I was going to offer up a season preview for my beloved Dayton Flyers, but I somehow felt that I wouldn't be able to offer the best insight possible. As if he was reading my mind, long time Whitey Guccione contributor Rossi offered to write the preview for me, and my immediate thought was "Who Better to preview them than Rossi?", which of course the answer is none. So without further ado, here is Rossi's take on the season for UD Hoops 2010-11:
The Flyer Faithful: The UD Flyers will make the big boy tournament this season. The two main reasons why are Chris Wright and Chris Johnson. What I've seen in the first two games is UD has improved point guard play. Josh Parker and Juwan Staten play the position under control and both can shoot effectively. One thing I noticed is Josh Parker likes taking heat checks, similar to Rob Lowery. Parker will have on and off shooting nights that will both kill us, yet win some games for UD as well. I consider Parker to be a better shooter and smarter player than Staten.
Staten has however been given the keys to car at this point, and Brian Gregory is in the front seat. Staten will play really well at times, but UD will have to live with the freshman mistakes he is certain to make. One thing that does impress me about Staten is that he displays the capability of scoring on every possession, yet it seems like he loves passing to his teammates more, and making sure everyone is involved. Staten reminds me a lot of Mateen Cleaves in this offense. Even though Staten has a better shot, his quickness and ability to get to the basket is very similar to Cleaves. Without a doubt Staten will lead the Flyers in assists and I am confident that Staten will be named A10 rookie of the year.
My next prediction will be Chris Johnson will make the A10's second team. His recent play makes that prediction a little shaky at this point however. Against Akron he shot a grand total of 1 time! He had 3 points on 1 for 1 shooting. It is my contention however that Johnson will turn around his season and be the second leading scorer on the team this year.
Thirdly, many experts predict the lost of last years’ starting center Kurt Hueslman will hurt the most. I'm calling bullshit on that right now however because Devin Searcy will have a breakout season. He will average around 8 to 9 points and about 7 to 8 rebounds per game. Well the big dog is pleasantly proving me wrong as he has posted 2 double doubles in his first two career starts!! From where I sit, I say let the big dog eat and sext all he wants. FYI the rumor around UD is Searcy loves sexting his junk to girls around campus. I inquired about the issue to London Warren. Warren said it was true and later said "Man, Searcy is weird as fuck", so it looks like UD has another member of the “Athlete Dong Shot Phenomenon” aka “Brett Favre Syndrome”.
Fourthly, Brandon Spearman will push Paul Williams for minutes. Spearman is local kid out of Chicago. He reminds me a lot of Marcus Johnson when he first arrived at Dayton. Spearman has a better handle and shot though. Keep an eye out for Spearman next season.
Finally (you knew this was coming) Chris Wright will make the NBA period. He might even be a late first round pick. His performances against Miami and Akron made it clear he has improved his jump shot and the way he handles the ball. Chris also appears to more muscular than I can remember, and that can only help his game. The additions of Parker and Staten will benefit Wright’s game the most however, as playing with a true point guard will attract defenders and leaving Wright open for easy buckets. Currently, Wright is averaging 13 and 10 boards. If Wright keeps that type of production up, watch for his NBA stock to rise.
As for the team results, UD will go 13-2 in their Non Conference schedule. They will go 3-1 against the BCS teams. The main focus is the Conference Schedule though, and you can mark it down right here and now: UD will beat Xavier in Cincy this year for the first time since 1982 and finish with an 11-5 conference record. UD has a chance to go 13-3 with a favorable home schedule playing Xavier, Temple, and Richmond at home. All are predicted ahead of UD in the standings. UD will place in 2nd. All four of those aforementioned teams will make the NCAA's.
Once UD gets selected for the NCAA Tournament, who knows what they can do? We've all seen in the past years once you’re in, you can do some damage. Just ask Butler last season. Around mid-season we will get an idea if UD will be defending its NIT crown or playing with the big boys. Either way though, it’s time to get Flyer’d UP! WE ARE UD!
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