Dayton’s is truly a team effort

By Paul Casey Gotham

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. –“Searc! Two and a half!”

“C.J.! Five and a half!”

“Cav! One!”

What may seem like Morse code to the outside world is anything but for the Dayton Flyers.

“Juice! Two and a half!”

The action behind the Flyers bench can be as feverish as the Flyers play on the court.

Coach Brian Gregory’s player rotation creates energy. Wholesale substitutions come with the territory for the Flyers.  Nine different players average 11 or more minutes for Dayton.

To the outsider, the endless shuffling in and out may seem like a random act.   But charting minutes played and effort is no minor detail for the Flyers.

That is why team managers Jimmy Hark, Jason Herberger, Mike Kenney and Scott Martin have the attention of the UD coaching staff.

“”We couldn’t get done what we need from a scouting  standpoint without the work of those guys,” explained Dayton’s Director of Basketball Operations, Matt Farrell. “They put in countless hours for basically no money. They’re here because this program matters to them. Coach has built this program with good people who are willing to sacrifice for what’s best for the team, and our managers are a testament to our program.”

Herberger puts his Accounting and Finance background to work for the Flyers. During game time the senior logs a spreadsheet of minutes played by the Dayton backcourt. It is his voice that can be heard calling out names and times.

“I keep track of how long each guy has been in the game, and then I have to just constantly let the coaches know how long they have been in,” Herberger explained.  “Occasionally, they’ll ask how long a guy’s been out of the game. I’m always looking at the clock. I always got to be yelling.”

Herberger logs minutes played with pen and paper.

“Any time a guy goes in, I write it down.  Cross the guy off he went in for, and then if they’re in for one minute, I got to yell their name.”

Hark, a senior Sports Management major, keeps track of minutes played by the Dayton front court.

“A lot of people don’t know the kind of stuff we do behind the scenes,” Hark explained. “Our foundation is on hustling and defense, so all the behind-the scenes of keeping stats is huge for this program.”

Kenney is also a senior Sports Management major with an eye for coaching in the future. The Cincinnati, Ohio native keeps the hustle board.

He explained “loose balls, charges, transition and second chance points because we measure that on a scale.”

Martin became interested in helping with the Flyer basketball program as a freshman when he lived on the same floor as Chris Wright and Devin Searcy. The Cleveland, Ohio native charts free throws, fouls and timeouts.

“It’s a good feeling knowing that you’re actually doing something for the team.”

Sunday, the Dayton Flyers will take the floor at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City with the A10 championship and a bid to the NCAA tournament on the line.  The effort will be mirrored by the effort behind the bench.