03-08-2022, 06:22 AM
I'll start off with my favorite team all my life. THE DAYTON FLYERS. Completely robbed in 2020 when NCAA cancelled and Dayton had it's best team ever and best seed on Tourney ever as either a #1 seed or at least a #2 out of 16. That team had Obi Toppin who won the NBA Slam Dunk Contest this year. This years Dayton team has their best recruit ever. The freshman was dominate in Dayton's win over top ranked Davidson to end regular season and make them the #2 seed in the A-10 Tourney this weekend. Dayton is 22 wins a 9 losses, and won a nice Tournament around Thanksgiving in which they beat Miami Hurricanes, Kansas Jayhawks and Belmont Bruins. The only knock on Dayton is their losses at start of season, but Dayton is a young team of Freshman and almost no Seniors or Juniors, so I attribute the slow start to going from High School to College. The did WIN that Tourney by beating Miami, Kansas, Belmont. They did win 22 Games. They did just beat top ranked Davidson. They did finish as the #2 team in The A-10. So the Freshman players came on strong.
Dayton is very much a team outside looking in on the NCAA. It comes down to what Dayton does in the A-10 Tourney. Being #2, they get to skip the first couple days. They don't play until day 3 on Friday. I would hope the NCAA takes more than just one team from the A-10. The A-10 is a good division and some division are over rated in sending too many teams of not very good records. The A-10 is good enough each year for 2 or 3 NCAA teams, maybe 4, certainly not just one.
6'10 " Deron Holmes is the highest ranked UD recruit ever who leads the team. This is a big future NBA starter. A freshman still growing who will dominate in college ball. Malachi Smith gets plenty of playing time leading the team in Assists. Tourmani Camara is a rebounding and Scoring leader with Holmes. Kobe Elvis gets plenty of playing time. Koby Brea is their 3 point leader and averaging over 42 % on hitting from downtown on his 3's.
Coach Grant is very good. He played under Don Donaher Dayton Legend. Coach Grant had THE TEAM in 2020 but covid cancelled NCAA Tourney ruined best season Dayton has ever had. Coach Grant has great Defense, and well run Offense, and Super Great PASSING. Coach Grant teams are great ball handlers, he must work them a lot on Passing, because the Passing under Grant has been one of best Passing teams in USA. This is how they took Kansas into overtime in 2019-2020 and beat Kansas in 2021-2022, with great passes to get the points. So Donaher played under Blackburn and Grant played under Donaher, so the tradition of smart, heads up basketball continues at Dayton. Since Bobby Knight use to use Dayton films to show his Indiana team how to play smart basketball, and Knight hired Donaher at Indiana, Dayton playing smart ball is no small thing. Coach Grant is Blackburn and Donaher only in an updated 2020's game.
Grant seems to be getting amazing recruits. Obi Toppin and now DeRon Holmes. I'll be watching Dayton in the A-10 Championship in Hopes that they force the NCAA to include them. Dayton is 22-9 and the young team of few Seniors and mostly Freshman Stars is coming on Strong. I just hope the NCAA isn't looking to shaft the A-10 by only letting one team in. Davidson and Dayton are playing good enough to Both be in NCAA Tourney.
So who is your college team ? Are you ready for March Madness. Might as well be, there is no Baseball coming in April.
As a kid, I lived next to UD in great grandparents old house, which is still there but Student Housing took over the neighborhood soon after we moved in 1965. I could walk a couple blocks past UD to Holy Angels School next to UD. As kids, we would go on the campus, and would see Dayton basketball players as our neighbors. We had many college student neighbors already in the early 1960's. So my early grade school life was next to UD, and you get caught up in college town atmosphere of Homecomings and such. Dayton has Always been a Basketball School. Dayton outgrew the old Field House and building UD Arena around 1969 and renovating it has made it one of the plush arenas in USA. UD always leads in fan attendance in USA and Dayton has Great Fans going back to 1950's. Having The Marriott next to UD Arena for visiting teams and concerts is a Plus.
So as a 2nd grade kid, I remember Henry Finkle and Tom Blackburn of cancer and then Don Donaher was a great coach taking Dayton DEEP into the NCAA Tourney when the Cinderella School had the team. It's not Kentucky, and Dayton does have it's off years. Dayton does get a top team together now and then to make some noise in the NCAA. Coach Grant having played for Donoher is carrying on the tradition of great Coaching, and it shows. This is not sloppy ball, Dayton plays heads up ball. So my Heart will always be with UD that I grew up next to, although Wright State in Dayton area is also now a favorite. The Arena's are different. At Wright State you come in at the top, so I like seats in the back close to rest rooms and food stands and exits. Front row is a long walk down into the pit. UD is laid out better, you walk in at Mid Level.
So again, who are your NCAA Teams. I went excited about the school I grew up next to and growing up around a college. Who are your Teams in MARCH MADNESS ????
Dayton is very much a team outside looking in on the NCAA. It comes down to what Dayton does in the A-10 Tourney. Being #2, they get to skip the first couple days. They don't play until day 3 on Friday. I would hope the NCAA takes more than just one team from the A-10. The A-10 is a good division and some division are over rated in sending too many teams of not very good records. The A-10 is good enough each year for 2 or 3 NCAA teams, maybe 4, certainly not just one.
6'10 " Deron Holmes is the highest ranked UD recruit ever who leads the team. This is a big future NBA starter. A freshman still growing who will dominate in college ball. Malachi Smith gets plenty of playing time leading the team in Assists. Tourmani Camara is a rebounding and Scoring leader with Holmes. Kobe Elvis gets plenty of playing time. Koby Brea is their 3 point leader and averaging over 42 % on hitting from downtown on his 3's.
Coach Grant is very good. He played under Don Donaher Dayton Legend. Coach Grant had THE TEAM in 2020 but covid cancelled NCAA Tourney ruined best season Dayton has ever had. Coach Grant has great Defense, and well run Offense, and Super Great PASSING. Coach Grant teams are great ball handlers, he must work them a lot on Passing, because the Passing under Grant has been one of best Passing teams in USA. This is how they took Kansas into overtime in 2019-2020 and beat Kansas in 2021-2022, with great passes to get the points. So Donaher played under Blackburn and Grant played under Donaher, so the tradition of smart, heads up basketball continues at Dayton. Since Bobby Knight use to use Dayton films to show his Indiana team how to play smart basketball, and Knight hired Donaher at Indiana, Dayton playing smart ball is no small thing. Coach Grant is Blackburn and Donaher only in an updated 2020's game.
Grant seems to be getting amazing recruits. Obi Toppin and now DeRon Holmes. I'll be watching Dayton in the A-10 Championship in Hopes that they force the NCAA to include them. Dayton is 22-9 and the young team of few Seniors and mostly Freshman Stars is coming on Strong. I just hope the NCAA isn't looking to shaft the A-10 by only letting one team in. Davidson and Dayton are playing good enough to Both be in NCAA Tourney.
So who is your college team ? Are you ready for March Madness. Might as well be, there is no Baseball coming in April.
As a kid, I lived next to UD in great grandparents old house, which is still there but Student Housing took over the neighborhood soon after we moved in 1965. I could walk a couple blocks past UD to Holy Angels School next to UD. As kids, we would go on the campus, and would see Dayton basketball players as our neighbors. We had many college student neighbors already in the early 1960's. So my early grade school life was next to UD, and you get caught up in college town atmosphere of Homecomings and such. Dayton has Always been a Basketball School. Dayton outgrew the old Field House and building UD Arena around 1969 and renovating it has made it one of the plush arenas in USA. UD always leads in fan attendance in USA and Dayton has Great Fans going back to 1950's. Having The Marriott next to UD Arena for visiting teams and concerts is a Plus.
So as a 2nd grade kid, I remember Henry Finkle and Tom Blackburn of cancer and then Don Donaher was a great coach taking Dayton DEEP into the NCAA Tourney when the Cinderella School had the team. It's not Kentucky, and Dayton does have it's off years. Dayton does get a top team together now and then to make some noise in the NCAA. Coach Grant having played for Donoher is carrying on the tradition of great Coaching, and it shows. This is not sloppy ball, Dayton plays heads up ball. So my Heart will always be with UD that I grew up next to, although Wright State in Dayton area is also now a favorite. The Arena's are different. At Wright State you come in at the top, so I like seats in the back close to rest rooms and food stands and exits. Front row is a long walk down into the pit. UD is laid out better, you walk in at Mid Level.
So again, who are your NCAA Teams. I went excited about the school I grew up next to and growing up around a college. Who are your Teams in MARCH MADNESS ????
1968 Bengal Fan
