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LOCATION: Dayton, OH
CONFERENCE: Atlantic-10 (West Division)
LAST SEASON: 11-17 (.393)
CONFERENCE RECORD: 5-11 (5th)
STARTERS LOST/RETURNING: 1/4
NICKNAME: Flyers
COLORS: Red & Blue
HOMECOURT: University of Dayton Arena (13,455)
COACH: Oliver Purnell (Old Dominion '75)
record at school 67-77 (5 years)
career record 168-152 (11 years)
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ASSISTANTS: Ron Jirsa (Gettysburg '81)
Frank Smith (Old Dominion '88)
Wade O'Connor (Bridgewater State '94)
TEAM WINS: (last 5 years) 7-15-13-21-11
RPI (last 5 years) 194-177-173-61-161
1998-99 FINISH: Lost in conference quarterfinal.
ESPN.com Clubhouse
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Fragile thing, expectations. One minute they are sky high; the next it's time to circle the wagons. Far below the nation's top 25 radar, Dayton had about as miserable a year as could be imagined. Four key players suffered disabling injuries. Two off-court incidents resulted in player suspensions. Three members of the team pleaded guilty to misdemeanors. And that was before the NCAA investigation. Huh? At a school and program which prides itself on being squeaky clean and with a coach who is so well-regarded that he led Team USA at the World University Games a season-long soap opera turned darker still in early May. That's when a university trustee admitted providing two personal loans to the father of Dayton's marquee recruit. The loans came after 6-6 swingman Brooks Hall committed to the Flyers, but NCAA eyebrows were raised just the same. The facts $32,000 changing hands between trustee/basketball booster and father of stud recruit are indeed disturbing. Despite apologies and pleas of ignorance from all involved, some sanctions are expected before the case is closed.
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Blue Ribbon Analysis |
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BACKCOURT B BENCH/DEPTH C+
FRONTCOURT B INTANGIBLES C
Head coach Oliver Purnell gets all kinds of credit for turning losers into winners. He parlayed one winning team in four years at Dayton into a 10-year contract extension. Last season, it was expected by some (not Blue Ribbon, by the way) that Purnell would deliver an NCAA Tournament berth. This year, not even Kreskin could predict what lies ahead for the Flyers. Dayton could re-energize its nucleus, take advantage of a weakened West Division and play itself right back to the NCAA "bubble" of 1997-98. Or the Flyers could remain distracted by non-basketball issues and continue to roll over in close and/or road games. The truth, as usual, is somewhere in the middle. While the Ashman-Stanley-Young nucleus is valuable, it has tremendous holes. Ashman is only a modest physical presence; Stanley should perform more consistently as the No. 1 offensive option; and Young must become at least a credible shooter. Power forward is often another black hole, as Ashman needs a cohort willing to dirty his hands. Brooks Hall as a savior? The star freshman might have to be even better than advertised to glue this puzzle back together. Look for the Flyers to settle somewhere between their last two seasons. That should mean .500 or a little better both in league play and overall. They could even finish as well as second in the Atlantic 10 West. But the high end of Dayton's curve is the NIT. There are far too many negatives to think NCAA with this team. |
Making the season and its aftermath even more distressing were the expectations coming in. The Flyers, after an NCAA near-miss in 1997-98, had NIT second-round experience and the reigning Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year (Oliver Purnell). They'd also lost only one starter, albeit a good one in double-double forward Ryan Perryman. Instead of taking the next step, however, Dayton couldn't even tread water. The high of 21-12 turned into an 11-17 disaster. In Atlantic-10 play, the Flyers tumbled from a West Division co-championship to the ignominy of fifth place. It was befitting a team that spent more time in court than on it. At least Purnell had the summer to get away from it all. A gold medal from the likes of Scoonie Penn, Mark Madsen and Brendon Haywood would put any coach in a good mood. Unfortunately, none of those guys will suit up for him at Dayton. Instead, Purnell returns to the same team that underachieved so badly in 1998-99. Even with all-league talent at the point (6-2 senior Edwin Young, 5.6 ppg, 4.4 apg), wing (6-4 junior Tony Stanley, 15.0 ppg, 5.6 rpg) and pivot (6-10 senior Mark Ashman, 15.1 ppg, 5.6 rpg), the Flyers enter a new season as the most unpredictable team in the conference. There should be no questioning the primary talent. Young is a decent distributor who really earns his keep at the defensive end. His offense (.284 FG, .214 3PT) leaves much to be desired, but he is not a losing point guard. Stanley continues to improve, although nagging injuries to departed starter Coby Turner (9.7 ppg, 5.6 rpg) thrust him into more shots than were beneficial. Ashman, meanwhile, may be the most underrated center in the country. He was a third-team All-Atlantic 10 selection after leading the Flyers in scoring, rebounding, blocked shots and free throws (made and attempted). He was second in minutes played. The power-forward spot rotated among 6-7 senior Ted Fitz (2.1 ppg, 1.9 rpg, 12 starts), 6-7 junior Younta Holland (4.1 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 10 starts), 6-7 junior Cain Doliboa (7.8 ppg, 3.1 rpg, seven starts) and recently married 6-9 senior Stephen Bamigbola (2.4 ppg, 3.1 rpg, three starts). Doliboa is the best of the bunch, but Purnell seems to prefer his contributions in a sixth-man role. Hall (Troy HS/Troy, Ohio) figures to inherit Turner's small forward-position. He is the considered the most important signee in Purnell's tenure as the Flyers try valiantly to work the player market in their home state. He posted superior numbers as a prep senior (22.7 ppg, 11.5 rpg) and, by all accounts, had nothing to do with his father's dubious bank account. Hall's eligibility won't be rescinded because of the alleged violations because it was ruled he was unaware of the loans. Atlantic-10 recruiting analyst Jeffrey Bartash said Hall is "a fluid shooter and passer with a nice handle. On defense, he is alert, helps out well and has a nose for the ball. He excels at making his teammates better, though that earned his some criticism from those who say he needs to be more dominant." "I consider Brooks a tremendous prospect," Purnell told the Dayton Daily News. "He is a rare kind of player who raises the level of his teammates' performance while playing at a high level himself." The Flyers could use a little more glue and guile. This is a team from which the whole has been considerably less than the sum of its parts. A 1-9 road record speaks to a certain lack of toughness, and the team-wide shooting percentage of .395 was 11th in the league. It's no wonder Dayton lost eight games by a total of just 17 points. When the going got tough, the Flyers disappeared especially away from UD Arena. Yet Dayton has little choice but to fight back with the same nucleus (except for guard prospect Nucleus Smith, who did not qualify). The deeper reserves are 6-6 redshirt freshman Nate Green (2.0 ppg, 2.0 rpg), 6-10 senior Matt Cooper (0.5 ppg, 0.9 rpg) and 5-10 sophomore David Morris (3.3 ppg, 1.6 rpg). Green was granted a medical redshirt season when an injury cut his rookie year short after six games. The only other newcomer is 6-9 freshman Keith Waleskowski (Alter HS/Kettering, Ohio), a modest post prospect whom is expected to backup Ashman. Waleskowski averaged 18.1 ppg and 9.4 rpg in the state's Division II classification. Andy Metzler (5.6 ppg, 2.0 rpg), a would-be senior guard, chose to leave the program while recovering from a torn ACL.
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