Dayton Flyers

THE LOWDOWN

Head Coach: Brian Gregory
2003-04 Record: 24-9 (12-4 A-10)
A-10 Finish: 1st (West)
Key Losses: C Sean Finn (13.1 ppg, 7.4 rpg, 1.2 bpg), G Ramod Marshall (14.6 ppg, 5.2 apg), F Keith Waleskowski (13.3 ppg, 9.9 rpg)
Postseason: NCAA: Lost to DePaul 76–69 (2ot) in the first round

RETURNEES (returning starters in bold)
No.	Name	Pos.	Ht.	Yr.	Pts.
22	Marques Bennett	G/F	6'5"	Jr.	2.9
44	James Cripe	C	6'10"	So.	1.5
14	Mark Jones	G	6'1"	Sr.	9.1
55	Jon Kingston	C	6'8"	So.	0.0
1	Monty Scott	F	6'6"	Jr.	6.3
15	Logan White	G	6'5"	Jr.	2.2
11	Warren Williams	G	6'0"	Jr.	4.9
Complete 2003-04 Team Stats

FRESH FACES
No.	Name	Pos.	Ht.
	Chris Alvarez	F	6'8"
	Jimmy Binnie	F	6'7"
	Trent Meachum	G	6'2"
	Norman Plummer	F	6'6"
	Brian Roberts	G	6'1"
53	Nick Stafford	F	6'9"

Dayton has won an awful lot of games over the last five years, but the Flyers have little to show for it. Only a select few schools can boast 21 or more wins in each of the last five seasons. Fewer still have won nine or more conference games each year over the same period. But the pain of not having won an NCAA tournament game since 1990 remains.

Under Oliver Purnell, the Flyers played in two NCAAs but lost in the first round in both 2000 and '03. Last season, first-year head coach Brian Gregory enjoyed a truly special opening season as the UD coach. The Flyers won the Maui Invitational, got off to a 19-3 start, played their way into the national polls and looked like one of the nation's most dangerous teams. Cracks began to form late in the year, however. Narrow wins became narrow defeats, including a loss in the A-10 tourney finals to Xavier and a frustrating, double-overtime nail-biter to DePaul in the NCAA tournament. Gregory lost the core of the squad in all-league forward Keith Waleskowski, point guard Ramod Marshall and imposing center Sean Finn, who tied a conference record and finished second in the nation by shooting 66.3 percent from the floor.

"Those three guys did an awful lot for the team and the program during their careers so it's tough to see them leave," said Gregory. "We're rebuilding a bit but I like our talent. We have a chance to be good."

Leading the way will be Mark Jones, a senior who played alongside Marshall for two years but may shift to point guard for his final season. Jones is a good deep shooter who'll get more of a chance to create with the ball in his hands. Gregory will also give junior Warren Williams a long look at the point, and everyone is excited about a recruiting class that may be the best in the Atlantic 10. Guards Brian Roberts and Trent Meachum both could figure into the mix out of that group.

Wings Marques Bennett and Monty Scott struggled with consistency last year. Both could mature this time around, especially Scott, who owns a nice shooting stroke. Finding answers up front, especially a replacement for Finn, is the biggest challenge. Sophomore James Cripe (6-foot-10, 244) owns the most size of anyone and will merit a long look. Explosive athlete Nick Stafford redshirted last year and could make a big impact. Freshmen Norman Plummer, Jimmy Binnie and Chris Alvarez all could get a chance to play.

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