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Posted: Tuesday October 22, 2002 1:47 PM Updated: Monday October 28, 2002 2:01 PM Dayton Flyers
The following preview is provided by Blue Ribbon. For the most thorough preview available of the upcoming season, order the 2002-03 Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook, on sale now at 1-800-775-2518. Team Preview | Blue Ribbon Analysis
For a long time, Dayton’s loyal fans were one of the best-kept secrets in college basketball. Then the secret got out. First, the NCAA went and added a 65th team to "March Madness" and placed the now infamous play-in game in Dayton. Then, in January of 2001, The Sporting News proclaimed the Flyer Faithful to be the best in the nation. Now, the Atlantic 10 Tournament is headed for Ohio and everybody who is anybody is raving about the 14-karat quality of fan support in the "Gem City." "It’s as good as any place in the country in terms of attendance and fan support," said Oliver Purnell, Dayton’s coach for the last eight seasons. "There’s no better basketball town in this country than Dayton, Ohio," ESPN’s Mike Tirico said earlier this year.
They might be right. Dayton finished 23rd in the nation in attendance last year and the Flyers have drawn more than 10,000 fans to 99 percent (275 of 279) of their home games in the last 13 years. But truth be told, the fans aren’t the only standouts in Dayton. The team is pretty darn good, too. The Flyers are one of two Atlantic 10 teams (Xavier is the other) to win 20 games in each of the last three seasons and have been to the postseason four of the last five seasons. With four starters -- including its top four scorers -- returning and an outstanding recruiting class coming in, Dayton fans should have plenty to cheer about again this season. "I would think so," Purnell said. "We certainly expect our team to do well." The Flyers, who finished fifth in the country in rebounding margin (plus 8.2) last season, will again be a well-rounded team with one of the best frontcourts in the conference. At 6-foot-8 and 240 pounds, junior Keith Waleskowski (9.7 ppg, 8.0 rpg, 1.4 apg) can play either forward or center and may be Dayton’s best athlete. His scoring was down a bit (from 11.3 in 2000-01) last season, but Waleskowski was fourth in the conference in rebounding and should continue to develop this season. "He’s one of the best all-around big guys in the league," Purnell said. "He can score inside, he plays extremely hard, he’s a tremendous runner, he can step out and knock down some shots and he’s an extremely smart player." The improvement of center Sean Finn, a 6-11 junior, was one of the biggest keys to Dayton’s march to the semifinals of the A-10 Tournament a year ago. Finn (7.4 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 1.4 bpg) led the Flyers in rebounding (8.0 rpg) and scored more points (42) in three games in Philly than he did his entire freshman season (29). "It was like a light went on because he was so dominant," Purnell said. The lights will continue to shine on Finn, if he keeps progressing. He set a school record with 46 blocked shots last season and is becoming more of an offensive force with his back to the basket. Senior Brooks Hall (13.2 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 2.5 apg), one of just three on the team, is a proven scorer on the wing who gives the Flyers balance with his ability to pass and hit the outside shot. The 6-6 Hall, a third-team All-Atlantic 10 selection the last two seasons, has already scored 1,019 points (34th all-time at Dayton) and is No. 2 in school history with 208 three-pointers. "He is really poised for a big senior year," Purnell said. Hall, who was voted Ohio’s Mr. Basketball in 1999 after the completion of his career at Troy High School, provides a great deal of experience with 79 career starts. He's also a tremendous leader who is the Student Basketball Council’s representative to the NABC’s Board of Directors. Senior Nate Green (5.7 ppg, 3.2 rpg) is a strong defender who provides muscle, experience and a little bit of scoring off of the bench. Green, who started all 34 games for the Flyers in 2000-01, adjusted well to a new role and played very well down the stretch, averaging 7.9 points in the last 16 games. "He’s our physical presence," Purnell said. "He’s 6-6, about 250 and very agile. He really brings a load." While Green brings it on the inside, fellow senior D.J. Stelly, a 6-4 swingman, buries them from the outside. A transfer from Northeastern (Colo.) Junior College, Stelly (5.6 ppg, 2.9 rpg) served as Dayton’s instant offense off the bench while hitting .347 (25-of-72) from three-point range. An energetic player, Stelly can also give the Flyers a lift with his tight on-the-ball defense. Sammy Smith (1.0 ppg), a 6-5 junior, also returns on the wing after seeing action in 19 games last season. Dayton’s biggest concern this season will be finding a suitable replacement for David Morris (6.5 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 6.0 apg, 1.4 apg), who graduated as the No. 2 assist man in school history. "He was our MVP," Purnell said, "because whenever he played well, we played well." The Flyers have several options, including returnees Ramod Marshall and Mark Jones and newcomers Warren Williams and Logan White. Marshall (13.3 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 3.1 apg), a 6-2 junior, is UD’s top guard and could be the Flyers’ best all-around player. Marshall backed up Morris two years ago before moving into the starting lineup at shooting guard last season. An excellent long-range shooter (.372 3FG), he was also selected the Flyers’ top defender last season. He will be a key component of this team regardless of which position he plays. "He’s going to carry a load," Purnell said. Jones, a 6-1 sophomore, backed up Morris last season and has some big-game experience and played better late in the season, scoring a career-high 16 points against St. Bonaventure in February. Jones (3.9 ppg, 1.8 rpg, 1.7 apg), the 2001 Connecticut State Player of the Year, is a heady player who should continue to get better with experience. "He’s your basic straight-up point guard who plays hard," Purnell said. Williams, a 6-foot freshman from Gaithersburg, Md., could also enter into the mix after leading DeMatha High School to a 32-3 record and the No. 8 ranking in the final USA Today poll as a senior. Williams (15.0 ppg, 7.1 rpg, 7.0 apg) was selected first-team all-league and second-team All-Washington metro. "He’s a tremendous floor leader who is used to winning," Purnell said. "He is inexperienced at the college level, but has competed and succeeded at the highest level of high school basketball in the country." White, a 6-5 freshman, earned third-team All-Ohio honors after completing a stellar career at University High School in Chagrin Falls. White (2.2 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 4.5 apg, 1.5 spg, 2.7 bpg) is projected as a shooting guard, but will be helped by the fact that he has also played point guard. "Any kid that has played the one spot, that makes him a better player," Purnell said. Purnell will keep the competition for the starting point position open throughout the preseason and is confident he’ll find the right fit. "We’ve got the ability to man that position and get it up and running smoothly," he said. Greg Kohls (0.7 ppg), a 6-2 junior walk-on, played in 16 games last season and also returns in the backcourt. Purnell also added some quality depth with the rest of his recruiting class. Frank Iguodala, a 6-5 junior forward, joins the Flyers after putting together a solid season (15.8 ppg, 11.7 rpg, 1.5 spg) for Lake Land (Ill.) College. A tremendous leaper, he has the athleticism to play both forward positions. Marques Bennet, a 6-5 swingman, comes to the Flyers from Brebeuf Jesuit High School in Indianapolis. The Marion County Player of the Year last season, Bennett averaged 22.2 points and 4.2 assists as a senior and is Brebeuf’s No. 2 all-time scorer behind former Indiana star Alan Henderson. "He’s long and rangy with good anticipation on defense," Purnell said. James Cripe, a 6-10 center from Loveland, Ohio, rounds out the class. Cripe (14.2 ppg, 7.0 rpg), who grew six inches in his final two years of high school, did not play organized basketball until his freshman year and did not start until his senior season. If the Flyers stay healthy, he could wind up red-shirting. The secret is out. Xavier is not the only top-notch Atlantic 10 team based in Ohio. Purnell has a very good thing going at Dayton, and it isn’t about to stop any time soon. The Flyers won 21 games with three sophomores in the starting lineup and should continue to get better this season. Morris will certainly be missed at the point, but Marshall and Jones should be able to hold the fort until Williams is ready to take over (which could be sooner, rather than later). The frontcourt is very solid with Finn and Waleskowski on the blocks and Hall on the wing. Dayton could be very good if Finn and Waleskowski are able to sustain their highest level of play on a more consistent basis. Green and Stelly are quality reserves who can provide the experience and lift necessary to pull out close games. All 11 of Dayton’s losses came to teams that made the postseason last year, which is another thing the Flyers should be able to build upon. The non-conference schedule is tough with games at Duke and against Cincinnati, but it should only make Dayton better prepared for the Atlantic 10 and a strong run at the NCAAs. "You’d like to be in a position going into your conference schedule where, if you play well, you are going to make the tournament," Purnell said. "With out pre-conference schedule, I think we’ll be in a position to do that." With the personnel the Flyers will put on the floor and the loyal backing of their followers, another postseason berth seems certain and a return to the NCAAs realistic.
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