Welcome to the 3rd installment of The War Room for 2018. 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 3rd edition of the War Room for 2018!
CURRENT STATE
Let’s talk about the elephant in the room-- Wendell Mitchell. I can tell you that I had preliminary discussions about him a couple of weeks ago and asked who the biggest competition was. That answer was two schools, Texas A&M and SMU. They feared the schools with local ties to him, but they had the confidence they could overcome that “or they were wasting their time and money.”
We know how it played out this week with him choosing the Aggies after one visit. Which brings me to the second point. Were they shocked like I had said earlier? That’s probably the wrong word to use. I was told they were not except for the timing. Although I don’t think they’d ever admit it, I think they were led to believe that they were going to get a visit before he decided hence their confidence. The surprise to the coaching staff was that they didn’t even get a visit.
Anthony Grant is going to win some battles and lose some battles. The talent he is going after is a step up because he's not afraid to see some big time guys go elsewhere. As the old saying goes, you miss 100% of the shots you don't take.
Attitudes to those I spoke to were still upbeat, "on to the next one" kind of deal. They have a big opportunity this weekend when they welcome 6-9 forward Frankie Policelli from Long Island Lutheran for an official visit. I’ve been told that, despite what the fans think is most important, that outside of Frankie being 6-9, a big man is not a high priority for this coaching staff.
From what I gathered, Texas Tech and Maryland are the biggest competition for Policelli. And after I saw where fans wondered if Texas Tech had any more scholarships to give after picking up a transfer commitment, I was reminded, “You can always find a way.” So just because it appears a school does or doesn’t have a scholarship available, doesn’t mean they aren’t a threat. I’m hoping to touch base with Policelli next week after he returns home.
MORE VISITS?
I was told earlier in the week they were working on setting up two more visits with one already being announced. I was told the Flyers were working on having Kennesaw State transfer, James Scott, on campus for an official. News broke a day later on twitter that he would be taking that official to UD on April 28th.
Scott averaged 17.3 points a game last year as a sophomore . He is currently on Virginia Tech’s campus for an official visit. He’s originally from New Jersey and would have to sit out this season and have two years of eligibility remaining.
The other visitor I heard they were working on was Florida Gulf Coast graduate transfer Zach Johnson and were hopeful to have him visit in the next couple of weeks. According to Jon Rothstein, Johnson will take an unofficial to Miami (FL) today, an official to Creighton (4/14), Louisville (4/16), and Arizona (4/22).
The 6-2 guard started all 35 games a year ago for the Eagles, averaging over 16 points a game. Johnson was a redshirt freshman at FGCU in the same season that current Dayton graduate assistant Brett Comer was a senior so there is a strong connection to Johnson currently on the staff. With that being said, hopefully unlike Mitchell, you can secure a visit and give yourself a real puncher’s chance.
POINT GUARD
I am told that they would like to add another ball handler to this coming season’s roster, but was given no preference in terms of class. I was told by Shane Gatling that the Flyers and him were talking about setting up a visit in the first week of May. I was also told by a source this week that because of what transpired, that Gatling’s visit could get expedited.
I’ll try to touch base with him at the early part of next week as he is on an official visit to Colorado this weekend. Just to remind you, he reportedly has offers from Akron, Coastal Carolina, Colorado, Dayton, Fordham, Ole Miss, and Washington State. He averaged over 16 points a game this season at Indian Hills Junior College.
Another guard on some people’s radar is Samford grad transfer Justin Coleman. He was originally recruited to Alabama by Anthony Grant before transferring after his head coach was let go. I spoke with Coleman, who had an obvious love for Coach Grant when I spoke to him, but let me know that, to this point, Dayton hasn’t been recruiting him. So currently, it does not appear that Coleman is an option.
After I talked to Kira Lewis for the article I published earlier this week, he did confirm to me later in the week that Dayton had since reached out again. He told me they reiterated their want for him, regardless if it’s for 2018 or 2019, but nothing setup visit-wise yet with him. There are a lot of point guards available and I’m hoping to have a clearer picture of the top options for you very soon.
MORE CONFERENCE TALK
Believe it or not, conference affiliation was a big topic in Dayton after the events that played out this week with arguably Dayton’s top target. While UD will never publicly say anything bad about the Atlantic 10, it is a lot of people’s belief that the A10 held them back when trying to secure the JUCO point guard.
Dayton is very slow and conservative by nature with a lot of big decisions that they make and the one that could have positioned them to be included with the inaugural New Big East continues to haunt them to this day. When it comes to conferences, they always seem to be a step slow, historically. I was told that the AAC was a firm “No” a year ago, but that thinking is slowly changing. The term I was told earlier this week is they are “listening.”
The news that Tulsa was added to the out-of-conference schedule leads me to believe that a jump to the AAC would not happen this season. However, I do believe, that Creighton and Xavier had a non-conference game scheduled for the first year of the Big East so I don’t think it means it’s impossible for this season.
Ultimately, Dayton listens to their head basketball coach. When Archie Miller wanted upgrades in facilities, charter flights, Dayton delivered. Look no further than at the end of this season. Five players are leaving the program—that’s unprecedented for Dayton! That turnover was not taken lightly, but ultimately it happened. The AAC is definitely a more attractive option for Men’s Basketball, but the other sports might be a snag. Ultimately though, all it may take is a hard press from Anthony Grant and we could see some movement. In my eyes, the sooner the better.
CLOSING
That does it for this edition of the War Room, thanks and welcome to the new subscribers. And also a big Thank You to all the veterans of this site—you are all what makes this the best site to talk Dayton basketball all year round! Until next time… WE ARE….
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 3rd edition of the War Room for 2018!
CURRENT STATE
Let’s talk about the elephant in the room-- Wendell Mitchell. I can tell you that I had preliminary discussions about him a couple of weeks ago and asked who the biggest competition was. That answer was two schools, Texas A&M and SMU. They feared the schools with local ties to him, but they had the confidence they could overcome that “or they were wasting their time and money.”
We know how it played out this week with him choosing the Aggies after one visit. Which brings me to the second point. Were they shocked like I had said earlier? That’s probably the wrong word to use. I was told they were not except for the timing. Although I don’t think they’d ever admit it, I think they were led to believe that they were going to get a visit before he decided hence their confidence. The surprise to the coaching staff was that they didn’t even get a visit.
Anthony Grant is going to win some battles and lose some battles. The talent he is going after is a step up because he's not afraid to see some big time guys go elsewhere. As the old saying goes, you miss 100% of the shots you don't take.
Attitudes to those I spoke to were still upbeat, "on to the next one" kind of deal. They have a big opportunity this weekend when they welcome 6-9 forward Frankie Policelli from Long Island Lutheran for an official visit. I’ve been told that, despite what the fans think is most important, that outside of Frankie being 6-9, a big man is not a high priority for this coaching staff.
From what I gathered, Texas Tech and Maryland are the biggest competition for Policelli. And after I saw where fans wondered if Texas Tech had any more scholarships to give after picking up a transfer commitment, I was reminded, “You can always find a way.” So just because it appears a school does or doesn’t have a scholarship available, doesn’t mean they aren’t a threat. I’m hoping to touch base with Policelli next week after he returns home.
MORE VISITS?
I was told earlier in the week they were working on setting up two more visits with one already being announced. I was told the Flyers were working on having Kennesaw State transfer, James Scott, on campus for an official. News broke a day later on twitter that he would be taking that official to UD on April 28th.
Scott averaged 17.3 points a game last year as a sophomore . He is currently on Virginia Tech’s campus for an official visit. He’s originally from New Jersey and would have to sit out this season and have two years of eligibility remaining.
The other visitor I heard they were working on was Florida Gulf Coast graduate transfer Zach Johnson and were hopeful to have him visit in the next couple of weeks. According to Jon Rothstein, Johnson will take an unofficial to Miami (FL) today, an official to Creighton (4/14), Louisville (4/16), and Arizona (4/22).
The 6-2 guard started all 35 games a year ago for the Eagles, averaging over 16 points a game. Johnson was a redshirt freshman at FGCU in the same season that current Dayton graduate assistant Brett Comer was a senior so there is a strong connection to Johnson currently on the staff. With that being said, hopefully unlike Mitchell, you can secure a visit and give yourself a real puncher’s chance.
POINT GUARD
I am told that they would like to add another ball handler to this coming season’s roster, but was given no preference in terms of class. I was told by Shane Gatling that the Flyers and him were talking about setting up a visit in the first week of May. I was also told by a source this week that because of what transpired, that Gatling’s visit could get expedited.
I’ll try to touch base with him at the early part of next week as he is on an official visit to Colorado this weekend. Just to remind you, he reportedly has offers from Akron, Coastal Carolina, Colorado, Dayton, Fordham, Ole Miss, and Washington State. He averaged over 16 points a game this season at Indian Hills Junior College.
Another guard on some people’s radar is Samford grad transfer Justin Coleman. He was originally recruited to Alabama by Anthony Grant before transferring after his head coach was let go. I spoke with Coleman, who had an obvious love for Coach Grant when I spoke to him, but let me know that, to this point, Dayton hasn’t been recruiting him. So currently, it does not appear that Coleman is an option.
After I talked to Kira Lewis for the article I published earlier this week, he did confirm to me later in the week that Dayton had since reached out again. He told me they reiterated their want for him, regardless if it’s for 2018 or 2019, but nothing setup visit-wise yet with him. There are a lot of point guards available and I’m hoping to have a clearer picture of the top options for you very soon.
MORE CONFERENCE TALK
Believe it or not, conference affiliation was a big topic in Dayton after the events that played out this week with arguably Dayton’s top target. While UD will never publicly say anything bad about the Atlantic 10, it is a lot of people’s belief that the A10 held them back when trying to secure the JUCO point guard.
Dayton is very slow and conservative by nature with a lot of big decisions that they make and the one that could have positioned them to be included with the inaugural New Big East continues to haunt them to this day. When it comes to conferences, they always seem to be a step slow, historically. I was told that the AAC was a firm “No” a year ago, but that thinking is slowly changing. The term I was told earlier this week is they are “listening.”
The news that Tulsa was added to the out-of-conference schedule leads me to believe that a jump to the AAC would not happen this season. However, I do believe, that Creighton and Xavier had a non-conference game scheduled for the first year of the Big East so I don’t think it means it’s impossible for this season.
Ultimately, Dayton listens to their head basketball coach. When Archie Miller wanted upgrades in facilities, charter flights, Dayton delivered. Look no further than at the end of this season. Five players are leaving the program—that’s unprecedented for Dayton! That turnover was not taken lightly, but ultimately it happened. The AAC is definitely a more attractive option for Men’s Basketball, but the other sports might be a snag. Ultimately though, all it may take is a hard press from Anthony Grant and we could see some movement. In my eyes, the sooner the better.
CLOSING
That does it for this edition of the War Room, thanks and welcome to the new subscribers. And also a big Thank You to all the veterans of this site—you are all what makes this the best site to talk Dayton basketball all year round! Until next time… WE ARE….
