Recon: Rhode Island

Rhode Island is not the best team in the conference. In fact, they are not even the best team called the Rams in the conference. They are 3-18 overall, 0-6 in conference, and have already lost a game at Fordham. After the second half pantsing delivered by the Hawks, they are just what Doctor Willie ordered.

Given the firing of Bobby Lutz and the misguided razor taken to Fran Dunphy, the only thing that Jim Baron has been winning this year has been the battle of the moustache. On the court? No, not so much. Baron built a respectable team and stayed there. In 10 years, he has been to the NIT 5 times, and has won 20 games 6 times. He even has won the A-10 coach of the year award 3 times at URI (2003, 07, and 09) and once in 1995 at his alma mater, St. Bonaventure (is he giving his peers free mustache rides?) Baron’s most recent graduating class has collected the most wins by a class in URI history.  And, of course, he has led the Rams to the NCAA tournament a grand total of zero times.  Each season has been termed a success. And where has all of this mediocrity landed him? Right here in this shit-show.

We’ll spend this week looking at the travels of Rhode Island’s shooting guard, Billy Baron. Billy heeded big brother Jimmy’s warnings and spurned his father to play at the University of Virginia. He had been averaging over 11 minutes per game as a freshman in the ACC while putting up 3 ppg. Not lottery numbers, but not too bad for a halfway decent league. Yet, prior to the start of his second semester, he transferred back to his father’s crumbling kingdom in Kingston. Why? With a tip of the cap to any UD students needing to come up with a theme for their latest lit projects, we here at the BR propose a few possible themes:

Avenging the father

Perhaps the most enduring literary theme has been that of the son avenging the father. From Orestes to Samurai Jack, from Inigo Montoya to Batman, the son seeking vengeance has been a powerful theme. Maybe none as enduring as Hamlet. In his case, Hamlet is driven mad by his father’s ghost and sets on a course to kill his Uncle Claudius who has not only murdered his father, but is also nailing his mother. A lot of other stuff ensued that were not in the Cliff notes, and I’ve never made it through a whole movie since Ophelia never shows her titties. Let it be known, however, that if you make a few bad choices in life, have a strong jawline, and want to be taken seriously as an actor, you will eventually be looking up the definition of the words “nunnery,” “forsooth,” and “perchance” in the dictionary.

Young mssr. Baron may be trying to forestall or even proactively avenge the inevitable canning of his father.  Is the move from Charlottesville, Va. to Kingston madness? While Virginia is certainly in the South, it is more of a border state on the poon scale. However, whatever talent is there tends to apply to UVA. I’d say one part madness.

Building upon the legacy of the father

This doesn’t have as much punch in literary circles, but we can find a few examples. While Michael Corleone certainly used ruthless tactics, his killings were done to consolidate power, not just for vengeance. Even the bullets pumped into Sollozzo and McCluskey were “strictly business.” Donald Trump built upon his father’s legacy in real estate and having bad hair to climb to the top of the ladder in both worlds. A more appropriate sporting metaphor might be that of Bobby and Barry Bonds. Bobby Bonds was a very good outfielder who played most of his career for the Giants. He was a sometimes all-star who averaged 29 homers and 90 RBIs over a 14 year career. To build upon his father’s legacy, son Barry shrank his balls to the size of frozen peas.

Making the father’s legacy look good in comparison to the son’s own bumbling travails 

The examples are even fewer, but it is possible for the offspring to be so ridiculously inept as to make the father look good in comparison. Off the top of my head, I’d look at Chaz Bono and Lethal Weapon2 as unduly inflating the relative competence of their predecessors.  Then again, I am aware of one character who gloriously tried to redeem his father’s legacy by his own colossal misunderineptitude. Saddened to see that his father was placed on a list of the ten worst presidents in American history, George W. Bush sought to right that wrong. By staking a claim even further down the list, he attempted to push his father into a higher range. I haven’t seen proof myself, but W. must also have been distantly related to Millard Fillmore. How else could one explain a second term? Clearly, he tried to push Fillmore out of the bottom five. It’s the only reasonable way to explain Katrina, corporate bailouts, the subprime clusterfuck, the Plame affair, John Bolton, and the emergence of the “Real Housewives of…” franchise.

Before you dismiss this as being an implausible justification of Billy’s actions, check out the last 5 seconds of Rhody’s loss at Fordham

So who is Billy Baron? I have no idea. Is he trying to save his father’s job by returning to Rhode Island as the prodigal son? Does he think he can carry on as a local hero and redeem the Jim Sr/ Jimmy Junior legacy in Kingston? Or… is his mother so MILF-alicious that he is taking the Oedipal off ramp in a misguided courtship that includes striking down his father? 

While we all finish reflecting upon how we each measure up short in comparison to our own fathers, let’s turn our attention to our nextest opponent. It’s a much easier dragon to slay.

Meet and Greet: You can’t spell turible without URI.

The Rams currently sit at RPI 277. They have not beaten a single team in the top 200, and have gone 3-3 against teams rated 200 or higher. Why are they so putrid? It’s all about defense. Rhode Island gives up more than 75 points per game (ranking 322 in Division I), allow opponents to shoot over 48% (333), and allow more than 14 assists per game (329th).

Their ranking is slightly better in conference play, as they had two key players become available in December. The First is Billy Baron. Billy heeded big brother Jimmy’s warning…. Oh, right, we’ve been there already. Baron is averaging 13.5ppg in conference games. He is shooting 46% from the field and 36% from behind the arc. Baron was recently joined in the backcourt by Andre Malone, who also started playing in December after transferring from Auburn halfway through last year.  He’s averaging 12.7 ppg in conference play and is shooting 45% from the field and 31% from three. Both of URI’s remaining fans were eagerly awaiting the spark that these two would provide the otherwise moribund team. If possible, things have only gotten moribunder. The Rams are 2-8, with one of those wins coming against the Boston College debating team, who apparently switched uniforms with the basketball team this year.

Jonathan Holton is a freshman power forward who clocks in at 6-9/ 220. He will be a solid player someday. If LuKKKe is given the defensive assignment, that day will be Saturday. He’s seems to be one of the few players left who gives half a shit. He’s averaging 10 and 8, and when he eventually grows into his frame, may lead the league in surliness. On the other end of the spectrum is Orien Outerbridge. (“Orien” is the Aramaic word for “enigma” or “lost opportunity.”) He’s 6-9/225, averaging 11 and 7. I thought that he would be eating up the conference by his senior year, but his play has been consistently inconsistent. He sat out the first part of his junior year to “focus on academics,” which has led to a nomination for a MacArthur Foundation grant.

Nikola Malesevic is a 6-7 three point specialist who adds another 12 points per game on 34% 3-point shooting (after averaging 46% last year). Levan Shengelia is a 6-9 bruiser looking to add some color to the milky white appendages of the Ivory Towers. He hails from Georgia. Not the pussy Georgia where pussies come from. The Georgia that sends hungry foreign-exchange KGB agents – I mean students - to upset an otherwise gentlemanly game.

Prediction: I predict that everyone will get theirs.  Even Paul Williams should get a couple of points off the porous Ram defense. Coach Archie will continue look like Steve from Blue’s Clues dressed for a funeral, and commentator John will now post from fake names on someone else’s computer.  This is the kind of defense that will allow Chris Johnson (and possibly Dennis Williams) to shine. Flyers by 11.

Sidebar: Last week, tman quoted my writing from this site and used it for a self-serving post on another board. Now I know how Robert Oppenheimer felt at Los Alamos.

Ronald Roberts' Windmill v. Dayton

For those of you that have asked, here's Ronald Roberts' dunk from last night. Find your safe place.

St. Joseph's Recap: All that Glitters

The Flyers shot 34% from the floor and 26% from the three-point line tonight in Philly. This Dayton team won’t beat anyone with that type of shooting; they need to hit around 50% and 40% respectively to take down even the most mediocre of teams (which is exactly what St. Joe’s is) away from home. The Flyers finally hit a road bump, succumbing to St. Joseph’s, 77-63, in front a raucous and oftentimes greasy crowd.

The Flyers were very much in the game, up seven early in the second half, before a nearly six-minute scoring drought let St. Joe’s back into the game. A CJ Aiken three-pointer extended the SJU lead to nine and the Flyers never challenged the Hawks again. The lead ballooned to as much as 16 late in the game. The Flyers energy after the half was non-existent, resulting in being outscored by 19 points in the second frame.

Only Kevin Dillard and Chris Johnson (finally) showed a pulse against the Hawks. The duo led the way for the Flyers with 17 points apiece, CJ grabbing a team-high eight rebounds as well. Outside of Johnson and Dillard, no other Flyer showed the willingness to make something happen on either side of the floor. Although Ralph Hill’s 7 point/7 rebound effort was somewhat encouraging. I actually found myself calling out for Ralph near the end of the ballgame.

Considering the huge win over the weekend against the Overlords and their absolute torrid offensive rate as of late, the G.C. Cagers were due for a letdown sooner rather than later. UD came into tonight’s game averaging 81 points per game in conference play, best in the league, relying on what was surely unsustainable shooting to edge their opponents out. It all came crashing down against the Hawks, as UD was only able to connect on seven threes, attempting twenty-seven.  

The glaring mismatch occurred down low, where Dayton got absolutely manhandled by SJU’s big men. Ronald Roberts (27 pts), CJ Aiken (14 pts) and Halil Kanacevic (13 pts) combined for 54 of the Hawks’ 77 points (40 of those points coming in the paint). That’s total domination, kids. Martelli’s club found easy bucket after easy bucket down the stretch while Dayton was content to jack away from 22 feet. Aiken was effective defensively, blocking five shots and altering even more. The Flyer bigs were simply out-matched and out-worked.

Lastly, Paul Williams’s stat line:

I’m not sure if it’s the worst performance ever in a UD uniform, but it’s certainly in the discussion.

Tonight’s disappointment wasn't necessarily unexpected, yet it does serve as a wakeup call in some respects. Although Dayton is way ahead of schedule, there is still a lot of work to do. The Flyers return home for a very winnable clash with Rhode Island this Saturday.

Recon: St. Joseph's

Two questions have controlled the recent debate over this season’s Gem City Cager program: (1) Is Dayton this good and (2) can they keep this up? 

I don’t know, you don’t know. No one knows. 

Certainly no one could have foreseen a 14-5 record at this point in the year. After the back-to-back shellackings against Buffalo and Murray State, it appeared the Flyers were in the firm clutches of a slow and onerous rebuilding year (the performances against USC-Upstate and UIC weren’t exactly encouraging either). If you are like me, you were probably resolved to writing term papers for Jevon Thomas, ensuring his arrival for next year’s promising season. 

Fast forward to today. Dayton doesn’t have to salt the earth in order to clinch a NCAA bid, merely holding serve and winning the games they should probably seals the deal. 

Here are five things, because that’s a nice prime number, which cannot transpire over the next six weeks:  

• The Flyers fail to win on the road which, until proven otherwise, is still an issue for this program. UD is going to have to win a game or two away from the Arena to solidify their postseason status. The Cagers still have roadies at St. Joe’s, Saint Louis, Fordham, Xavier, Duquesne and Richmond. That’s fairly tough sledding, but the Flyers must squeeze some wins out of that six-game slate.

• Tired legs (especially for Dillard) catch up with a very thin roster; an injury at this point, however prolonged, would be the tipping point. Archie has done his best to get his key guys rest during games, a more significant obstacle since Benson’s injury, with even Ralph Hill assigned some spot duty. Of course this means the UD bigs have to avoid foul-trouble at all costs as well.
   
• Chris Johnson remains in a fog. CJ has been fairly inactive since the New Year and downright absent since returning from his concussion. Johnson was the key performer in UD’s wins over Bama and Ole Miss; the Flyers absolutely need his production to keep the ball rolling.  

• Boof, Parker, Fab come back down to earth. The Flyers have enjoyed their recent success primarily due to this particular trio’s effective offensive play. Parker has played his best basketball in a UD uniform over the past few games and Kavanaugh’s consistent play has been paramount to Dayton’s success this year. LuKKKe remains LuKKKe, an asset when he’s hitting bombs, an absolute liability when he’s cold. However, his flops are an always entertaining portion of any Flyer game, so let’s not just dismiss his intangibles altogether.  

• Perimeter shooting hits a flat. Heading into tonight’s game, the Flyers have been hitting 41% of their three-point attempts in conference play – tops in the league. The improved three-point shooting is a recent and timely development, as the majority of Dayton’s three-point shooters are, overall, hitting a lower percentage of threes than they did last season. UD is basically on a phenomenal run at the moment, riding a hot streak from behind the arc.
   

 

The Flyers, as of now, have excellent indicators, a solid RPI and SOS. They’ve racked up 8 wins over the RPI top 100, five over the top 50. While there is plenty of road to travel, UD has established itself as a tournament team at the midway point of the season. A win tonight, away from the Gem City, would cleary beef up their cause.  

Overview: St. Joe’s, a dark horse pick to finish in the top four of the league this season, are mired in a rather ill-timed slump, losing five of their last seven games after a promising start to the season. SJU is currently 2-3 in the Atlantic Ten, with wins over Duquesne and Fordham. Martelli did manage to beat Brian Gregory and the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets by thirteen points, old habits are hard to break.   

Like the Flyers, the Hawks have a very thin roster. They are also the fourth youngest team in the nation with no seniors and just a combined eight years of collegiate playing experience. In sum, St. Joe’s is probably another season away from seriously contending in the Atlantic Ten.  

Meet and Greet: CJ Aiken is a monster. He has the freakish ability to block and alter shots yet not draw fouls. He has committed just 30 fouls in 20 games this season (1.5 per game, you’re welcome). The sophomore has increased his scoring output and rebounding, becoming a legitimate threat on both ends of the floor. The Aiken/Kavanaugh matchup is loaded with sexy intrigue. This will be a real stern test for Boof, who is enjoying one of the most unlikely comeback stories since Donny Wahlberg’s star turn on Blue Bloods.

Joining Aiken in the starting frontcourt are Halil Kanacevic and Daryus Quarles. Kanacevic is a 6’8” transfer from Hostra where he was named the CAA’s Freshman of the Year before transferring to Hawk Hill. Kanacevic has been a solid addition, scoring eight points a game and leading Martelli’s club in rebounds (6.9 rpg) and assists (3.4 apg). Qualres, a prototypical garbage man, is basically a sixth man, who starts for some reason.

The Hawk’s backcourt, Langston Galloway and Carl Jones, is a silent killer, one of the most under-the-radar units in the country. Galloway is following up his standout freshman season with an even better sophomore campaign. The 6’2” guard is averaging seventeen points a game and five assists. Galloway is absolutely deadly from the outside, hitting on 51% of his three-point attempts this season, good enough for second in the nation. He is coming off his best scoring outing in his young career, dropping 32 points this past weekend in the loss to Penn. It’s the third time Galloway has scored 30 or more this season.  

The diminutive Jones (17 ppg, 3.5 apg, 3.5 rpg) is a beast off the dribble and currently tied with Temple’s Ramone Moore as the league’s top scorer. Jones v. Dillard is the other key matchup to follow. An ankle injury has slowed Jones down as of late, he reaggravated it this weekend against Penn, but he is expected to log major minutes tonight.

Ronald Roberts, Chris Wilson and Papa Ndao highlight the St. Joe’s reserves. Roberts, one of the top sixth men in the conference, is scoring ten points a game and grabbing around six rebounds as well. Ndao originally signed with Boston College but was “released” from his commitment and enrolled at SJU last January. Wilson backs up Jones and Galloway.  

Prediction: Still don’t trust UD away from the Arena, and there is of course the letdown factor after coming off an emotional win against Xavier. The Joeys opened up as five point favorites. I like UD to cover, but lose outright. The key in my mind is Kavanaugh, if he produces Dayton prevails. 

An Interrogatory With: St Joseph's University

That Xavier game was fun, eh? Kevin Dillard outclassed Holloway and Matt Kavanaugh gave the Muskie bigs a good clowning, leading Dayton to a relatively easy 87-72 home win. What does it mean? To me, it means we can officially raise expectations for this Flyer squad. Expectations should evolve as the season progresses. This team has proven to be better than we all thought it would be in October, and as fans we should hold them to a higher standard.

My biggest gripe with the program in the last several years has been the lack of defined expectations, and what little definition was given seemed to be low hanging fruit. A team that had no business being in the NIT was given a rousing ovation simply because they came home with a trophy no team opens the season hoping to win. The administration and fan base completely rewrote history, making that team out to be more than what it actually was, disappointing.

I'm not saying I think this year's team should win an A10 title or make a Sweet 16 run, but certainly at this point a winning A10 record and an NIT spot should no longer be an acceptable goal. They own wins over the three teams everyone expected to fight for the title. They beat a good La Salle team, and lost a tough game on the road to a St Bonaventure squad that should finish in the top half. The Flyers are a good basketball team, and we should treat them as such. I expect them to finish in the top four of the A10 and make the NCAAs. Is that too much to ask, given what we know on January 25th? I don't think so.

The first step in meeting that expectation takes place in the land of tainted cheesesteaks, Hagan Arena, home of the St Joes Hawks. To give us an idea of the challenge that lays ahead and more about Martelli's bunch, we turn to our good friends at philahoops.com and welcome in a new voice, SJU expert Timothy Morgan.

Adam: At least from the outside it seemed Phil Martelli bought into his own hype after the Jameer Nelson era and began spending more time in front of a camera and/or microphone than on the recruiting trail, and over time the talent dropped, culminating in a current three year postseason drought. Martelli finally has a young roster that appears to be building into contention, although the preseason talk of them as a "sleeper" appears to have been a year early. How is the patience of the fan base on Hawk Hill? Is there real pressure on Martelli to deliver now as opposed to the future?

Tim: Phil Martelli gets a lot of criticism for the last two years, in which the team has gone 11-22 back-to-back years. Saint Joseph's had become irrelevant. It got so bad that SJU had to cancel their midnight madness last season because of lack of fan support/interest level.

In my opinion, Martelli gets most of his criticism for the fact that he never really built on the Jameer, Delonte year. His recruiting was very weak following that "perfect season." Temple, Nova, and other area teams jumped over SJU in recruiting following that year. Then, his transfer mill began. SJU has no seniors on their roster right now because they all transferred.

Some people were furious with Martelli and called for his head. Student and alumni support and patience waned. However, there are plenty of Martelli defenders on campus and elsewhere (me being one). This season student support got back on track with the team and with Martelli himself. Student turnout home games has been incredible. I think patience for Martelli has grown because people can see the talent there and that it is coming together. This team is very young, but very talented.

A: After a strong freshman season, Langston Galloway has eschewed the sophomore jinx and become one of the better players in the A10, putting up 16 points per game on 50% three point shooting. Is he the next great product who never seems to graduate?

T: Langston Galloway right now is one of the best players in the A-10 as a sophomore. In two years, he may become the best player in the A-10. He can really light it up from the outside. He is still very young and still adjusting and getting better. He can beat you in so many ways. He is one of the best three point shooters in the A-10. He has a nice mid-range game and can shoot off the dribble. He can be a very good transition player, he is a decent passer, he can get into the paint, and his defense is continually  improving.

In two years, Carl Jones will have left and SJU will be Galloway's team. When he is a senior, Galloway and now freshman Chris Wilson will be a premier back-court, not only in the A-10, but in the country. That will lead into my next answer coming up.

The best thing about Galloway is he is an unbelievable kid. He has yet to even grasp how good he can really be. The sky is the limit for Galloway.

A: Carl "Tay" Jones brings a reputation as a dynamite scorer (17ppg), but as a point guard playing 36 minutes per game, his 1:1 assist to turnover ratio raises an eyebrow. Is he a guy that can lead a team, or is he just a scorer in a point guard clothes? If not him, who on the roster can create for others in the flow of the offense?

T: Carl Jones is not a point guard. Martelli, himself, calls Jones a lead guard instead of a point guard. Jones has some ability at the point guard position. He can pass and penetrate and create, but his decision making is not up to par with other quality point guards. The future of the position lies in the hands of Chris Wilson. Wilson is a pure PG, who looks to create for his teammates before himself. This allows Tay to play off the ball, which benefits the team and Jones because he plays his best basketball when he does not have to create for others and can focus on scoring.

However, Tay has to be the short term answer at the point guard position. Wilson is not ready to take on the offense by himself for long stretches. In the Xavier game, SJU was without Jones, so Wilson started. Wilson played 25 minutes, did not score, had 4 rebounds, 2 assists, and three turnovers. SJU as a team had 19 turnovers, 11 in the second half. They only scored 16 points in the second half and the offense had no flow.

Chris Wilson gets "it" on and off the court. He is a good kid and he works hard. He is already becoming a vocal leader as a freshman. Martelli calls him cerebral and that he was born with a basketball in his hands. High praise from a coach who knows something about guards.

A: The Hawk mascot is well known, and is often harassed by opposing fans and inner-tube wielding Rhode Islanders. Just how big is the legend of the Hawk on campus?

T: The Hawk receives mixed reactions and feelings on Hawk Hill. Most love him, and many love to make fun of him. He is an easy target to make fun of. But, he is respected. More so, the tradition is respected. He takes his lumps, but he ends up on top.

A: Finally, what do you see as the keys to the game, and a prediction?

T: I think Wednesday's game is going to be very close. One of the keys to the game is Tay's ankle and how healthy he is. The Hawks need him to return to the Carl Jones of earlier this season. Another key is Dayton's ability to matchup against the Hawks' frontline. Coach Miller talked about Dayton's frontline depth and how foul trouble could be a huge factor.

If Saint Joseph's can figure out how to play close to a complete game, then I think they will come out on top. It will be very close. I think SJU takes it because they are home and have played very well at home. Final, 68-62 Hawks.

We'd like to thank Timothy for helping us out, and thank philahoops.com for their help in all three games vs Philly teams. As always, head over to read my answers, as well as their site as a whole. They do great work.

Tempo Tuesday

From Ray Floriani's Tempo Tueday on Secondary Break:

The Accidental Accolade

Matthew "Boof" Kavanaugh was named the Atlantic Ten Player of the Week. I am now convinced anything is possible, even solar energy.  

Big Fuckin' Heart by Blackburn Review

Xavier Recap: Beating the Man

As impressive a victory as could have been hoped for, Dayton wins their first clash with Xavier this season, an 87-72 throat punching (and really, it didn’t even seem that close) at the Arena. This is UD’s first back-to-back win over the Overlords since it happened all the way back in 1991. The red-headed cheerleader was barely alive at that point.

Today’s success means Dayton takes over sole possession of the Atlantic Ten, moving their conference record upward to 4-1. Three of UD’s four conference wins have come at the expense of Saint Louis, Temple and Xavier – which were thought to be the ruling triumvirate this season. At this unripe stage I’m not prepared to comment on whether Dayton’s ascension says more about the Flyer’s resilience or the strength/weakness of the league itself. Time will surely tell.     

Here’s the dirty little secret about this year’s Musketeers: For all the bluster and bravado, they aren’t a tough group in any sense of the word. Defensively, it’s about as tentative a group I’ve ever seen wear the X uniform. The overall defensive effort put forth by Xavier today left much to be desired; the Muskies had issues with pick-and-rolls and mismatches throughout the game, appearing lost and unaware for much of the contest. The Flyers were granted open looks from both beyond the three-point line and down low all day long.

Regardless of Xavier’s defensive struggles, you cannot fail to underscore how impressive UD’s offensive output has been this season. Dayton came into the game leading the conference in scoring, three-point percentage, offensive efficiency and points per possession. The Flyers performance against X emphasized those strengths, as UD scored 87 points on 50% shooting from the floor.

Paced by Kavanaugh’s 20 (he followed up a 23 point effort against La Salle last weekend with today’s output. Is this real life?) as well as Dillard/Parker’s 16, Xavier didn’t have enough firepower offensively to keep up. The Muskies are so reliant on Holloway and Lyons to create on the offensive end it’s almost like the rest of the team just wants to get out of their way. While the Xavier pair are surely offensive standouts, the Overlords are going to have to find a way to get some more offensive production from their lesser knowns to turn the tide.

No one in the Atlantic Ten seemed to do less with more than Brian Gregory. The story of Archie Miller’s first season at the helm is his ability to seamlessly make something out of next to nothing. Dayton was expected to float somewhere in the middle of the pack, due to a lack of depth and talent, hoping to develop some chemistry for what appears to be a very promising 2012-13 season. Nevertheless, after some decent performances in Orlando, and a solid win against Alabama, the Flyers were poised to play somewhere this postseason.

However, after Josh Benson’s season-ending ACL tear, which came before A-10 play had even tipped off, it appeared those hopes were completely derailed. Yet, since the Ole Miss game Josh Parker has averaged 13 points per game, Kavanaugh has chipped in 15 per contest, and Luke Fab has scored 10 an outing over that five game period. The Flyers needed everyone to step up their game offensively and Archie, using Miller voodoo, has got them to do just that. Even Ralph Hill has chipped in some not-embarrassing minutes as of late.     

All of this success has set the table for a rather encouraging few months. As previously stated, UD has come out of the gate and quickly built itself some room for error. The Flyers have already experienced what will likely be their toughest five-game stretch and came away with a 4-1 record and sole possession of first place in the conference. Dayton fans are not used to being the lead dogs in the league race, we have been conditioned to look ahead and hope things somehow fall into place. Not this season. The Flyers, finally, control their own destiny. What a difference a year, and a coach, makes.  

Flyers Need to Be "TV Ready"

Red Out = Business as Usual?