A lot has been said about what sophomore Devin Searcy and junior Chris Wright said to Tom Archdeacon of the Dayton Daily News following UD’s victory over UMass Saturday night.
“I honestly don’t want anybody pulling for us. We don’t need anybody in our corner patting us on the back as long as the 17 or 18 or so guys in this locker room are together,” said Searcy. “We play better when it’s us against the world, when our backs are against the wall.”
Obviously he was exaggerating in stating that he didn’t want anyone to pull for the Flyers considering that to date, 195,165 people have attended UD Arena this season - the overwhelming majority to root on the underachieving Flyers. Not to mention, those alumni, students and fans, many of who live and die with the Flyers, allow him to be on full scholarship and enjoy all the luxuries of a D-1 collegiate basketball player. Not to bad for a reserve forward who averages 4.4 points and 3.3 rebounds in 14.7 minutes per contest.
But I’ll give that line a pass. Everyone’s emotions at times get in the way of logical thought. The second part of his comment, however, left me even more taken aback.
My rationale is simple: Searcy couldn’t be any more wrong.
The Flyers backs were against the wall on numerous occasions and in almost every situation this season, Dayton folded by playing undisciplined basketball and allowing opposing crowds (or inferior opponents) to rattle them. Below are a few examples, not including the debacle at home against Towson:
- @ New Mexico – 2 point loss
- @ Xavier – 4 point loss
- @ St. Joes – 1 point loss
- vs. Rhode Island – 1 point loss
- @ St. Louis – 3 point loss
- @ Duquesne – 2 point loss
- @ Temple – 8 point loss
What defines a team is their ability to play tough teams in challenging environments on the road and come out with wins by displaying focus, poise and composure. At 5-8 away from UD Arena, the Flyers have consistently showed their inability to handle such situations beating themselves in many games due to poor fundamentals and lackluster execution.
On the flip side, at UD Arena with the 13,000+ Flyer Faithful behind them, UD is a stellar 14-1. Clearly, the Flyers in fact have needed others to be in their corner.
Chris Wright added: “All those other folks talking ’round town and putting stuff on Facebook don’t matter. They’re not in a jersey. They’re not playing. We’re not gonna lay down or quit. We believe in each other.”
Not only can some Flyers not handle controversy on the road, but it also seems to be affecting them at home.
Maybe instead of getting caught up in the sea of doubt and frustration many Flyer fans are wallowing in and letting meaningless Facebook zingers affect you, it would be more beneficial to practice pull up jumpers. Or work on late game offensive sets. Or watch extra Richmond game film.
The obvious theme being echoed by Searcy, Wright and other Flyers is their frustration with reality. UD sits at 19-9 and 8-6 in the Atlantic 10 and have no one to blame but themselves. It will be up to them to finish the season strong and show the selection committee they are deserving of an NCAA Tournament at-large bid or eliminating all suspense by winning the A-10 Tournament.
And what is the result if UD does not perform?
Three letters: NIT.
