St. Joseph's just beat Villanova by 13...first win there in 20 years. Lynne Greer had 15 points on 7 of 10 shooting. They're the real deal.

In the second half this team demonstrated toughness and resilience. Need to play balls out the entire game and be on the attack. That was the difference. We were the aggressor in the last ten minutes.

Santos, Cheeks and Bennet showed major stones but the other guys were able to contribute to changing the tenor of the game.

You can count me in as a troll if you want because at this point I don't give a s---. The time is right now for this program.

Need to come out and take it to St. Johns from the start. Need to be the more aggressive and tougher team.

I don’t type well so hang in with me…
Thru the first 5 games the Flyer record is where I thought it would be after Charleston. I do think we let the NW get away more then winnable.
‘I was able to see all the games live and Have watched the replays. Also guys ruechalgrin is a terrific source with his analytics ..lol if I I were the staff I would have him breakdown what he sees.
So since the preseason we of course have lost Mali. I believe his absence hurts more on D and the ability to stay with pressure thruout the game. The other side is Javon 3s against LSU we’re critical, do we have that with Mali. There is no question Mali gets in the lane and At this point better chemistry with Holmes for easy buckets.
The next group of games determine our NCAA Chances, SMU and Cinn are must wins! I refuse to say the annual cliche baloney ..” well now we have to win in ____” .
I like our grit up to the Houston game, I didn’t like the body language or how we were pushed around. I would show that film everyday. That’s the next level of toughness this team needs to get to.
Holmes_ Strong second halves in each game and when determined tough to stop. But he needs to assert himself early and become a better rim protector. He has the game needs to play relentless for 40 min , thats what a first round NBA
prospect if he wants to be that does.
Santos __ Great Tourney…coming out party both going to the basket and shooting the 3. Again back to Houston game he needs to be a force on the boards for us to be really good. I would like to see more sets for him.
Elvis___ clearly a key, have to get him going offensively. Watch he is indecisive , floats a bit on his shot, needs to be ready to shoot. His D has been much better as well as his passing. Needs to make better quicker decisions with the ball.
Javon___ love The kid, tough as nails. His height is a factor seeing And feeding the post and Sampson took him out of the game against the big guard. But he has big Balls and is fearless, like to see him use his quickness and penetrate more.
ENOCH….guys this kid is the key, I thought he would be much better than this offensively. They have to find a way to build his confidence and make him more a part of the offense and a scoring threat. He is way too passive ..really good defender and is good on the glass. I would challenge him to be more aggressive and not be afraid of mistakes. Really need him!!
BREA___ love what he is doing… like the others a clunker against Houston but has been better than I thought. D is still an issue and when an athletic body is on him ie Houston he has to find a way to still contribute.
Jack___ really strong so far… 11 of 12 from the field. Has to be better on D but other than the NW game has been solid contributor. I agree with all of you that at times we should try him with Holmes. It doesn’t look like that is in the plans but man at times break the mold and try it…lol ie again the Houston game.
Petras_____ I want to see more of him. He got behind not being with the team for the summer but has talent. Was lost against NW but decent in Charleston. The staff has to trust him. Want him to stay. Also not a bad defender for a frosh.
‘Zimi…God Bless him…if he can continue to play well it helps the depth. Ya know he took Petras spot and it’s tough, the staff needs to make the tourney and that may come at the expense of developing this kids.. The easier non con games should help get him time.
Marvel_____ I saw him play in the scrimmage I went to, he CAN PLAY.. let’s get him healthy and in the rotation . I watched Marquette in Maui tourney . They are a small team, but he uses his depth and they pressure non stop for 40 min.
I look forward to seeing the adjustments the staff makes with the week off and now having a ton of tape. We have played 4 P5 games in a row and have held our own. I think there is a lot more in the tank and as I posted preseason it’s up to the staff to get their kids to tap that potential.
‘With Elvis and Enoch not at their best we have been a good team. Get them going ..Take the pressure up a notch amd don’t back off it and Most important ….MORE HOLMES on the Glass and protecting the rim.

For those who have the capability and time, grab the chance to attend an early season Dayton tournament. They are for the most part in a small venue and a great setting so excellent seats. Charleston was my 10th and favorite ( well, I live here) and sat 5-6 rows up at center court, my preference but rarely possible. The three games plus attending the NW game (son lives in Chicago) gave a perspective not possible with televised games at least for me. Some thoughts, none particularly astute and IMO.
1. The defense with the exception below is good- turned the LSU and maybe the StJ games around. They played hard every game.
2. The offense seems stale and predictable with whiffs of last season. Somewhere is the stat ( hello Flyer Mike) that Dayton's pace of game is one of the lowest of D1 teams.
3. Holmes needs help. Dribble drives to the basket to draw the defenders do not happen and he is routinely double teamed. Not counting the SIU game UD is out rebounded 28-32. As others suggested, why not start Isaac Jack? Rest time and potential of foul trouble for both are worries but...
The expectations of the posters on this board pre-season were high, as in ranked but we are what we are a Kenpom of about 60.
The season is young. IMHO things need to change.
Long post- frigging verbosity

Sorry, long day.. HAPPY THANKGIVING EVERYONE! Hope everyone enjoyed some family, food, and football today... Back to basketball tomorrow

I'm looking forward to seeing this kid integrated into our rapidly improving rotation. I just hope he is able to recover from his injury quickly.

I was impressed with his impact in the Ohio State scrimmage. I thought he made a difference.

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(Original tweet said small forward and the edited version now says forward)

Poll below

Proud of the way this team fought like hell and competed. Down by 12 with 9 minutes to go. Didn't flinch when LSU threw some big punches in the last few minutes.

Bennet really led the charge at both ends.

The final 2 baskets were great calls by our coach and our players executed.

On the clutch shot by Brea DaRon Holmes set the screen.

This team fought and battled and took the game from LSU. We were the tougher team in the last 10 minutes and that's why we won. Hopefully we learned a lesson.

Tragic if accurate Login to view embedded media

Boy on WINGCould not help himself Made the announcement that Wright Stare raiders on WING But could not stop there Said Wright State get no creed in this town
The people here would rather watch a team barely beat a low mid major
I wasn't going to listen the last couple days and don't listen But I wanted to here there take on The Michigan think Did not even mention a local team had a game at home last night And unless I missed it in the first ten minutes did not even mention the score last night or anything I would love to see his ratings since Wone now has a show and they do cover UD

Northwestern Ticket sales
Can anyone provide some direction on how or when to secure tickets for the Dayton vs Northwestern game

Well, this year didn’t go how we anticipated. From a pre-season to 25 ranking, getting swept in the Bahamas, too many injuries to count, 2nd place in the regular season, and ending in losing in the A10 tournament final with a declination of a NIT bid.

I think the roster will be significantly different next year. I have my thoughts and will post those later. There could be other changes in the coaching staff. Does AG stay? Does Coach Greer get offered and accept a head coaching position at another school.

There will be enough to keep us talking about the Flyers for quite some time. I certainly hope it is done so respectfully, something that has been lacking over the past few weeks. If I post anything you disagree with, either counter it with facts or ignore it. Even amongst those who have been more critical than others, I suspect wven we don’t all agree on what should/will happen. We’re all Flyer fans. We all want success. That may look different to different people, but let’s have our discussions civilly and respectfully.

Welcome to the 9th and final installment of The War Room for the 2023 offseason! Happy NOVEMBER! 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. Without further ado, here it is.... The 9th edition of the War Room for 2023!

NEXT YEAR'S EXHIBITION

I don't think there's any doubt that The Spotlight for Jay's Light was a huge success from the start of the event to the conclusion with the Ohio State-Dayton charity game. In all, they raised half a million dollars for a long overdue cause. Even with a loss in the actual game, it just felt like a win walking out of UD Arena that day. Anthony Grant mentioned afterwards that they'd like this to be an annual event and are already working on next year.

As I've already wrote on the board, it appears that Dayton is targeting Kentucky to be their opponent for the second annual charity exhibition. Although it's not 100% done, according to my sources, it's very close. The Wildcats would have been the opponent this year had Ohio State politely declined, but we all know that the Buckeyes were a great partner in this inaugural game.

I think with a charity game, you want to minimize expenses so a team that can bus over makes the most sense. So with that, geographically, if you want to bring in a name program you have to think about a neighboring Big Ten, ACC, Big East, Big XII, and those northern SEC schools. I could see Notre Dame being on the short list of possibilities in the next couple of years as well.

The other thing that I had a few times brought up was that they should reverse the order they went with this year. Instead of doing the Ohio State game first and the exhibition with a D2 or D3 school right before the season, allow the charity exhibition to crescendo up to the season opener. A lot may have to do with what Anthony Grant wants to do. If he likes it being a “tip-off” to the entire season, it will likely stay in that slot.

PLAYING TIME

This, to me, is the most important and intriguing aspect to the season. I haven’t shied away from calling this the deepest Dayton roster that I have covered in 25 years of being a scribe at UD Arena. I truly believe Dayton’s strength is in numbers with this group. It appears through two exhibition games, Anthony Grant wants to go 10 deep.

My biggest fault with Coach Grant through his first six seasons at Dayton is being able to trust guys outside of his top 6 players. And I think I may have said it before, as a youth baseball coach, I get it! You get a core group of guys that you know you can trust to do what you want them to do—especially when the game is in the balance.

Last season, they didn’t have a good enough roster, top to bottom, to sustain the three big injuries that took place. They addressed that in the off-season and brought in guys that 7-8-9 (also previously discussed) will make an impact this season.

In the middle, I think Issac Jack is going to be looked at to give Holmes an extended rest a couple times a game while bringing a lot of energy, grabbing rebounds, and getting easy buckets. Zimi Nwokeji appears to be the ninth or tenth guy in the rotation and is probably looking at 6-10 minutes a night. Marvel Allen has been good in the little time received so far, but will need some work to crack the rotation as a freshman. He needs to improve his shooting and get into better shape-- from what I was told he showed up a little overweight. Talented basketball player though. Jaiun Simon needs to develop some to get time, but may be a redshirt possibility for this season.

FUTURE BIGS

Dayton has played their A10 Player of the Year candidate DaRon Holmes II an average of 20 minutes through the two exhibition games. This team was very fortunate to have Holmes return for a third season and without NIL, I don’t think that would have been possible. So while some see the NIL as a way to widen the gap between the power five and everyone else, this is one instance where it certainly helped Dayton.

I forsee Holmes playing about 28-32 minutes on average with him getting more around the mid-30’s in the close games and closer to the 28 range in those games where Anthony Grant and the staff feel like they can rely on a 10-man rotation and wear down opponents.

I got wondering about next season without Holmes and it got me thinking. Could Isaac Jack step in and pick up those minutes in 2024-2025? Certainly, at this time there is a huge difference between Holmes and Jack. My thoughts are that Jack will have to develop a lot this season behind the A10 first teamer in order to see a big increase in his playing time next season.

It will be vital to get another big this winter or spring to pick up the crucial minutes that Holmes has played and will play this season-- those crunch time minutes where Holmes can take over a game. From what I am told, they will likely go to the portal and international pool for his replacement. I could see whoever they target come in and compete with Jack for the majority of those minutes and the other getting the balance. They’ll have a heckuva sell with their recent success in having big guys drafted. It would also help by winning and making the NCAA tournament this season as well.

SHOOTING / PACE

Early returns with Dayton's offense is they like the pace of play and the shots they are getting. They want to be a team that plays in transition and averages in the mid-70’s on the scoreboard. Probably for the first time since the 2019-2020 Flyers, there’s a ton of capable shooters from the outside. Defense to offense, inside-out, were the two keys to what made Dayton such an offensively efficient team that season.

Kobe Elvis, Enoch Cheeks, Koby Brea, Javon Bennett, and Nate Santos are all capable of hitting from the perimeter and opening up the inside for Deuce. From what I’m hearing, Brea has been shooting lights out in practices and just didn’t translate in the two exhibitions. He is still working his way back into shape. Even Malachi Smith is capable of hitting open shots at a decent clip.

Santos is another guy that hasn’t translated to the exhibitions either. My sources have raved about him since the day he stepped onto campus. He will get things going as he gains comfort on the floor with the others. Hopefully with the above group, Dayton can get good shooting performances consistently from 3-4 of those guys and coupled with Holmes production in the middle, that should be a recipe to win on almost every night.

I do think the defensive pressure is a point of emphasis for this season with the added depth. While AG didn’t necessarily think it was as effective against Ohio State, it’s still a work-in-progress and something that I think he wants to use consistently to get some quick offense. Not only that, but it can lift the energy for his group when needed as it did in the Cedarville game. The non-conference schedule provides some quality opportunities, but they need to find their identity early. Two seasons ago, it took five games to discover and as we would later find out, it was one game too late. Rally around this group, especially as they are trying to find themselves early in the season. It could make a huge difference.

ONE MORE THING

Optimism is not as high for Dayton and conference realignment right now after the Pac 12 shuffle finished, but I would say to keep an eye on Clemson, Florida State, and Miami (FL). I think those are going to be the next dominoes that fall that could have a downstream impact on UD.

CLOSING

That does it for this edition of the War Room! Thank you to all of you… You are what makes this board so special and the best place to talk Dayton basketball all year round! A special welcome to all of those that have signed up for FlyerHoops recently, hope you’re enjoying all the nuggets, tidbits, etc that the site and forum provides. Monday tips off my 23rd season covering the Flyers for Rivals.com and even longer than that on my own. This has the making of a really special season as I’m extremely excited about the roster if you can’t tell! Have to be ready on day one! And before I go, good luck to the women's soccer team tonight as they take on La Salle! Until next time… WE ARE!

I have been fortunate to see the Flyers 3 times this year, one at a practice at the Arena..ps they practice there quite a bit.
The scrimmage we saw was 40 min of hell!!! I had a headache it was so fast paced and physical. I think we will see different schemes next week. We are going to be very good ( excluding injuries) in March. However we need to be very good in non conference. As Matt knows I loathe the A10 and refuse to use the “ we can win in Brooklyn “ .
‘Our kids can play and We have depth that can play. The season lays at the staffs feet, they have all the tools and a schedule that gives us multiple games in non con to build an NCAA resume.
‘We will see more pressure than ever before and we have a roster that gives us match up advantages against most teams!
We will have good feel by Friday nite, don’t sleep on SIUE they will be a good test and of course the NW game brings huge opporutnity. I believe we will beat LSU and then Beat St John’s which will get us a great National buzz. This can be a second weekend team!
I hope the staff lets it rip and not play cautiously. As you have seen halfcourt offense can be stagnant and we will have to create points.
‘Santos will settle in and be a solid player. I think Enoch needs to be featured more and be a go to guy. I like Bennet and Petras they are not afraid and in the scrimmage I saw Issac played well. Will take time for Koby and Mali to get their full burst back . Elvis is a microwave he can score in bunches but needs to be more consistent. I really really LIke Marvel. I hope he earns and gets an opportunity.
‘Daron can be special, would like to see more of the shot blocking Holmes and he will defending the back of the pressure.
My prediction is the Sweet Sixteen.

Per the Duquesne Message Board. The ticket office is taking steps to minimize tickets for Flyer fans.

He's no longer listed on the DaytonFlyers.com Roster Page, I'm hoping it's just a mistake and he didn't move on?

With Obi coming back to the Arena, I started to think about his legacy (still forming) and his place in Dayton’s history.

Question for this forum
Who would you put on Dayton’s Mount Rushmore?

Can’t remember if we might have discussed this before, but if so might be time to revisit.