Pierre and UD sure to jog memories

By Paul Gotham

Amnesia is a funny thing.  Those entrusted with ballots tend to forget the accomplishments from just a few months ago.

Take the case of Archie Miller and the University of Dayton Men’s Basketball. Last March, Miller’s UD Flyers danced their way to the Elite Eight. In their wake they left behind the Ohio State Buckeyes, Syracuse Orange and Stanford Cardinal.

In the current pre-season polls you can the Flyers somewhere near the intersection of “other receiving votes” and “what have you done for me lately.”

Probably doesn’t matter much to Miller. After all, the fourth-year coach chose to stay in a career path which keeps him in the shadow of his older brother, the current University of Arizona Wildcats head man, Sean.

The slight by the pollsters fits Miller and his demeanor. And as ESPN analyst Seth Greenberg notes the Flyers have taken on their coach’s personality.

“They got a toughness about them,” Greenberg said during a pre-season conference call. “I don’t want to say they’re Arizona, but the one thing about Archie’s team is that, similar to Sean’s team, they have a hardness about them. They have a draw-a-line-in-the-sand, old-school feel about them.”

Critics might be quick to point out that UD graduated Devin Oliver (11.8 ppg, 7.4 rpg), Vee Sanford (9.6 ppg, 2.6 rpg) and Matt Kavanaugh (5.7 ppg, 3.5 rpg). But what’s forgotten is that Miller returns six players who averaged double-digit minutes a game. Yes, Oliver, Sanford and Kavanaugh accounted for 27.1 points a game a season ago. The returning players added the other 44.

Led by Dyshawn Pierre (11.2 ppg) and Jordan Sibert (12.2 ppg), the Flyers with a gritty approach that comes from their coach figure to be in the mix again come March.

“They’re not going to beat themselves a whole lot, Greenberg added. “They might not blow anyone out, but they’re going to check you. They’re going to get a good shot. They’re going to be tough. They’re going to be a team that finds a way to get extra possessions by either getting to the glass or getting a loose ball.”

Miller’s nine and sometimes 10 or 11 man rotation allowed for flexibility both on the offensive and defensive ends last year.

“It’s hard to get a good shot against them,” Greenberg continued.  “I liked the end of the season. Not just the winning, but how they were winning…They really bought into that at the end of the season.”

Dayton can come at teams with in waves, but Pierre might make them stand out. The 6-6 forward out of Whitby, Ontario can knock down a three (27-66/ 44 percent), go off the dribble and pull up in the mid-range. At the same time he can use his height and post up on the block.

ESPN’s Jay Bilas made note of Pierre in his Pre-Season Hoops Opus.

“I’ve got him on a list,” Bilas said.  “He’s on the list of the toughest matchups in the country.”

But it just starts there for UD.

Sibert, an Ohio State transfer, led the Flyers with 12.ppg and 83 makes behind the arc. Scoochie Smith and Khari Price split time at the point while high school teammates Jalen Robinson (4.3 ppg, 2.8 rpg) and Devon Scott (3.4 ppg, 2.7 rpg) patrolled the paint.

“A lot is going to be determined by how Scoochie Smith and Jordan Sibert play in the backcourt,” Bilas added. “If they get really good guard play, their forwards are good. They move the ball. They’ve got versatile defenders, so they can switch things. They can match-up with a lot of different people with a lot of different players defensively. Then they‘re really hard to match up with on the offensive end.”

Then there’s Kendall Pollard who logged double-digit minutes in four of Dayton’s last five games including an eye-opening performance against Stanford where he netted a dozen and grabbed two boards in 15 minutes of playing time.

The sophomore forward also grabbed the eye of Bilas.

“One of the guys I’m going to enjoy watching this year, and I think we all will and how he develops is Kendall Pollard who I think has a chance to be very, very good.”

Miller brought in a pair of players in Ryan Bass and Darrell Davis who figure to contribute right away.

“At every school, you got to figure out how you’re going to win at your school with the guys you’re able to recruit to your program,” Greenberg explained. “Archie has figured that out.”

Dayton opens at home Friday night against Alabama A&M. Dayton hosts Texas A&M Thursday on ESPN2. Tip off is scheduled for 10:30 a.m.

Just in case anybody forgets.