Welcome to the 2nd 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 2nd edition of the War Room for 2018!
ROSTER MAKEUP
I start this War Room with a reminder about what I was told prior to last season—this roster needed a serious upgrade. While a total of five guys decided to leave the program, only one really surprised me, but it really wasn’t even much of a surprise considering the circumstances.
As the season played out, the writing on the wall was there for most of the guys that left. The one that surprised me was Matej Svoboda because he did get an opportunity and he seemed to buy into what his role was under Anthony Grant. But when you think about how far from home he was, it really shouldn’t have surprised me as much as it did.
After a 14-win season and five scholarships, Grant and his staff are going to have a delicate balance on their hands on how they choose to fill those scholarships. Of course, they want to win now and win big, but they also have to build their program the right way for long term success as well.
They have just one senior (Josh Cunningham) for next season and three juniors (Trey Landers, Ryan Mikesell, and Jhery Matos) and two sophomores (Jalen Crutcher and Jordan Davis). They’ll have to balance those scholarships out between the different classes. I think we can come up with the likely class targets for four of the five vacant ships. I think you’ll see at least one grad transfer added, one (more) JUCO transfer, one sit-out transfer with two years left, and then one 2018 freshman. The fifth then would be used on the best available. I haven’t been told this is the staff’s thinking, but I have been told balance is important and this seems the most logical scenario. With that in mind, you want to make sure that you also have a combination of talent that is ready from your upper classmen and talent that will add depth now and be more polished later with the younger guys. But as Anthony Grant showed this season, you’ll get an opportunity regardless of class if you’re working hard and doing things the right way.
FIRST VISIT
While the recruiting period opened up at noon yesterday, from what I am told, Dayton’s first on-campus visit won’t come until next week. The Flyers were able to secure an official visit with Long Island Lutheran star Frankie Policelli.
The 6-8 small forward picked up Big Ten offers from Maryland and Illinois last month and holds more than 20 offers total on his list. He has five Atlantic 10 offers counting the one he received from Rhode Island prior to the coaching change.
He already took official visits to George Washington and Stony Brook last fall and will have three official visits remaining. Dayton will get him on campus next weekend, April 15th, for his third official visit.
The Flyers lost three forwards in the roster shakeup with Xeyrius Williams departing for another destination, Matej Svoboda returning home to play professionally, and Kostas Antetokounmpo trying his hand in the NBA Draft. Policelli would be a nice fit on this roster for what Anthony Grant is building.
BRING IN CHUCK
The only other visit that I have heard setup is most likely the most predictable. The Dayton Flyers have been searching for another guard to help out Jalen Crutcher after the freshman averaged more than 35 minutes a game in 18 Atlantic 10 regular season games and one tournament game. The guard they are bringing in for a visit and Crutcher complement each other well with both of them being able to be on the floor at the same time together or simply spelling the other.
Dayton has been working hard on Trinity Valley Community College guard Wendell Mitchell, Jr. He averaged 19.8 points and 6.8 assists a game in helping TVCC to the Nationals in Hutchinson, Kansas. He shot 48.9% from the floor, 36.5% from three, and 83.8% from the free throw line.
He recently published a list on Twitter, saying in no order that Dayton, Grand Canyon, San Diego State, SMU, and Texas A&M are in his top five. He began his college career at Baylor, playing one season about an hour away from his hometown of Rockdale, Texas.
His official visit to Dayton will take place on Wednesday, April 18th. “Chuck” as he’s called by his teammates and friends, will have two years of eligibility remaining at the Division I level and would be eligible immediately in the fall. Hard to say one guy is your top priority when you have five open scholarships, but his importance to next year’s roster has been conveyed to him.
CONFERENCE AFFILIATION
First let’s set the stage with something that Athletic Director Neil Sullivan reportedly said earlier this season in front of some Dayton fans and high-level donors. He said when it comes to conference affiliation for Dayton, it’s Atlantic 10, Big East, or Bust. That goes with pretty much everything we’ve heard for the last year when it comes to the AAC not being an “institutional fit.”
I’ve also heard that as of lately, there has been some big-time UD donors that have expressed the unhappiness with the current Atlantic 10. Dayton has said they would like to see Loyola added to the A10 after this past season. They really want a Chicago school in the conference because of the alumni base present in the city as well as wanting to be a big factor for the top Chicago prospects.
A source told me the AAC is not dead yet either. Apparently, Dayton is impressed with the addition of a couple coaches this off-season in the conference. UD would like assurances that UCONN will not leave, however, before they would entertain serious consideration.
A lot of people still ultimately feel that an expansion in the Big East is inevitable to keep up with the landscape and economics of college basketball. Dayton, with the upgrades to the Arena and other facilities, continue to position themselves to be included if it does indeed happen.
CLOSING
That does it for this edition of the War Room. Just so I don’t end up being called a liar by jaf1962, a couple notes on a couple of guys that sat out this season. I heard they are really impressed with Obi Toppin and he is going to be a stud here at UD. I also was told they were impressed with how quickly Ryan Mikesell bounced back and looked good in doing so. I was told he could have played in February, but they didn’t want to burn a year of eligibility for him. Encouraged by the news of those two and excited to see how these two visits go. Thank you as always to the long-time members and welcome and thank you to those that just signed up. You all are what makes this the best place 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 2nd edition of the War Room for 2018!
ROSTER MAKEUP
I start this War Room with a reminder about what I was told prior to last season—this roster needed a serious upgrade. While a total of five guys decided to leave the program, only one really surprised me, but it really wasn’t even much of a surprise considering the circumstances.
As the season played out, the writing on the wall was there for most of the guys that left. The one that surprised me was Matej Svoboda because he did get an opportunity and he seemed to buy into what his role was under Anthony Grant. But when you think about how far from home he was, it really shouldn’t have surprised me as much as it did.
After a 14-win season and five scholarships, Grant and his staff are going to have a delicate balance on their hands on how they choose to fill those scholarships. Of course, they want to win now and win big, but they also have to build their program the right way for long term success as well.
They have just one senior (Josh Cunningham) for next season and three juniors (Trey Landers, Ryan Mikesell, and Jhery Matos) and two sophomores (Jalen Crutcher and Jordan Davis). They’ll have to balance those scholarships out between the different classes. I think we can come up with the likely class targets for four of the five vacant ships. I think you’ll see at least one grad transfer added, one (more) JUCO transfer, one sit-out transfer with two years left, and then one 2018 freshman. The fifth then would be used on the best available. I haven’t been told this is the staff’s thinking, but I have been told balance is important and this seems the most logical scenario. With that in mind, you want to make sure that you also have a combination of talent that is ready from your upper classmen and talent that will add depth now and be more polished later with the younger guys. But as Anthony Grant showed this season, you’ll get an opportunity regardless of class if you’re working hard and doing things the right way.
FIRST VISIT
While the recruiting period opened up at noon yesterday, from what I am told, Dayton’s first on-campus visit won’t come until next week. The Flyers were able to secure an official visit with Long Island Lutheran star Frankie Policelli.
The 6-8 small forward picked up Big Ten offers from Maryland and Illinois last month and holds more than 20 offers total on his list. He has five Atlantic 10 offers counting the one he received from Rhode Island prior to the coaching change.
He already took official visits to George Washington and Stony Brook last fall and will have three official visits remaining. Dayton will get him on campus next weekend, April 15th, for his third official visit.
The Flyers lost three forwards in the roster shakeup with Xeyrius Williams departing for another destination, Matej Svoboda returning home to play professionally, and Kostas Antetokounmpo trying his hand in the NBA Draft. Policelli would be a nice fit on this roster for what Anthony Grant is building.
BRING IN CHUCK
The only other visit that I have heard setup is most likely the most predictable. The Dayton Flyers have been searching for another guard to help out Jalen Crutcher after the freshman averaged more than 35 minutes a game in 18 Atlantic 10 regular season games and one tournament game. The guard they are bringing in for a visit and Crutcher complement each other well with both of them being able to be on the floor at the same time together or simply spelling the other.
Dayton has been working hard on Trinity Valley Community College guard Wendell Mitchell, Jr. He averaged 19.8 points and 6.8 assists a game in helping TVCC to the Nationals in Hutchinson, Kansas. He shot 48.9% from the floor, 36.5% from three, and 83.8% from the free throw line.
He recently published a list on Twitter, saying in no order that Dayton, Grand Canyon, San Diego State, SMU, and Texas A&M are in his top five. He began his college career at Baylor, playing one season about an hour away from his hometown of Rockdale, Texas.
His official visit to Dayton will take place on Wednesday, April 18th. “Chuck” as he’s called by his teammates and friends, will have two years of eligibility remaining at the Division I level and would be eligible immediately in the fall. Hard to say one guy is your top priority when you have five open scholarships, but his importance to next year’s roster has been conveyed to him.
CONFERENCE AFFILIATION
First let’s set the stage with something that Athletic Director Neil Sullivan reportedly said earlier this season in front of some Dayton fans and high-level donors. He said when it comes to conference affiliation for Dayton, it’s Atlantic 10, Big East, or Bust. That goes with pretty much everything we’ve heard for the last year when it comes to the AAC not being an “institutional fit.”
I’ve also heard that as of lately, there has been some big-time UD donors that have expressed the unhappiness with the current Atlantic 10. Dayton has said they would like to see Loyola added to the A10 after this past season. They really want a Chicago school in the conference because of the alumni base present in the city as well as wanting to be a big factor for the top Chicago prospects.
A source told me the AAC is not dead yet either. Apparently, Dayton is impressed with the addition of a couple coaches this off-season in the conference. UD would like assurances that UCONN will not leave, however, before they would entertain serious consideration.
A lot of people still ultimately feel that an expansion in the Big East is inevitable to keep up with the landscape and economics of college basketball. Dayton, with the upgrades to the Arena and other facilities, continue to position themselves to be included if it does indeed happen.
CLOSING
That does it for this edition of the War Room. Just so I don’t end up being called a liar by jaf1962, a couple notes on a couple of guys that sat out this season. I heard they are really impressed with Obi Toppin and he is going to be a stud here at UD. I also was told they were impressed with how quickly Ryan Mikesell bounced back and looked good in doing so. I was told he could have played in February, but they didn’t want to burn a year of eligibility for him. Encouraged by the news of those two and excited to see how these two visits go. Thank you as always to the long-time members and welcome and thank you to those that just signed up. You all are what makes this the best place to talk Dayton basketball ALL YEAR ROUND. Until next time, We are…….
