Welcome to the First installment of The War Room for the 2005-2006. As always, I'll begin this session with the ground rules for those that may be new. Everything that is reported in The War Room must stay in The War Room. Sometimes the info is sensitive enough that it simply doesn't need to be passed on beyond the doors of this message board thread.
This is a special feature for our subscribers only. The reason why it is posted on the premium board is because that's the only way to ensure that the info stays exclusive to Dayton Flyer fans. Thanks for your cooperation. Here it is, the much anticipated First War Room of the 2005-2006 Recruiting Season:
And seriously, Please Keep Everything In The War Room.
YEAR IN REVIEW
The future looks promising, but it depends on consistency. The Flyers showed brilliance, but showed timidness too. The key is to gain consistency and that usually happens to players after having a season of Division I basketball under their belt, let's hope that's the case. While being left out of the NIT was painful, it's even more painful knowing that the last three games of the season is what hurt the Flyers. The sluggish start at Xavier was the first domino. If they win that game, they tie for the A-10 West and get a first round bye. But they finish for a tie in second, leading to a first round matchup with St. Bonaventure-- the ultimate kiss of death. Yes, the Flyers demolished the Bonnies, but their RPI fell from 106 to 126 - OUCH. But they still had their shot as they faced Temple for what some called a play-in game for the NIT and well it turned out to be true as the Owls made the field and UD was left at home. But if the Flyers didn't take on SBU, they would have likely made the NIT field because their RPI would have remained around the 106 mark - with 113 being the last RPI taken. Oh well, an early lesson learned that you should never leave fate in someone's hands other than your own.
SCHEDULING - WOW, what an upgrade!!
Here's the games that everyone should know by now: After taking our lumps on the road this season at DePaul and at Vanderbilt, those two teams will return the home-and-home trip to UD Arena this upcoming season. After the Flyers opened up with a win two seasons ago at Pepperdine (BG's first ever head coaching win), the Wave will come to Dayton to finish this deal. We all know that the Flyers are playing in the Las Vegas Holiday Classic, I really haven't heard who else is in this tournament as of yet, in fact, I have my sources asking ME if I have heard of anyone else participating in it. The two teams I have heard mentioned with that tournament though are Purdue and Wake Forest. If they are in and it stays in the four-game round-robin format it was this season, the Flyers would play likely both of those schools, one of them for sure.
Also a home-and-home contract that will see UD go on the road and face NCAA participant Iowa State, while the Cyclones come to UD Arena the following year.
Cincinnati contract is up and my sources are telling me the ball is now in the Bearcats court. I've been told that Bob Huggins and Brian Gregory would like to continue this annual series and it is looking likely that the two will play again next season (at Cincinnati), but it's not definite at this point. Dayton is waiting to hear back from Cincinnati on whether they want a new contract between the two.
I'm hearing that the Miami series is going to continue next season with a trip to Millett Hall. It would have helped to have them on the schedule this season with a better than average RPI.
During the Richmond trip, our Ron Thaman went on the charter plane with the team. They had talks from coaches and other Athletic Department officials and during one of those talks, it was brought up that there is a contract on the table for a home-and-home series between the Flyers and Indiana Hoosiers. After I was told this, my source quickly squashed the rumor, but said that I'd probably see teams of that quality on the schedule. Whether or not it really will happen remains to be seen, but it might have been a denial because Indiana has not signed off on the contract yet. Time will tell.
Another one of my sources has brought to my attention another contract that is currently on the table. If both parties agree, a 2-for-1 deal would pit the Flyers at NC State next season and during the 2007 season. 2006 would bring the Wolfpack (One-time target Andrew Brackman) and Herb Sendak (former Miami Redhawk coach) to the Miami Valley.
I'd expect some of the remaining games to be perhaps MAC opponents or schools of that caliber.
Other note: I was told to not expect the Marquette game that UD is owed to ever take place.
Recruiting Updates
Ben Davis High School guard Rod Sherman had his season end prematurely as he tore his ACL. He's going to be a good college guard and could give the Flyers a great opportunity as he'll be flying well under the radar after most likely being set back some during his junior summer recruiting. The staff has been eyeing him for over a year now and could fit some backcourt needs for 2006.
Adrian Graves is one of the top targets for the Flyers, but no offer has been extended. Last I had heard, Adrian said the staff was waiting to receive his school transcripts and if everything went well, he'd likely be getting a scholarship offer. He really likes Dayton a lot, was up for a lot of games, and even made an appearance at the A-10 Tournament against Temple. If it wasn't evident then, Graves would fit in nicely with the current Flyers as they really are lacking size at guard and it was exploited against a team like the Owls. I was told by Ozie Davis that he would end up somewhere where there's another Queen City Prophet AAU player. Norman Plummer played under Coach Davis with the prophets the summer before he committed to Brian Gregory.
James Dews is another Cincinnati-area guard the Flyers are recruiting, he was in attendance against GW and at Xavier. Dews is highly-regarded as the best shooter in the state and a major type talent. From what I've been told by him and others, he is close to his parents and will likely end up close to home. Dayton and Xavier have big advantages if that is the truth because both are just about equal distance from his home, but don't rule out a little bit longer hike to Kentucky. He's made it clear that he wouldn't mind being a package deal with his best friend Josh Chichester, who is being heavily regarded by the all three schools. If Dews gets an offer from UK, the two could end up under Tubby Smith. Otherwise, I think Dews will ultimately end up out on his own as I feel Chichester is Kentucky's to lose.
Indiana native Ryan Sims recently made his second visit to UD when he took in the Xavier-Dayton game at UD Arena. Ryan is a junior who is getting a lot of attention from some Big Ten schools (Michigan State and Illinois). With Brian Gregory knowing the Big Ten and wanting to have a similar style of play, it could work out in UD's favor when Ryan makes a decision. His father is the high school head coach and he has stated he is impressed with the job that BG has done recently with Ryan's recruitment.
I'd say things are looking well with St. Henry's Kurt Huelsman at this point. If I had to pick a leader based on conversations I've had with him and his mother, I'd say he is the Flyers recruit to lose. Not sure if he is anywhere close to a decision though, so we'll just have to wait and see.
Just a thought, not anything I've heard. With Buzz Peterson getting ousted at Tennessee, if a scholarship opens up, would the Flyers have interest in one-time target Chris Lofton? Lofton said he would wait to see the new coach and he had a lot of interest in the Flyers early, but UD got commitments from Trent Meacham and Brian Roberts before he was able to make one himself.
NEXT YEAR
With the lack of inside game, Desmond Adedeji said he was planning on going back to the way that he played before he got to DeMatha and plays during AAU ball. Before he got to DeMatha, he said he averaged 40 points a game and during AAU ball he averaged 30 points. I've been told that he has the ability to dominate a game on the inside, he just needs to get those touches.
Charles Little has the ability to get to the rack and finish, something the Flyers lacked on the wing this season. Monty Scott would pull up for a jumper in the middle of the lane, but when you take it strong to the rack, it draws the defense to you, and I think that's what Charles will have to offer. After his 49-point, 26-rebound performance, I heard his head coach Aaron Green describe the performance by saying "Charles did everything, he was an absolute warrior for us tonight."
Cleveland (26-9) plays Hillsboro (30-4) in the final eight sub-state tonight at 6:15 PM EST with the winner playing again on Friday. I was told by someone that played high school basketball in Tennessee and resides now in Cincinnati that Tennessee AAA was the equivalent to what North College Hill (Division III) participates in.
RETURNING PLAYERS
A lot of them have a lot to work on during the summer. I look for almost the same type of approach this summer as last where all starting spots are up in the air and that's what they'll be working towards in the off-season.
Best thing about Freshman is they become Sophomores. But they have to work at it to improve still.
Look forward to an exciting summer of recruiting with the Flyers looking to fill three scholarships. Stay tuned for a whole lot more!
This post was edited on 3/17 8:27 AM by Matt Schwadeif(GetAdminCookie() != 0) {document.write(' (Revisions[/URL])');}
This is a special feature for our subscribers only. The reason why it is posted on the premium board is because that's the only way to ensure that the info stays exclusive to Dayton Flyer fans. Thanks for your cooperation. Here it is, the much anticipated First War Room of the 2005-2006 Recruiting Season:
And seriously, Please Keep Everything In The War Room.
YEAR IN REVIEW
The future looks promising, but it depends on consistency. The Flyers showed brilliance, but showed timidness too. The key is to gain consistency and that usually happens to players after having a season of Division I basketball under their belt, let's hope that's the case. While being left out of the NIT was painful, it's even more painful knowing that the last three games of the season is what hurt the Flyers. The sluggish start at Xavier was the first domino. If they win that game, they tie for the A-10 West and get a first round bye. But they finish for a tie in second, leading to a first round matchup with St. Bonaventure-- the ultimate kiss of death. Yes, the Flyers demolished the Bonnies, but their RPI fell from 106 to 126 - OUCH. But they still had their shot as they faced Temple for what some called a play-in game for the NIT and well it turned out to be true as the Owls made the field and UD was left at home. But if the Flyers didn't take on SBU, they would have likely made the NIT field because their RPI would have remained around the 106 mark - with 113 being the last RPI taken. Oh well, an early lesson learned that you should never leave fate in someone's hands other than your own.
SCHEDULING - WOW, what an upgrade!!
Here's the games that everyone should know by now: After taking our lumps on the road this season at DePaul and at Vanderbilt, those two teams will return the home-and-home trip to UD Arena this upcoming season. After the Flyers opened up with a win two seasons ago at Pepperdine (BG's first ever head coaching win), the Wave will come to Dayton to finish this deal. We all know that the Flyers are playing in the Las Vegas Holiday Classic, I really haven't heard who else is in this tournament as of yet, in fact, I have my sources asking ME if I have heard of anyone else participating in it. The two teams I have heard mentioned with that tournament though are Purdue and Wake Forest. If they are in and it stays in the four-game round-robin format it was this season, the Flyers would play likely both of those schools, one of them for sure.
Also a home-and-home contract that will see UD go on the road and face NCAA participant Iowa State, while the Cyclones come to UD Arena the following year.
Cincinnati contract is up and my sources are telling me the ball is now in the Bearcats court. I've been told that Bob Huggins and Brian Gregory would like to continue this annual series and it is looking likely that the two will play again next season (at Cincinnati), but it's not definite at this point. Dayton is waiting to hear back from Cincinnati on whether they want a new contract between the two.
I'm hearing that the Miami series is going to continue next season with a trip to Millett Hall. It would have helped to have them on the schedule this season with a better than average RPI.
During the Richmond trip, our Ron Thaman went on the charter plane with the team. They had talks from coaches and other Athletic Department officials and during one of those talks, it was brought up that there is a contract on the table for a home-and-home series between the Flyers and Indiana Hoosiers. After I was told this, my source quickly squashed the rumor, but said that I'd probably see teams of that quality on the schedule. Whether or not it really will happen remains to be seen, but it might have been a denial because Indiana has not signed off on the contract yet. Time will tell.
Another one of my sources has brought to my attention another contract that is currently on the table. If both parties agree, a 2-for-1 deal would pit the Flyers at NC State next season and during the 2007 season. 2006 would bring the Wolfpack (One-time target Andrew Brackman) and Herb Sendak (former Miami Redhawk coach) to the Miami Valley.
I'd expect some of the remaining games to be perhaps MAC opponents or schools of that caliber.
Other note: I was told to not expect the Marquette game that UD is owed to ever take place.
Recruiting Updates
Ben Davis High School guard Rod Sherman had his season end prematurely as he tore his ACL. He's going to be a good college guard and could give the Flyers a great opportunity as he'll be flying well under the radar after most likely being set back some during his junior summer recruiting. The staff has been eyeing him for over a year now and could fit some backcourt needs for 2006.
Adrian Graves is one of the top targets for the Flyers, but no offer has been extended. Last I had heard, Adrian said the staff was waiting to receive his school transcripts and if everything went well, he'd likely be getting a scholarship offer. He really likes Dayton a lot, was up for a lot of games, and even made an appearance at the A-10 Tournament against Temple. If it wasn't evident then, Graves would fit in nicely with the current Flyers as they really are lacking size at guard and it was exploited against a team like the Owls. I was told by Ozie Davis that he would end up somewhere where there's another Queen City Prophet AAU player. Norman Plummer played under Coach Davis with the prophets the summer before he committed to Brian Gregory.
James Dews is another Cincinnati-area guard the Flyers are recruiting, he was in attendance against GW and at Xavier. Dews is highly-regarded as the best shooter in the state and a major type talent. From what I've been told by him and others, he is close to his parents and will likely end up close to home. Dayton and Xavier have big advantages if that is the truth because both are just about equal distance from his home, but don't rule out a little bit longer hike to Kentucky. He's made it clear that he wouldn't mind being a package deal with his best friend Josh Chichester, who is being heavily regarded by the all three schools. If Dews gets an offer from UK, the two could end up under Tubby Smith. Otherwise, I think Dews will ultimately end up out on his own as I feel Chichester is Kentucky's to lose.
Indiana native Ryan Sims recently made his second visit to UD when he took in the Xavier-Dayton game at UD Arena. Ryan is a junior who is getting a lot of attention from some Big Ten schools (Michigan State and Illinois). With Brian Gregory knowing the Big Ten and wanting to have a similar style of play, it could work out in UD's favor when Ryan makes a decision. His father is the high school head coach and he has stated he is impressed with the job that BG has done recently with Ryan's recruitment.
I'd say things are looking well with St. Henry's Kurt Huelsman at this point. If I had to pick a leader based on conversations I've had with him and his mother, I'd say he is the Flyers recruit to lose. Not sure if he is anywhere close to a decision though, so we'll just have to wait and see.
Just a thought, not anything I've heard. With Buzz Peterson getting ousted at Tennessee, if a scholarship opens up, would the Flyers have interest in one-time target Chris Lofton? Lofton said he would wait to see the new coach and he had a lot of interest in the Flyers early, but UD got commitments from Trent Meacham and Brian Roberts before he was able to make one himself.
NEXT YEAR
With the lack of inside game, Desmond Adedeji said he was planning on going back to the way that he played before he got to DeMatha and plays during AAU ball. Before he got to DeMatha, he said he averaged 40 points a game and during AAU ball he averaged 30 points. I've been told that he has the ability to dominate a game on the inside, he just needs to get those touches.
Charles Little has the ability to get to the rack and finish, something the Flyers lacked on the wing this season. Monty Scott would pull up for a jumper in the middle of the lane, but when you take it strong to the rack, it draws the defense to you, and I think that's what Charles will have to offer. After his 49-point, 26-rebound performance, I heard his head coach Aaron Green describe the performance by saying "Charles did everything, he was an absolute warrior for us tonight."
Cleveland (26-9) plays Hillsboro (30-4) in the final eight sub-state tonight at 6:15 PM EST with the winner playing again on Friday. I was told by someone that played high school basketball in Tennessee and resides now in Cincinnati that Tennessee AAA was the equivalent to what North College Hill (Division III) participates in.
RETURNING PLAYERS
A lot of them have a lot to work on during the summer. I look for almost the same type of approach this summer as last where all starting spots are up in the air and that's what they'll be working towards in the off-season.
Best thing about Freshman is they become Sophomores. But they have to work at it to improve still.
Look forward to an exciting summer of recruiting with the Flyers looking to fill three scholarships. Stay tuned for a whole lot more!
This post was edited on 3/17 8:27 AM by Matt Schwadeif(GetAdminCookie() != 0) {document.write(' (Revisions[/URL])');}
