The University of Dayton basketball team set a program record for launching 3-point shots last season, and coach Archie Miller would like to see his players crank away a little less from the outside and create more baskets from gimme range.
Kevin Dillard, an All-Atlantic 10 point guard, is back to run the show, but the Flyers return only three other players who saw action last season. And having lost some of his best shooters, Miller believes his team won?t succeed unless it generates more points in transition.
?This team has got to defend ? defense has to lead to offense ? and we have to take care of our backboards,? Miller said. ?If we do those two things, we?re going to have a chance because we?re always going to get better on offense. We?re a team that?s going to come together differently. We?re a total opposite team from what we were a year ago.?
UD has lost five of its top seven scorers, including Chris Johnson, Paul Williams, Luke Fabrizius and Josh Parker. All of them were proficient from 3-point range, but they hoisted long-distant bombs whether they were hot or not.
The Flyers unleashed 750 treys, which was an all-time high at UD and only the fourth time they?ve topped 700 since the 3-pointer debuted in 1986-87. They made 257, the second most in school history.
?I don?t think this team will shoot the ball as quick in possessions and will have the ability at the 3-point line to just dial it up really quick,? Miller said. ?We lost guys who can shoot 3?s. That being said, that doesn?t mean you can?t be a good 3-point-shooting team and you can?t score on offense.
?This team, because of who we have out there, is going to be at its best in transition. I also think they?re going to have to learn to play with one another in the half court more so than last year?s team did. Last year?s teams set a screen for Kevin, there were four shooters on the floor, and if the ball got pinged around enough, a couple of guys were going to let it fly. And if it went in, it looked great.?
The Flyers, who finished 20-13 and reached the postseason for the fifth straight year, were only ninth out of 14 Atlantic 10 teams in 3-point shooting at 34.3 percent. They were 7-0 when connecting at 40 percent or better and 4-6 when hitting under 30 percent.
Asked how the Flyers would generate offense this season, Dillard said: ?Honestly, right now, that?s not any of our focus. If we get defensive stops, we?ll be in any game we play in this year. If we focus more on defense than offense, we?ll be in good shape.
?I think we?ve got more creators, and we all want the same thing. We all want to win. Nobody cares about the shine (of the spotlight). We?re very deep. I think we?ve got all the tools to have a great season. It?s about how hard we work and how together we play.?
Two transfer players who are eligible this season could give the offense a jolt. Vee Sanford, a 6-foot-4 junior from Georgetown, is the starting 2 guard and has an array of skills, while 6-7 sophomore Matt Derenbecker came to UD from LSU with a reputation as a top-notch shooter, although he failed to get untracked in exhibition games.
?Vee is as important as any guy we have because he?s an added scorer, he?s a terrific defender and he makes a lot of plays,? Miller said.
The long-armed Sanford isn?t like Williams and Parker, who shared the 2 spot last season and were more catch-and-shoot players.
?He can play the game with good pace,? Miller said. ?He can shoot the ball and get to the basket. ? His role on offense ? he?s got to be a dynamic 2 guard for us. He gives us some hope.?
Derenbacker started 16 of LSU?s 32 games as a freshman and was the team?s third-leading scorer in SEC play with an 8.3 average. But he missed about one month of preseason workouts because of an injury, and the two-time Louisiana Gatorade player of the year went 1-for-11 in the two exhibitions, including 0-for-5 on 3-pointers.
?Matt has not gotten off snide yet. I don?t expect that to continue,? Miller said. ?He?s at a different (shooting) rate, obviously, because he just hasn?t had the reps in the fall all the way to where we are now. But he?ll get there.
?He?s a guy that?s already played in college. And once he gets the cylinder opened up for himself, so to speak, he?ll be fine. That?s another weapon we need.?
Kevin Dillard, an All-Atlantic 10 point guard, is back to run the show, but the Flyers return only three other players who saw action last season. And having lost some of his best shooters, Miller believes his team won?t succeed unless it generates more points in transition.
?This team has got to defend ? defense has to lead to offense ? and we have to take care of our backboards,? Miller said. ?If we do those two things, we?re going to have a chance because we?re always going to get better on offense. We?re a team that?s going to come together differently. We?re a total opposite team from what we were a year ago.?
UD has lost five of its top seven scorers, including Chris Johnson, Paul Williams, Luke Fabrizius and Josh Parker. All of them were proficient from 3-point range, but they hoisted long-distant bombs whether they were hot or not.
The Flyers unleashed 750 treys, which was an all-time high at UD and only the fourth time they?ve topped 700 since the 3-pointer debuted in 1986-87. They made 257, the second most in school history.
?I don?t think this team will shoot the ball as quick in possessions and will have the ability at the 3-point line to just dial it up really quick,? Miller said. ?We lost guys who can shoot 3?s. That being said, that doesn?t mean you can?t be a good 3-point-shooting team and you can?t score on offense.
?This team, because of who we have out there, is going to be at its best in transition. I also think they?re going to have to learn to play with one another in the half court more so than last year?s team did. Last year?s teams set a screen for Kevin, there were four shooters on the floor, and if the ball got pinged around enough, a couple of guys were going to let it fly. And if it went in, it looked great.?
The Flyers, who finished 20-13 and reached the postseason for the fifth straight year, were only ninth out of 14 Atlantic 10 teams in 3-point shooting at 34.3 percent. They were 7-0 when connecting at 40 percent or better and 4-6 when hitting under 30 percent.
Asked how the Flyers would generate offense this season, Dillard said: ?Honestly, right now, that?s not any of our focus. If we get defensive stops, we?ll be in any game we play in this year. If we focus more on defense than offense, we?ll be in good shape.
?I think we?ve got more creators, and we all want the same thing. We all want to win. Nobody cares about the shine (of the spotlight). We?re very deep. I think we?ve got all the tools to have a great season. It?s about how hard we work and how together we play.?
Two transfer players who are eligible this season could give the offense a jolt. Vee Sanford, a 6-foot-4 junior from Georgetown, is the starting 2 guard and has an array of skills, while 6-7 sophomore Matt Derenbecker came to UD from LSU with a reputation as a top-notch shooter, although he failed to get untracked in exhibition games.
?Vee is as important as any guy we have because he?s an added scorer, he?s a terrific defender and he makes a lot of plays,? Miller said.
The long-armed Sanford isn?t like Williams and Parker, who shared the 2 spot last season and were more catch-and-shoot players.
?He can play the game with good pace,? Miller said. ?He can shoot the ball and get to the basket. ? His role on offense ? he?s got to be a dynamic 2 guard for us. He gives us some hope.?
Derenbacker started 16 of LSU?s 32 games as a freshman and was the team?s third-leading scorer in SEC play with an 8.3 average. But he missed about one month of preseason workouts because of an injury, and the two-time Louisiana Gatorade player of the year went 1-for-11 in the two exhibitions, including 0-for-5 on 3-pointers.
?Matt has not gotten off snide yet. I don?t expect that to continue,? Miller said. ?He?s at a different (shooting) rate, obviously, because he just hasn?t had the reps in the fall all the way to where we are now. But he?ll get there.
?He?s a guy that?s already played in college. And once he gets the cylinder opened up for himself, so to speak, he?ll be fine. That?s another weapon we need.?
