Dayton Flyers Basketball a Top 4 Team 2019-2020

[kevin]

Had there been a NCAA Tourney,  UD would have been a #1 seed.   They only lost 2 games, both in overtime, to #1 ranked Kansas and Colorado.  They swept the A-10 going 29-2 with wins over Georgia and Virginia Tech in Maui Tourney and playing in Maui Championship took #1 Kansas into overtime.  Not one loss is regulation time, just the 2 losses on road in overtime to 2 good teams.  

Dayton was well coached by Anthony Grant.  Yes they had Obi Toppin who will be a slam dunk contest star in NBA.  They had other star players besides him, they were no one trick pony.  That they could match up with anybody including Kansas was due to slam dunks but also they could hit 3 pointers.  Their offense and defense was very good, and you could tell Grant played under Don Donoher, but Grant picked up coaching experience before coming back to UD.   The BEST thing about UD was THE PASSING.  Almost never a turnover as they could beat any press, get up court. beat any zone or man to man with great passes inside or outside to score.  Not just alley or street ball, well run plays.

So Covid March stopped the Best Dayton Flyer team ever.  29 wins with 2 losses in overtime.  In the Maui Tourney ESPN announcers including Bill Walton said the A-10 and NCAA better watch out for Dayton, as they covered Dayton blowing out Georgia and Virginia Tech and taking Kansas into overtime.   The Dayton vs Kansas highlights are on Youtube.  Avoid someone posting there video game that never happened.  The game that did happen shows how tough Dayton was.  Due to Covid, I consider the Dayton vs Kansas Maui Championship THE GAME OF THE YEAR IN NCAA.  Well worth going on internet to find game highlights of every point scored.

I post this because Covid did rob people of seeing the Best Dayton Team ever, and Dayton would have been a #1 seed or no lower than  #2 seed.  Dayton had the team to go Final 4 or even National Championship Game.  Now before fans of other schools laugh, ESPN and Sports Announcers were not laughing and Dayton was ranked in the top 4 when Covid cancelled the NCAA Tourney.  You WILL be seeing Obi Toppin as an NBA star, and his size, dunking, 3 point shooting, speed, hands, passing are like a LeBron James. I'm not saying as good as LeBron,  but I am saying he will be a STAR FORWARD in the NBA, and I do mean All-Star Games.  The day will come you will see him in NBA, and understand the ESPN announcers including Bill Walton were not wrong on him and Dayton being very good.

Now there are greater things to Covid than missed games,  but it was Dayton's Best Team ever.  Dayton may never have a team like this again.  There are the Dayton vs Kansas highlights to prove THEY WERE FOR REAL.

[BFritz21]

My old man is the all-time leading field goal percentage record holder at UD!

[kevin]

(09-15-2020, 11:09 PM)BFritz21 Wrote: My old man is the all-time leading field goal percentage record holder at UD!

Sean Finn ?  Rare a 7 Ft center at UD could score.   Oh, they had Henry Finkel who was great and many years a Boston Celtic. Bill Uhl could score.  Some others.  UD has a hard time getting 7 ft centers and I remember many who couldn't score, couldn't jump.  FINN was one of the rare UD 7ft centers who had some game. 

Now Obi Toppin is 6-9 or so and ESPN raved about him. He is UD's Lebron James in their history. He will be a top NBA draft pick in month or so, and he WILL be an NBA Star. He can make great passes, hit the 3's, but Man, can he put on a show with his many ways to SLAM DUNK. Look for him to win some All-Star Slam Dunk contests.