Archie Miller will walk out of the tunnel at UD Arena for his fifth season opener as Dayton men?s basketball coach at 7 p.m. Friday. The Flyers have beaten Western Illinois, Arkansas State, IPFW and Alabama A&M in the last four years. They start the 2015-16 season against Southeast Missouri State.
No matter the opponent, the butterflies flap in Miller?s stomach on opening night.
?It really counts for the first time,? Miller said. ?Everything you?ve talked about in the offseason has sort of built toward getting to that night. You?ve got a lot of nerves. You want to perform well. At the same time, you understand it?s just the start of this thing.?
+Five predictions for the 2015-16 Dayton men?s basketball season photo
Dayton coach Archie Miller talks to his players during a exhibition game against Saginaw Valley State on Saturday, Nov. 7, 2015, ... Read More
The team 12,000-plus Dayton fans see tonight will not be the team they will see in March. That?s been the strength of the Flyers the last two seasons. They get better as the season progresses.
Miller has 90 victories in four seasons. He has 53 in the last two. Most importantly, he has five victories in the NCAA Tournament. At this point, UD Arena isn?t quite the House That Archie Built ? it opened nine seasons before he was born ? but if they slapped his name on the front right now, not many fans would complain.
That doesn?t mean the Dayton fans are a satisfied bunch. They want more. In a poll on DaytonDailyNews.com this week, 99 out of 103 voters said they expect the Flyers to make the NCAA Tournament for a third straight season, something the program hasn?t done since 1965-67.
Dayton point guard Scoochie Smith shoots against Saginaw Valley State in an exhibition game on Saturday, Nov. 7, 2015, at UD ... Read More
Asked to predict Dayton?s record, six out of 28 fans forecast a season with 30 or more wins. Two expect the Flyers to win the national title, though it?s unclear if those two fans also expect LeBron James to join the team in March.
In the spirit of that sort of brave prediction, here are five more predictions for the upcoming season.
1. Dyshawn Pierre will return and play: The senior forward from Whitby, Ont., remains the big question mark. He?s suspended until Dec. 20. Two of Dayton?s junior captains, guards Kyle Davis and Scoochie Smith, said earlier this fall they expect Pierre to return.
Preview: Southeast Missouri State at Dayton
True Team III: Meet the 2015-16 Flyers
Miller has been mum on the issue but opened up a bit Wednesday when he appeared on Lance McAlister?s show on 700 WLW, dropping the first hint that he believes Pierre will return.
?His status is the same,? Miller said. ?We haven?t really discussed options in terms of if he?ll return or when he?ll return. Currently, he?s serving his suspension. If Dyshawn chooses to return, which we think will happen, we?ll evaluate his status when he gets back. It?s not fair to make any judgments on his availability or what he?ll be able to do when he returns, etc., until he does return.
?We?re going to do everything in our power to make sure we handle Dyshawn sort of with kid gloves in terms of the basketball opportunity. We?ll never force (a decision) upon any young guy just to help the team when they have a career at stake and they have a lot of ball left in them. We?ll do what?s best for Dyshawn, and he knows that.?
2. Dayton will win 26 games: The Flyers will go 9-3 in their non-conference games with losses to Notre Dame, Vanderbilt and Arkansas. In Atlantic 10 play, they will finish 13-5.
Dayton will not win the A-10 regular-season title but will win the A-1o tournament for the first time since 2003. The Flyers then will go 1-1 in the NCAA Tournament.
3. Steve McElvene will become everyone?s new favorite player: The redshirt freshman center from New Haven, Ind., has impressed the coaches enough so far to earn a spot in the starting lineup. He had 15 points and seven rebounds in a 96-69 exhibition victory over Saginaw Valley State on Saturday.
?Giving Steve the opportunity to start is based on an evaluation of practice and our stats and our standards, and right now he?s doing a pretty good job in practice,? Miller said. ?When we evaluate him post-game, there?s clearly a lot of stuff he?s going to have to change or get better at as we start to play tougher opponents because of the defensive liability that he is on the perimeter at times and the defensive liability he can be in transition.
?If he can clean those things up, we?ll have some more trust in him defensively. But offensively, he gives us a chance, especially around the basket, to get some easy ones, get some second shots, get something at the basket that we haven?t had since probably Matt Kavanaugh a few years ago.?
4. Sam Miller will be UD?s best true freshman: The 6-9 forward from Washington, D.C., will get more playing time early because Dayton needs help in the post, especially with Pierre out of the picture for at least the first 10 games. Miller had 10 points and seven rebounds against Saginaw.
?Sam has done a really good job through 25 practices of getting better each week,? Archie Miller said. ?The one thing Sam gives us is a little bit of a curveball because he?s learned how to start to use the offense. He can step out. He?s a bonafide 3-point shooter. He can help us space the floor.?
5. Kendall Pollard?s game will take another leap: The junior forward from Chicago won?t win the A-10?s Most Improved Player award again, but he may just make the first team. He made the preseason third team.
?Kendall?s had a great start,? Miller said. ?I think his offseason and his ability to continue to change his body, he?s embraced that. You?re seeing a much more physically-gifted player early in the season. Because he played so much last year, he?s probably starting at a higher level. He?s a load right now.?
No matter the opponent, the butterflies flap in Miller?s stomach on opening night.
?It really counts for the first time,? Miller said. ?Everything you?ve talked about in the offseason has sort of built toward getting to that night. You?ve got a lot of nerves. You want to perform well. At the same time, you understand it?s just the start of this thing.?
+Five predictions for the 2015-16 Dayton men?s basketball season photo
Dayton coach Archie Miller talks to his players during a exhibition game against Saginaw Valley State on Saturday, Nov. 7, 2015, ... Read More
The team 12,000-plus Dayton fans see tonight will not be the team they will see in March. That?s been the strength of the Flyers the last two seasons. They get better as the season progresses.
Miller has 90 victories in four seasons. He has 53 in the last two. Most importantly, he has five victories in the NCAA Tournament. At this point, UD Arena isn?t quite the House That Archie Built ? it opened nine seasons before he was born ? but if they slapped his name on the front right now, not many fans would complain.
That doesn?t mean the Dayton fans are a satisfied bunch. They want more. In a poll on DaytonDailyNews.com this week, 99 out of 103 voters said they expect the Flyers to make the NCAA Tournament for a third straight season, something the program hasn?t done since 1965-67.
Dayton point guard Scoochie Smith shoots against Saginaw Valley State in an exhibition game on Saturday, Nov. 7, 2015, at UD ... Read More
Asked to predict Dayton?s record, six out of 28 fans forecast a season with 30 or more wins. Two expect the Flyers to win the national title, though it?s unclear if those two fans also expect LeBron James to join the team in March.
In the spirit of that sort of brave prediction, here are five more predictions for the upcoming season.
1. Dyshawn Pierre will return and play: The senior forward from Whitby, Ont., remains the big question mark. He?s suspended until Dec. 20. Two of Dayton?s junior captains, guards Kyle Davis and Scoochie Smith, said earlier this fall they expect Pierre to return.
Preview: Southeast Missouri State at Dayton
True Team III: Meet the 2015-16 Flyers
Miller has been mum on the issue but opened up a bit Wednesday when he appeared on Lance McAlister?s show on 700 WLW, dropping the first hint that he believes Pierre will return.
?His status is the same,? Miller said. ?We haven?t really discussed options in terms of if he?ll return or when he?ll return. Currently, he?s serving his suspension. If Dyshawn chooses to return, which we think will happen, we?ll evaluate his status when he gets back. It?s not fair to make any judgments on his availability or what he?ll be able to do when he returns, etc., until he does return.
?We?re going to do everything in our power to make sure we handle Dyshawn sort of with kid gloves in terms of the basketball opportunity. We?ll never force (a decision) upon any young guy just to help the team when they have a career at stake and they have a lot of ball left in them. We?ll do what?s best for Dyshawn, and he knows that.?
2. Dayton will win 26 games: The Flyers will go 9-3 in their non-conference games with losses to Notre Dame, Vanderbilt and Arkansas. In Atlantic 10 play, they will finish 13-5.
Dayton will not win the A-10 regular-season title but will win the A-1o tournament for the first time since 2003. The Flyers then will go 1-1 in the NCAA Tournament.
3. Steve McElvene will become everyone?s new favorite player: The redshirt freshman center from New Haven, Ind., has impressed the coaches enough so far to earn a spot in the starting lineup. He had 15 points and seven rebounds in a 96-69 exhibition victory over Saginaw Valley State on Saturday.
?Giving Steve the opportunity to start is based on an evaluation of practice and our stats and our standards, and right now he?s doing a pretty good job in practice,? Miller said. ?When we evaluate him post-game, there?s clearly a lot of stuff he?s going to have to change or get better at as we start to play tougher opponents because of the defensive liability that he is on the perimeter at times and the defensive liability he can be in transition.
?If he can clean those things up, we?ll have some more trust in him defensively. But offensively, he gives us a chance, especially around the basket, to get some easy ones, get some second shots, get something at the basket that we haven?t had since probably Matt Kavanaugh a few years ago.?
4. Sam Miller will be UD?s best true freshman: The 6-9 forward from Washington, D.C., will get more playing time early because Dayton needs help in the post, especially with Pierre out of the picture for at least the first 10 games. Miller had 10 points and seven rebounds against Saginaw.
?Sam has done a really good job through 25 practices of getting better each week,? Archie Miller said. ?The one thing Sam gives us is a little bit of a curveball because he?s learned how to start to use the offense. He can step out. He?s a bonafide 3-point shooter. He can help us space the floor.?
5. Kendall Pollard?s game will take another leap: The junior forward from Chicago won?t win the A-10?s Most Improved Player award again, but he may just make the first team. He made the preseason third team.
?Kendall?s had a great start,? Miller said. ?I think his offseason and his ability to continue to change his body, he?s embraced that. You?re seeing a much more physically-gifted player early in the season. Because he played so much last year, he?s probably starting at a higher level. He?s a load right now.?
