Flyers showing road toughness
Winning on the road was a problem for Dayton last season. I was an assistant coach on the Flyers squad that beat five teams that qualified for the NCAA Tournament -- Louisville, George Washington, Creighton, Holy Cross and Miami of Ohio -- but none were on the road. The lack of road wins ultimately kept Dayton from postseason play. We had only two conference road wins (St. Bonaventure and Temple) but finished 15-2 at home, and we ended the season disappointed knowing we were capable of playing better. Our season ended with a loss to Xavier in the Atlantic 10 quarterfinals and a 19-12 overall record. We were probably one win away from getting the postseason call from the NIT. But so far this season, senior guard Brian Roberts and 6-foot-8 freshman Chris Wright have helped lead Dayton to two huge road wins. The first came over longtime rival Miami (Ohio) and the second was on the road against Holy Cross. Roberts has an offensive package that allows him to score from anywhere on the floor. He can make winning shots, and he has done so throughout his career. Coming back from 19 down against the hot-shooting RedHawks, Roberts dropped a 3-pointer that gave the Flyers their only lead of the game with five seconds remaining.
Winning on the road was a problem for Dayton last season. I was an assistant coach on the Flyers squad that beat five teams that qualified for the NCAA Tournament -- Louisville, George Washington, Creighton, Holy Cross and Miami of Ohio -- but none were on the road. The lack of road wins ultimately kept Dayton from postseason play. We had only two conference road wins (St. Bonaventure and Temple) but finished 15-2 at home, and we ended the season disappointed knowing we were capable of playing better. Our season ended with a loss to Xavier in the Atlantic 10 quarterfinals and a 19-12 overall record. We were probably one win away from getting the postseason call from the NIT. But so far this season, senior guard Brian Roberts and 6-foot-8 freshman Chris Wright have helped lead Dayton to two huge road wins. The first came over longtime rival Miami (Ohio) and the second was on the road against Holy Cross. Roberts has an offensive package that allows him to score from anywhere on the floor. He can make winning shots, and he has done so throughout his career. Coming back from 19 down against the hot-shooting RedHawks, Roberts dropped a 3-pointer that gave the Flyers their only lead of the game with five seconds remaining.
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Reggie Rankin
College Basketball RecruitingReggie Rankin has coached in the SEC, Big 12, MAC, and others over 14 seasons. He has been a scout and analyst for RecruitingNation since 2007.
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