Ten Flyers played at least 13 minutes on Saturday night and effectively wore down a short-handed Bonnies club who was without leading scorer and rebounder Andrew Nicholson due to illness.
“I thought our guys played well, especially with our defensive effort,” said UD (15-6, 4-3) coach Brian Gregory after his team’s 75-58 victory. The win snapped a two game losing streak.
The deciding point of the game was the Flyers dominating performance on the glass outrebounding St. Bonaventure 45-30. Marcus Johnson responded well to his benching leading the way with eight rebounds and chipping in 11 points.
“We out-rebounded them by 15, but there was a 10-minute stretch where we did not rebound well and they were able to make a run,” said coach Gregory.
Dayton did show improvement in some facets of the game including free-throw shooting (73% as a team) and poise. Though turnovers and mental lapses allowed St. Bonaventure to stay in the game for far too long.
“We needed this win. I thought we played well in spurts...maybe not the whole 40 minutes but give St. Bonaventure credit for that,” said coach Gregory.
The Flyers did play well in spurts, though I have trouble crediting the Bonnies. There were few times in the game where St. Bonaventure actually outplayed UD. Instead, the Bonnies primarily took advantage of UD’s unforced errors and lackluster individual efforts.
The Flyers have not come close to putting together a disciplined and effective 40 minutes of basketball all season. And in order to beat Xavier next Saturday, they will need their best performance of the year to defeat their long time rivals.
The Musketeers visit UD Arena next Saturday. The game will be broadcast on ESPN2 and tip is set for noon.
Usually when a casual A-10 fan plays word association with St. Bonaventure (9-9, 2-3), common responses include bottom feeders, easy win or pushover. I don’t mean to infer this St. Bonaventure team is capable of making a Sweet 16 run, but they are a better team than their combined 30-59 record they posted in the previous three seasons. Coupled with the fact that UD has lost three of their last four games away from UD Arena, and this Bonnies game will likely be no walk in the park.
2. UD's Still 'A-10 Favorite'
Even though UD has struggled of late and is currently tied for seventh in the Atlantic 10 with a 3-3 record, you can bet the Bonnies have had this game circled since the Flyers were picked to win the conference. It will be important for UD to maintain their composure throughout the game, and keep an eye on Andrew Nicholson. The sophomore forward leads SBU in scoring posting 16.7 points per night and leads the A-10 in field goal percentage (61%).
3. Final Five Minutes
Much has been made of the Flyers success in the final five minutes of regulation outscoring opponents during this time 223-169 and holding them to 35% shooting. As nice as those statistics are, reality paints a different picture. The Flyers last four losses have all been by four points or less, with their last “close” win coming three weeks ago against Duquense (78-72). Until UD can outlast opponents and win close games in the final five minutes (i.e. Georgia Tech, George Mason), those statistics will continue to be misleading.
After pulling ahead 64-62 following three pressure free throws from Chris Johnson, Rhode Island guard Marquis Jones drained a three pointer deflating the Flyer Faithful, snapping the Flyers 30 game home winning streak and propelling the Rams to a 4-2 mark in the A-10.
The game leaves the Flyers in a vulnerable position dropping to 7th in the Atlantic 10 at 3-3, with a host of challenging games still to play.
From the onset, UD’s spark came from seniors Kurt Huelsman and London Warren.
Huelsman, who started his 120th consecutive game breaking the previous team record held by Mark Ashman, scored a season-high 10 points, grabbed 9 rebounds and anchored the UD frontcourt.
“I thought Kurt played exceptionally well tonight,“ said UD coach Brian Gregory.
London Warren also put together a complete performance contributing a season-high 12 points, 5 steals and only 1 turnover while playing strong perimeter defense.
“London played like the London Warren we need the rest of the season,“ said coach Gregory.
In the first half, UD did a great job in their half court defense pressuring the Rams into tough shots, holding the Rams leading scorer Keith Cothran scoreless and forcing 10 turnovers.
The second half was another story. In the first nine minutes of the period, Cothran netted 17 points. Delroy James then joined the party making his fourth, fifth and sixth triple of the night en route to a game-high 22 points. And the common theme throughout was the Rams relentless attack of the glass ending with 34 rebounds (14 offensive) to the Flyers 29.
A key Flyer contribution in the second period came from Chris Johnson who in addition to his clutch free throws, played with great energy giving the Flyers a much-needed jolt when they seemed our of rhythm. On the flip side, Chris Wright played a good game, but only converted on 4-8 free throws (2-6 in the second half) that would have iced a victory.
By no means am I putting the blame squarely on Wright’s free-throws, but those were missed opportunities to claw back into the game. And for him to evolve into a big game player, those are the shots he needs to make with consistency.
This loss makes the next 10 conference games incredibly important. UD can ill afford many more losses and the road will only get tougher with games against Xavier, Charlotte and No. 15 Temple looming.
Up next, the Flyers will head to Olean, New York to play St. Bonaventure (9-9, 2-3) Saturday night at 7pm ET.
According to UD sports information director Doug Hauschild, Luke Fabrizius is “questionable” for tonight’s game against Rhode Island and it is unclear whether or not he will suit up.
Fabrizius, a real zone buster connecting on 49% of his three-point attempts this season, would be a major loss for the Flyers who have struggled this season with their outside shooting.
Tomorrow night, Rhode Island will enter UD Arena boasting a top 25 RPI rating, a 15-3 record and an A-10 best 78.6 points per game scoring average. After the Flyers lackluster defensive effort against St. Joe’s on Saturday, they will need to re-focus, and quickly. The Rams are an experienced club led by senior guard Keith Cothran who is averaging 16.4 points per contest.
2. Play as a Unit
The flip side to Rhode Island’s potent offensive attack is their porous defense. Opponents shoot 45% against the Rams en route to averaging 70 points per game. Though none of that will matter if UD carriers over their sluggish offensive performance (apart from Chris Wright) from Saturday night. There is little doubt in my mind that Rhode Island will employ some kind of zone defense. If the Flyers can limit their out of control drives, minimize their number of poor shots and play as a unit to break down the zone defense, they’ll give themselves a good chance to win. If they don’t, UD’s 30-game home court winning streak will be in jeopardy.
3. Fundamentals
Looking at both team’s stats and taking into account UD’s play of late, I’m going to predict that the team with less turnovers will win this ballgame. It’s going to come down to valuing possessions and discipline. Hopefully coach Gregory and his staff will have his team prepared tomorrow night.
Saturday night, Chris Wright led the way for UD. It’s too bad no other Flyer followed his lead.
Wright, who had arguably his best performance of the season, scored a career-high 28 points on 12-20 shooting, pulled down 5 rebounds and played with great energy. Apart from a nice game from London Warren (6 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists), the rest of Dayton was busy launching bad shots (FG: 36%, 3PT: 13%) or waiting for somebody else to make a play.
“I can’t say I’m upset with the loss because when you play like that, you’re supposed to lose,” said UD coach Brian Gregory. “I am upset with the way we played.”
It’s not rocket science, folks. The same story is playing out game after game; the only difference is which deficiencies (poor free-throw shooting, shot selection, turnovers, lack of concentration) will bite UD on that given night. How this “experienced” Flyers club has yet to execute more effectively against basic zone defenses, or play more as a team instead of forcing out of control plays is baffling.
Moving forward, I think it’s time coach Gregory and his staff rethink their approach because there is an obvious disconnect between what the coaches are saying and how the team is performing. It’s not time to hit the panic button (yet?), but it needs to be made clear that unless UD plays more inspired and smarter basketball for the rest of conference play, the Flyers will land in the NIT.
The Flyers will try to bounce back at UD Arena Tuesday night against Rhode Island. Tipoff is set for 7pm.
On the last four trips to Hagan Arena, Dayton has come up empty. There’s no question the intimate environment created within Hagan Arena has had something to do with that. This year, I envision the Flyers breaking that streak for two reasons: 1) Hagan Arena underwent a $25 million dollar renovation expanding the capacity from 3,200 to 4,200 and effectively minimizing their home court advantage 2) St. Joe’s is having a subpar season at 6-11 (1-3) with uncharacteristic losses to DePaul, Rider and St. Bonaventure.
2. Attack the Paint
Whether it’s off the dribble, in pursuit of an offensive rebound or boxing out, UD should have their way in the paint against a St. Joe’s team that is being outrebounded by 9 rebounds per game. Conversely, UD outrebounds opponents by 5 boards per game led by Chris Wright (8 rebounds/game) and Chris Johnson (7.8 rebounds/game).
3. Don’t Stop Now, Marcus!
After two strong performances against Xavier and GW, Marcus Johnson has come out of his slump providing Dayton the spark everyone anticipated he would – though few thought it would take this long. Johnson has been very assertive offense making smart drives, playing strong on the ball defense and knocking down short jump shots. Saturday’s game will be a great opportunity for him to continue his spirited play.
Thankfully, this Dayton Flyer team has a short memory.
Four days after dropping an emotional game to rival Xavier, UD came out against George Washington focused and determined.
“It was real big for us. We took a major step forward. It's a long A-10 season and we have to keep it in perspective and keep getting better,” said Johnson who scored 13 points (on 6-12 shooting), grabbed 6 rebounds and had 3 assists.
Johnson showed great maturity passing on flat-footed three-pointers, and instead driving the ball to the basket and converting on mid-range jump shots. That small change allowed him to feel much more comfortable in the offense and greatly increased his offensive productivity which really benefited the Flyers.
In response to George Washington’s sticky zone, UD did a nice job of adjusting their offensive schemes. Mickey Perry found soft spots in the Colonials coverage converting three 3-pointers and finishing with 11 points. Chris Wright, even though he had a poor shooting night, finished with 14 points including an emphatic second half alley-oop slam from London Warren that brought the crowd to it’s feet. Wright also made a concerted effort to be active on the glass pulling down a team high 12 rebounds.
"We challenged the guys to have a really positive response and they did a great job,” said UD coach Brian Gregory.
The Flyers moved to 14-4 (3-1) after tonight’s victory and will go to Philadelphia to play St. Joseph’s (6-11, 1-3) on Saturday at 6pm ET.
Coming off an emotional loss at the hands of Xavier, UD’s resilience will be tested against George Washington. As the quarterbacks of the offense, I’m interested to see how point guards Rob Lowery and London Warren bounce back after their poor performances last Saturday. The Colonials sit at 11-5 (1-2) and are led by senior Damian Hollis who leads the team in scoring (15.7) and rebounding (5.6).
2. Play Smart Defense
Anyone who knows anything about defense would agree that your feet determine how good a defender you are, not your hands. Time and time again last Saturday, Flyer guards would play solid perimeter defense, cause the offensive player to pick up the ball and negate everything by committing the cardinal sin of reaching in. There’s no doubt the Flyers play great defense most of the time. Correcting those mental errors will be vital as UD moves forward in conference play.
3. 40 Minutes
Potential was the word coming into this year for the Flyers landing in the preseason top 25 rankings and being picked to win the A-10. 17 games into the season, the Flyers have fallen from the national conversation, have much to prove in the A-10 and I would argue have not been able to sustain a high level of play for an entire game all year. There have been flashes of brilliance, followed by stretches of futility. Wednesday night would be a perfect time to break that streak and put together two strong halves against GW.
The rivalry between UD and Xavier continued today with the Musketeers coming out on top, raising the McCafferty/Blackburn trophy after the game. Xavier’s Dante’ Jackson was named MVP who have now won 26 straight Atlantic 10 games at the Cintas Center.
In the first half, UD jumped out to a 7-point lead with aggressive drives and stifling defense. Chris Wright was active on both ends of the floor altering Musketeer shots and attacking the glass. Unfortunately for the Flyers, he picked up three first half fouls and could never get back into the flow of the game after that.
Jordan Crawford, the A-10’s leading scorer was also plagued by foul trouble picking up three personal fouls as well in the first half. Though unlike Wright, Crawford was instrumental for Xavier in the second half scoring 14 of his 16 points, with two back-breaking shots (an NBA range three-pointer and a highly contested fade away jumper) late in the second half with the shot clock winding down.
To go along with Crawford’s strong play, Dante’ Jackson connected on 5-8 treys finishing with 19 points and point guard Terrell Holloway added 15. Holloway had his way with the UD guards. Time and time again, Holloway drew fouls on overly aggressive Flyer guards and getting to the free throw line where he put on a clinic converting 13 of 14. The Flyers made 16-25 as a team.
The bright spots for UD came in the form of an incredible rebounding advantage (+17) including 25 offensive rebounds. Chris Johnson pulled down 10 offensive boards and finished with 16, to go along with 10 points. Senior Marcus Johnson also stepped up his game playing a nice floor game and attacking the basket in transition. He finished with a team high 17 points.
Be sure to tune into the Dayton Sports Scene this week as Mark Neal and I discuss UD hoops leading up to the George Washington game this Wednesday at 7pm ET at UD Arena.
First, the Flyers are going to need to sustain a high level of play against the Musketeers 40 minutes if they plan on being competitive. Mental and physical lapses for stretches of four minutes or more (i.e. Towson and more recently, Fordham) at any time in the game will be very dangerous, considering how well Xavier plays at home.
Due to fact that Xavier has similar depth and athleticism to UD, the Flyers will need to abstain from careless fouls, possibly adjusting their style of play to how the game is being officiated. Should some key Flyers get into early foul trouble, coach Gregory will be forced to employ unfavorable lineups Xavier will likely exploit. Moreover, if the Flyers fail to play strong and smart defense, they will put the Musketeers on the free-throw line where as a team, they shoot 71%, with point guard Terrell Holloway leading the way at 90%.
Most importantly, UD will need to maintain their composure and poise for all 40 (or more?) minutes. There’s no question that XU’s fan base will be excited. As well as their student section. The result? A fired up Xavier team ready to push their home winning streak against UD to 30, as the Flyers have not beaten Xavier in Cincinnati since 1981. Senior (or any) leadership on the floor will be key if UD wants to pull out a victory.
2. Transition Play
UD excels in the open floor with the array of talent and athleticism on the floor at any given time. The difference against Xavier is that they will need to run with discipline. Poor passing or out-of- control drives will result in turnovers, and Xavier points and momentum.
Transition discipline also refers to how well UD stops Xavier’s run outs. This year, the Musketeers have really looked to push the basketball, and have done it with great success behind the A-10’s leading scorer Jordan Crawford. Against Duquesne, the Flyers were slow in retreating on defense allowing the Dukes to convert in transition. Controlling Xavier in transition, and forcing them to score against UD in the half court will be very important on Saturday.
3. Good Shots or Great Shots?
Speaking with Chris Wright this afternoon, he made it clear that in addition to intense defense, shot selection was very important in the game against Xavier. In the first half against, a Fordham team that could not match-up with UD at any position, the Flyers settled for 13 three-pointers converting on only four.
In the second half, UD only took 6 three-pointers. Instead, they elected to drive the ball to the basket and make the extra pass, resulting in better shots and crisper offense. This 20-minute luxury will not be afforded by Xavier. Knowing the difference between a good shot and a great shot, and then electing the latter will allow UD to have better success on the offensive end.
After rebounding from a shaky first half, the Flyers came out determined in the second period holding Fordham without a basket for the final 9:27 of the game en route to their second conference victory.
Led by the hot shooting of sophomore Luke Fabrizius (13 points on 5-8 shooting) and highflying slams from Chris Wright (12 points, 8 rebounds), UD was able to overpower a struggling Fordham squad. Chris Johnson also chipped in 10 points and 8 rebounds.
The difference in the second half was hard nosed defense and a more concerted effort on the glass. UD pulled down 8 more rebounds than a very undersized Fordham team in the second half, which really fueled the Flyers 11-0 run that put away the Rams.
Hopefully the Flyers can carry this momentum into the Cintas Center on Saturday where UD will play Xavier. The Flyers have not won at Xavier in 29 years. The game will tip-off at 11am and will be broadcast on ESPN2.
Entering tomorrow night’s game, Fordham is riding a 7-game losing streak (2-12 overall) and are 0-2 in A-10 play coming off a close loss at UMass and a 13 point defeat at St. Joe’s. The Rams start three freshman, and are led by Chris Gaston who averages a double-double (17.6 points and 10.6 rebounds). With the nationally televised Xavier game looming this Saturday, the fact that it took a game winning layup by Rob Lowery last year to defeat Fordham in Dayton and this being the Flyers first trip to MSG against an inferior Rams squad, this could easily be a trap game. Hopefully UD will come out playing spirited basketball using this game as a springboard into a premier A-10 matchup this Saturday in Cincinnati against the Musketeers.
2. Dominate the Glass
Not only is Fordham an inexperienced team, they are also undersized. Opponents on average outrebound the Rams by 4 boards per game. Look for UD to be very active on the glass, especially Chris Johnson who leads the Flyers grabbing 7.4 rebounds per contest and coming off a 20-rebound performance against Duquesne.
3. Maintain Focus
Since this will be the first time anyone on UD’s current roster has played at Madison Square Garden, it will be easy for the team to get caught up in the rich history and tradition of the arena. By no means am I suggesting they should not soak up the experience -- I just hope they can do that before tip-off.
Earlier today, DePaul announced the dismissal of head coach Jerry Wainwright and promoted assistant coach Tracy Webster to interim head coach for the remainder of the season.
Before Wainwright was hired to lead the Blue Demons in 2005, DePaul spoke with UD coach Brian Gregory about the position and according to the Chicago Sun-Times, Gregory was one of the highly sought after candidates. In the end, Gregory ended up staying with the Flyers and has had great success leading the Flyers to a 95-51 record in the 4+ years since then. Wainwright, who left Richmond to coach DePaul, was only 59-80 during that same time span.
Last May, Gregory signed a contract extension to lead the Flyers through 2018.
I don’t believe it is probable that coach Gregory will leave considering what he is in the process of building at UD, and the state of DePaul’s program (winless in their last 22 regular-season Big East games). But the possibility is hard to overlook.
Gregory has strong ties to the Chicago area growing up in Mount Prospect and attending Hersey High School just north of the city. The allure of coaching in the Big East, his ability to recruit in the Chicago area and the fact that DePaul does not see money as an issue in hiring a new coach, makes the job even more attractive.
"We have the financial resources to pay a top-level coach," said Jean Lenti Ponsetto, DePaul’s athletic director.
When all is said and done, I would be very surprised if DePaul did not try to pursue Gregory.
Though the time, effort and dedication Gregory and his staff have put into this program over the past 6 years to elevate the program to where it is today (and will be in the future), lead me to believe he wouldn’t leave the Flyers.
“I've always said that it's an honor to be the head basketball coach at the University of Dayton," Gregory said. "It's a special place and a perfect fit for myself and my family.”
Coming off his stellar performances against Ball State and Duquesne, Chris Johnson was named Atlantic 10 co-player of the week.
In those two games, Johnson averaged 15.5 points and 15 rebounds, including his 20-20 performance yesterday against Duquesne.
Johnson is just the second UD player in the last 35 years to score at least 20 points and pull down 20 rebounds. The last person to do it was Ryan Perryman in 1998, also against Duquesne.
Johnson shared the award with Xavier sophomore Jordan Crawford. There is a good chance the two talented guards will be matched up against one another when UD battles Xavier this Saturday at 11am from the Cintas Center in Cincinnati.
In one of the most exhilarating UD games this season, heart, determination and the play of Chris Johnson proved to be the difference as UD was victorious moving to 1-0 in A-10 play.
Johnson was then man of the match notching career highs in points (26) and rebounds (20) and playing with incredible energy for 31 minutes, without a single turnover.
“He’s a great young player blossoming right in front of you,” said UD coach Brian Gregory.
Not only was Johnson magnificent on Saturday, he has only improved as the season has progressed. The 6-6 sophomore is a matchup nightmare for opposing teams because of his versatility and supreme athleticism.
Just as important is the quality of the opponent Johnson had his career game against. Duquesne is a talented team and took Pittsburgh to overtime earlier this season without guard Melquan Bolding who is a talented scorer and provides the Dukes with added depth.
The Dukes took it to the Flyers early opening up an 11-point advantage in the first half. UD clawed back and took a 5-point lead entering halftime following Chris Johnson’s trifecta as time expired.
The second half featured 6 ties and 6 lead changes as both teams fought hard to gain an advantage. Both sides shot poorly during in the second period (UD: 33%, Duquesne: 38%) but the glaring problem with the Flyers was their inability to put away the Dukes from the free throw line. The Flyers negated their strong drives to the hoop by connecting on just 65% of their free throws for the game, and only 47% in the second half when the game was on the line.
With 3:11 left in regulation, Chris Johnson stepped up and knocked down two free throws to give UD a 63-62 edge. For the next three minutes, neither team scored showing fatigue and ramping up their respective defenses. That was until Duquesne, with five seconds on the game clock, inbounded the ball from under their own basket to senior guard Jason Duty who was fouled by Chris Wright in the act of shooting a three-pointer. Duty, who entering the game was 6-9 from the free throw line and had converted his two free throws earlier in the game, stepped up and made the first to tie the game and missed second shot. Coach Gregory then called a 30 second timeout, which effectively iced Duty whose third free throw attempt hung on the rim and fell out.
Chris Wright grabbed the rebound and with 3.1 left on the clock and UD called a timeout to set up a final play. Unfortunately for the Flyers, Rob Lowery dribbled the ball off his leg and couldn’t get a shot off sending the game into overtime.
The extra period was owned by UD’s Marcus Johnson who knocked down a huge three-pointer to give UD a three point lead that they would never surrender. Just a few minutes later, London Warren threw a full-court strike to Johnson who was streaking down the floor and converted with a thunderous two-handed jam as Duquesne tried to full-court press UD. Hopefully this performance will help Johnson’s confidence as he tries to rebound from a poor start to the season.
“Making that three and getting that run out dunk just helped feed the energy in the arena and our team,” said Johnson after the game.
In the end, it was UD’s hustle plays and toughness that made up for some of their deficiencies in other parts of the game.
“Our guys hearts are bigger than how well we’re playing,” said coach Gregory. “We sometimes just will victories out and that’s kind of what we did tonight.”
UD will play at Madison Square Garden against Fordham Wednesday night at 9:15pm before heading down I-75 to play Xavier on Saturday at 11am. The Xavier game will be broadcast on ESPN 2. Be sure to tune into the Dayton Sports Scene at 5pm all week for UD talk as Mark Neal and I get you ready for an exciting week in UD hoops.
After Johnson’s surprisingly lackluster play during non-conference play (FG: 35%, 3PT: 20%, FT: 44%), A-10 play will hopefully serve as a fresh start for the UD senior. He will likely be matched up on guard Bill Clark who leads the Dukes in scoring averaging 14.9ppg.
2. Neutralize Damian Saunders
Although slightly undersized at 6’7, Saunders is a very active and talented player for Duquesne. He has an impressive stat line entering Saturday’s game averaging 13.9 points, 12.9 rebounds, 3.5 blocks and 3.1 steals per contest. Strong team defense will be imperative against Saunders who is also susceptible to turning the ball over (3 TO’s/ game) and shoots a bleak 49% from the charity stripe.
3. Treasure the Basketball
In the offensive system coach Brian Gregory employs, a lot of pressure and expectation is placed on the point guard position. Even though they have very different offensive games, London Warren and Rob Lowery will need to quarterback the Flyer attack effectively making smart decisions, limiting turnovers and looking to push the ball in transition.
There is no question that Chris Wright is one of the most athletic and gifted players to ever suit up for UD. The Trotwood native’s decision to attend UD was not only a testament to Flyer coach Brian Gregory’s recruiting ability, but also a clear message that Wright was determined to put the Flyers back into the national conversation as a top 25 program.
As a freshman Wright, averaged 10.4 points and led the Flyers in rebounding snaring 5.4 per game during an injury-shortened season in which he only played 15 games. Alongside UD star Brian Roberts, the Flyers returned to the post-season after a three-year hiatus reaching the quarterfinals of the NIT before being knocked out by eventual champion Ohio State.
Wright’s sophomore campaign was highlighted by UD’s first NCAA birth since 2004. The Flyers knocked off Big East foe West Virginia in the first round before being eliminated two days later by the third seeded Kansas Jayhawks. Returning to the NCAA Tournament was a great achievement for UD. Though an even greater achievement was defeating a Bob Huggins led Mountaineers team on the shoulders of Chris Wright’s career high 27 points. Entering this season, UD returned 7 seniors, in addition to Wright, and were poised to build on last year’s success.
But the improvement of this year’s Flyer team as a whole has been eerily similar to the improvement of Chris Wright’s individual game: minimal. The Flyers currently sit at 11-3 and open Atlantic 10 play at home this Saturday against Duquesne. In a season that has featured many gut wrenching games for UD (i.e. Georgia Tech, Villanova, Towson, Miami (OH), George Mason and New Mexico), Chris Wrights’ play in many of those games has been inconsistent.
Many of those inconsistent performances have led me to ask the same questions over and over. What if Wright would have been more assertive on offense? What if Wright would have had better body control and elected a jump shot instead of charging over and through defenders? What if when the Flyers needed a basket, or someone on the floor to show some poise, like during the Villanova, George Mason and New Mexico games, Wright had been that guy?
It’s not that Wright hasn’t shown up this year by any means. Against Creighton, Kansas State and Boston U., Wright played some of his best basketball. But when you look at his body of work this season, I’d argue there is still much left to be desired for someone who has aspirations to play at the next level.
Wright is UD’s centerpiece and one of the most athletic players in the country. For those reasons, it’s hard not to ask why he hasn’t shown more confidence in his mid-range jump shots after working on them so much in the offseason. Or why he hasn’t handled the ball with better efficiency when breaking a full court press or slashing to the basket. Or why he has frequently made fundamental mental mistakes like running over defenders on his way to the basket or failing to find the gap or an open teammate in an opposing zone defense.
I ask these questions not because I doubt Wright abilities, rather because I am surprised at his lack of progression during his junior season.
All this leads to Atlantic 10 play, where Wright will be able to do one of two things: continue being an effective option, or convert into being themain option. Even with 7 seniors on this team and an incredibly talented Chris Johnson, the leadership needs to come from Wright who can do it all on both ends of the floor. Now I’m not naïve enough to think he’s going to have 14 career games in a row during this A-10 season. But he has to be an integral part of all 14 games finding different ways to score, bringing incredible intensity each night and taking ownership in the program he has helped build to this point.
If he makes these few adjustments, his game will greatly improve. And most importantly, the Flyers will have a much more successful A-10 season leading into the A-10 and NCAA Tournament where the sky’s the limit.
The theme coming into tonight’s Flyer game against Ball State was how well UD would respond after the emotional New Years Day loss to New Mexico.
After speaking with Coach Gregory yesterday, he made it very clear he wanted his Flyers to come out and play 40 minutes of intense defense. The Flyers did just that, holding Ball State to a miserable 27% (12-43) from the field while forcing 15 turnovers and playing with great energy.
More specifically, UD did a great job on Ball State’s leading scorer Jarrod Jones making him uncomfortable all night, holding him to just 3 points. Jones entered the game averaging over 15 points per game.
“This guy [Jarrod Jones] has a chance to be MAC Player of the Year and he went 1-for-8 against Kurt [Huelsman] and Devin [Searcy]. Our discipline during the 40-minute stretch has been as good as it has been all year,” said coach Gregory.
On the offensive side of the floor, UD looked more efficient taking quality shots, driving to the basket and getting production from their frontcourt players.
Even though statistically Chris Wright didn’t have his best game of the year, I would argue he had one of his most complete performances disrupting Ball State’s offense, making smart offensive decisions and most importantly, proving he can make a mid-range jump shot. In the first half, Wright knocked down three rhythm jumpers which he has not done much of this season. Hopefully he will build on this performance as A-10 play starts this weekend.
Another bright spot was the Kurt Huelsman and Devin Searcy tandem down low. Both post players took advantage of their size advantage combining for 12 points, 10 rebounds and 2 blocks. Most importantly, they anchored the defense wreaking havoc on the Cardinal offense.
UD looks to extend their school-record home winning streak to 29 as they begin Atlantic 10 against Duquense (9-5) this Saturday at 2pm.
In a game that may go down as the most important of this Flyer season, UD showed a lack of poise and poor offensive execution which at this point is unacceptable.
"You can take a game like this and evaluate where your team is at, and unfortunately tonight, that evaluation is not very good,” said UD Coach Brian Gregory.
New Mexico jumped out to an 11-3 lead keyed by efficient offense play and a very out of synch Flyer club who finished 7-28 from the field and a dismal 1-14 from three-point range in the first half. It wasn’t until the 8:09 mark in the first half that UD reached double digits following a Josh Benson dunk.
Unfortunately, the Flyers had already racked up 10 team fouls in the half, and ended the game committing 33 team fouls and surrendering 43 free throws to New Mexico. Even though the Lobos connected on just 60% of their free throws, they still outscored UD from the charity stripe by 10.
Following one of the worst halves in recent memory, the Flyers played better in the second half storming back to take the lead with 13:52 left in the second half. Unfortunately, New Mexico guard Roman Martinez answered the Flyers run with back-to-back treys giving the Lobos the lead for good.
As difficult of a place to play as The Pit, and as tightly officiated as the game was called and as talented as New Mexico is, I am very surprised how poorly UD played and how little the team has progressed this season. As I alluded to in an earlier post, the talent is not to blame. I’d go as far as saying, nor is the coaching. From what I have observed, I think this Flyer team’s lack of basketball IQ and knowledge of the game is what has troubled them most. Their inability to adjust to how a game is being officiated, execute more crisply on offense whether they are facing man or zone defense and lack of leadership on the floor is very surprising, considering this is a senior heavy team.
Moving forward, I’m optimistic coaching staff will be able to better communicate what they’d like to see on the floor. But at the end of the day, there is no excuse for the Flyer’s inept play, no matter where the game is being played. Performances like Friday’s in key road matches against a quality team like New Mexico are truly intolerable, and if things don’t change soon, A-10 play may not play out as UD had anticipated.
