2004-2005
OOC-7-5
Conf-10-6

2005-2006
OOC-8-6
Conf-6-10

2006-2007
OOC-10-3
Conf-8-8

2007-2008
OOC-12-1
Conf-4-5 (projected 8-8)

BG has shown a record of not winning conference games...and its appalling

Now he might be the best recruiter in the A-10, but his lack of preparation and lack of in game adjustments has shown throughout the years.

And to those of you who say that execution is the problem, sure execution might have played a role in some games, but he is the head of the team, and it is his butt to get these kids in practice, to improve, and to play; but the overall trend has to be taken seriously, and if he can not win these conference games, and get this team into the NCAA Tournament; then GULP....he should be canned. Thats my opinion and im sticking to it. Those of you who disagree i would love to hear another side of it

[D West]

Adam really? You are already prognosticating where the incoming froshs are going to be?

Ok then I think Frease is going to average a double double, Redmond is going to average over 15, Lyons will be RSed, and our other guy is going to be the surprise of the league. Woo hoo! Bank it. We already won the conference next year just based on hype.


Thor, you just made fun of a key difference in the two programs. UD continues to bank on the hopes and prayers of incoming freshman (not highly recruited usually) and Xavier simply reloads with proven existing players. They develop kids at X not just throw them into the fryer. Dante Jackson would be starting at UD and is the 8th option at X and used when needed.

Goooooo Dayton Flyers..........(can't wait for next year)!

[dc_x]

Thor, you just made fun of a key difference in the two programs. UD continues to bank on the hopes and prayers of incoming freshman (not highly recruited usually) and Xavier simply reloads with proven existing players. They develop kids at X not just throw them into the fryer. Dante Jackson would be starting at UD and is the 8th option at X and used when needed.

Goooooo Dayton Flyers..........(can't wait for next year)!

Great point - X lost Cole, Cage, and Doellman and replaced them with Love, Raymond, and Anderson - 3 guys who were ready to step in and be productive.

Could you imagine if X needed to rely on Bronson, Graves, and Jackson to play significant minutes this year? I'm not saying those 3 are bad, but they were not seasoned enough to contribute right away.

[Filthy Chilean]

Maybe I'm just an eternal optimist, but I still feel good about the future. We lose Roberts, but we get 4 guys who can flat out put the ball in the hoop, and three of them are known for defense as well. Add that to Johnson, Little, Wright, and Huelsman, and I think the team could be pretty good next year. The key will be PG play, which seems like a broken record at UD.


But this is the problem Adam, there hasn't been a "next year" for dayton since the early 80s. You could have all the talent in the NCAA and still wouldn't make the dance or win in Cincinnati. I'm not trying to be a complete ass here, I'm just absolutely sick and tired of dayton fans thinking there will be a next year and these recruits are going to change a thing. Fact is, with the midget at the helm, dayton is never going to help Xavier's rpi. Get rid of that pathetic coaching staff, demolish the dump and build something worth a damn and stop the excuses. I'm sick of dayton bringing down the A10.

[Billy]

You can't spell fraud without "UD".

[joebba]

You can't spell fraud without "UD".

Nice one Billy.

[AdamtheFlyer]

But this is the problem Adam, there hasn't been a "next year" for dayton since the early 80s. You could have all the talent in the NCAA and still wouldn't make the dance or win in Cincinnati. I'm not trying to be a complete ass here, I'm just absolutely sick and tired of dayton fans thinking there will be a next year and these recruits are going to change a thing. Fact is, with the midget at the helm, dayton is never going to help Xavier's rpi. Get rid of that pathetic coaching staff, demolish the dump and build something worth a damn and stop the excuses. I'm sick of dayton bringing down the A10.

This post severely lacks logic.

Hasn't been a next year? That's just wrong. Dayton hasn't had the consistent success of Xavier, but they've had a decent amount. The Flyers have made 3 NCAAs, won a conference title, and had 2 NITs to compliment this decade. That's far from "bringing the A10 down". That's even farther from "not helping Xavier's RPI". Dayton consistently puts up winning seasons, and Xavier beats Dayton rather consistently. How does that not help Xavier?

I've accepted that Dayton is below Xavier, and is underachieving right now, and no matter how many midget, dump, or watermelon references you want to make, it's not going to upset me. It just makes you look like a child who when he has nothing valid to counter a point, hurls insults.

And before you lump me in with whatever Dayton fans you're referring to, know one thing. I'm not inherently a "next year" guy. You won't see me posting about how this class will bring Dayton to the level of a Xavier or Gonzaga. I'm just a big fan of the guys Dayton is bringing in, and I think they will raise the talent level. No one knows what will happen once they arrive on campus. Not even you. I'm basing my opinion on next year on what's returning far more than what's coming in.

[joebba]

This post severely lacks logic.

Hasn't been a next year? That's just wrong. Dayton hasn't had the consistent success of Xavier, but they've had a decent amount. The Flyers have made 3 NCAAs, won a conference title, and had 2 NITs to compliment this decade. That's far from "bringing the A10 down". That's even farther from "not helping Xavier's RPI". Dayton consistently puts up winning seasons, and Xavier beats Dayton rather consistently. How does that not help Xavier?

I've accepted that Dayton is below Xavier, and is underachieving right now, and no matter how many midget, dump, or watermelon references you want to make, it's not going to upset me. It just makes you look like a child who when he has nothing valid to counter a point, hurls insults.

And before you lump me in with whatever Dayton fans you're referring to, know one thing. I'm not inherently a "next year" guy. You won't see me posting about how this class will bring Dayton to the level of a Xavier or Gonzaga. I'm just a big fan of the guys Dayton is bringing in, and I think they will raise the talent level. No one knows what will happen once they arrive on campus. Not even you. I'm basing my opinion on next year on what's returning far more than what's coming in.


Um yawn. Wake me after my nap.

[Filthy Chilean]

This post severely lacks logic.

Hasn't been a next year? That's just wrong. Dayton hasn't had the consistent success of Xavier, but they've had a decent amount. The Flyers have made 3 NCAAs, won a conference title, and had 2 NITs to compliment this decade. That's far from "bringing the A10 down". That's even farther from "not helping Xavier's RPI". Dayton consistently puts up winning seasons, and Xavier beats Dayton rather consistently. How does that not help Xavier?

I've accepted that Dayton is below Xavier, and is underachieving right now, and no matter how many midget, dump, or watermelon references you want to make, it's not going to upset me. It just makes you look like a child who when he has nothing valid to counter a point, hurls insults.

And before you lump me in with whatever Dayton fans you're referring to, know one thing. I'm not inherently a "next year" guy. You won't see me posting about how this class will bring Dayton to the level of a Xavier or Gonzaga. I'm just a big fan of the guys Dayton is bringing in, and I think they will raise the talent level. No one knows what will happen once they arrive on campus. Not even you. I'm basing my opinion on next year on what's returning far more than what's coming in.

dayton underachieving? Or could it simply be a program on the verge of destruction? A team with talent that can't make the NCAA tournament is underachieving. A team that starts Binnie is a program on the verge of destruction.

Like I said, I'm not trying to be an ass, you are one of the only dayton fans with some sense of reality. dayton could bring in Shaq and it still makes no difference. dayton brought in BRoberts and he has nothing to show for 4 years! So I do know what will happen to ud, the same ole thing that has been happening under the midget. (I believe anyone under 5ft is technically a midget)

[AdamtheFlyer]

dayton underachieving? Or could it simply be a program on the verge of destruction? A team with talent that can't make the NCAA tournament is underachieving. A team that starts Binnie is a program on the verge of destruction.

Like I said, I'm not trying to be an ass, you are one of the only dayton fans with some sense of reality. dayton could bring in Shaq and it still makes no difference. dayton brought in BRoberts and he has nothing to show for 4 years! So I do know what will happen to ud, the same ole thing that has been happening under the midget. (I believe anyone under 5ft is technically a midget)

Underachieving. I don't think a program can be on the verge of destruction until the talent level begins to wane. BG's increased the talent level of the recruits the last 3 classes. Next year's team will be the most talented BG has had at UD. It's his job to harness that talent and improve the team. If he can't, they will underachieve again.

I don't see why Binnie is such a target. He's not good, everyone knows that. But it's not his role to be a key cog at either end of the floor. At best he's a decent spot up shooter (when he has the guts to shoot the ball) and a guy who will sacrifice his body to win a game . He's started virtually every game for the last two years, including every game of the 14-1 run to start the year. He's played a big role many times. He's far from the reason UD is struggling. Heck, he's one of the few guys who are giving everything they have for 40 minutes.

The problem is that he's being asked the guard PFs like Brown and Diggs. He can't do that. It's wearing him out and he's not making the hustle plays he usually makes (he got beat to a loose ball late in the GW game that he gets 90% of the time in his usual role). He's playing a role he's incapable of playing. Charlotte didn't have a PF that could dominate Binnie, and JB was able to score 15 points and get several rebounds. He was a major reason why UD was able to win that game, and it's because he was able to stay in his usual role.

I still have no clue why Searcy and Thiago aren't seeing more time at PF with Wright out. They aren't going to score double figures or anything, but they're better post defenders and rebounders than Binnie, and they allow for 10 more fouls to use when needed. Yet they sit the bench while JB's getting owned and Kurt is racking up fouls , another thing that's killing UD. Kurt is producing, but he's not playing enough due to foul trouble. Increase the minutes of Thiago and Searcy, and Kurt should be able to keep the fouls down.

[jdm2000]

Adam, I get that you feel next year's class is better than UD has had since Gregory has been there--there's a lot to be excited about with Williams and Fabrizius.

I think a lot of X fans feel we've heard the same thing from other Flyer fans--not necessarily you--for the past few years. Just thinking to last season, I can't count the number of times Dayton fans would be pounding their chests about this class--CW will be Frosh of the Year, Searcy will be a major contributor, Cordiero will give help in the middle, Stephen Thomas and Mickey Perry are going to put Warren and Sandoval on the bench permanently, etc. Of course, none of that has really happened--Wright is good but hurt, and Searcy, Cordiero, Thomas and Perry are apparently all buried at the end of the bench.

For UD's sake, I hope the next recruiting class steps it up--it's good for the league and good for X. (And I think most X fans would keep the Frease/Redford/Lyons/Walsh class over the UD class.) But plenty of other Dayton fans have been saying "next year will be the year, with our incoming class..." for years and years.

[DC Muskie]

I don't get the idea that freshman are going to be heavily relied upon to produce important minutes, scoring, and all of that. Chris Wright is a rare bird who can provide those things, but I never understand why people trumpet guys who just started to play D 1 basketball, let alone guys who have YET to play D 1 basketball.

Next year Dayton will have Little and Johnson, Warren, and KH. They will of course have Wright, and then all of these freshmen. I'm predicting that Dayton fans will reply to any slow start as:

People are adjusting to new roles.
We lost Brian Roberts and other people are figuring out who needs to step up.
I have something in my eye

They will get into the tournament this year. There is no way Dayton is going to tank the rest of the conference season. They should be building up to something, much like Xavier has done to this season.

[AdamtheFlyer]

Adam, I get that you feel next year's class is better than UD has had since Gregory has been there--there's a lot to be excited about with Williams and Fabrizius.

I think a lot of X fans feel we've heard the same thing from other Flyer fans--not necessarily you--for the past few years. Just thinking to last season, I can't count the number of times Dayton fans would be pounding their chests about this class--CW will be Frosh of the Year, Searcy will be a major contributor, Cordiero will give help in the middle, Stephen Thomas and Mickey Perry are going to put Warren and Sandoval on the bench permanently, etc. Of course, none of that has really happened--Wright is good but hurt, and Searcy, Cordiero, Thomas and Perry are apparently all buried at the end of the bench.

For UD's sake, I hope the next recruiting class steps it up--it's good for the league and good for X. (And I think most X fans would keep the Frease/Redford/Lyons/Walsh class over the UD class.) But plenty of other Dayton fans have been saying "next year will be the year, with our incoming class..." for years and years.

I'm really not all that excited about Fabrizius right away. I think he'll take at least a year before he's anything but a spot shooting role player. I think Williams and Chris Johnson will be the only immediate impact players, largely because they'll fit the 2 spot and they both rebound and defend well at high levels of high school ball. Benson could, but I think he'll be more of a pure dunker his first year. He's just too thin right now.

I never really understood why UD fans were saying many of the things they were saying, other than Wright. Thomas and Searcy just weren't ready to be big-time D1 players. I think they will be in time, just not now. Maybe when they're juniors.

On the flip side of that, though, I'm still baffled about Searcy and Cordiero being planted on the bench, while Binnie's getting owned inside. It just makes no sense to me. When Wright got hurt, why take a role player and put him in a completely different role? Stick Devin and Thiago out there and give them a fair shot to contribute. They're not going to be any worse defensively than Binnie, and they at least have a chance to bolster the post offense. Maybe we're wrong about Searcy...maybe he is ready and isn't being given the chance. I guess we won't know, because Binnie is just SO VERSATILE!! (sarcasm)

[jdm2000]

Adam,

What's the deal with Perry? I got the impression he had the best chance to make an impact this year (outside of Wright). Is it just the transfer process? Or is he not as good as advertised? Obviously there's some adjustment period for transfers (see Lavender's first half last year), but it's really baffling.

[AdamtheFlyer]

Adam,

What's the deal with Perry? I got the impression he had the best chance to make an impact this year (outside of Wright). Is it just the transfer process? Or is he not as good as advertised? Obviously there's some adjustment period for transfers (see Lavender's first half last year), but it's really baffling.


I don't really know. He started off playing well (he had 8 points in the first half of the Rhody home game), then went into a shooting slump along with the rest of the team, and hasn't been the same since. Best guess is that his confidence is down which is effecting him in practice. Thus, fewer minutes.