By PAUL GOTHAM
A “white out” is played inside the Reilly Center Tuesday night’s when Mark Schmidt’s St. Bonaventure Bonnies (12-4/4-1) host Archie Miller‘s University of Dayton Flyers (14-3/4-1) for the first of a home-and-home series in Atlantic 10 action. The chilly weather outside figures to mirror in color the in-game promotion. The play inside will be anything but cold.
Led by Charles Cooke 15.7 ppg/6.3 rpg), Dyshawn Pierre (13.3 ppg/6.8 rpg), Kendall Pollard (10.9 ppg/ 4.9 rpg) and Scoochie Smith (10.5 ppg, 4.6 apg), Dayton has won two straight and seven of eight. Per BBState, the Flyers rank top 50 in the nation hitting 50.6 percent of their shots within the three-point arc. At the same time, Dayton’s defense led by junior guard Kyle Davis limits opposing shooters to 45.8 percent (28th in the nation) on 2-point attempts.
Bona’s “big 3” of Jaylen Adams (17.6 ppg/4.9 apg), Marcus Posley (17.7 ppg) and Dion Wright (16.1 ppg/8.7 rpg) is tied for the highest scoring trio in the Division I basketball. Adams leads the A-10 in 3-point percentage at 46.7 (43 for 92) while Wright’s seven double-doubles leads the conference. Posley has scored 17 or more points on nine occasions this season while twice topping the 30-point plateau. SBU’s loss to Duquesne snapped a five -game win streak.
Don’t be surprised when the matchup is decided by the supporting cast from either team.
Bona’s Denzel Gregg and Dayton’s Steve McElvene may not have been factors when the rivals met three times last year. That should change Tuesday night. And the opposing forwards have their off-season work to credit.
Gregg, who contributed a combined 10 points during the three UD-SBU meetings last season, has topped double figures in Bona’s last five games including a career-high 22 in a 69-64 win over Rhode Island last week.
“He committed himself in the off-season to becoming a player,” Schmidt said during the weekly Atlantic 10 tele-conference. “He’s a really athletic kid, but I think he didn’t work at the game the way he needed to work at it.”
He started in Bona’s last five games in the 2014-15 season and opened this campaign with his first career double-double.
“He’s seen the light a little bit,” Schmidt added. “You can’t get by at this level with just athleticism. You need skill, and he committed himself to the game. Now he’s seen what it’s done for him.”
The Syracuse, New York native averages 10.6 points and 5.4 rebounds per game this season after scoring 3.7 while grabbing 3.2 rebounds a year ago.
“He’s playing with a lot more confidence,” Schmidt continued. “Without confidence, you can’t be a good player. He’s had some success and his confidence has grown. He’s playing well for us, and hopefully it continues.”
“Denzel Gregg is maybe the most improved player in our conference,” Miller said. “The work Mark and those guys have done to mold the team around those guys. They’re always well-coached. In general, they’re very, very talented. For the first third of the season you could make a case that all four of them could be all-conference.”
McElvene, a redshirt freshman, netted 12 points and grabbed six rebounds in Dayton’s win over George Washington last Friday. It was his eighth double-digit scoring performance of the season.
“The biggest progress with Steve was being able to change his body and get acclimated to college,” Miller stated. “He was fortunate enough to be able to practice every day. He got the most out of it. He really did.”
When Miller dismissed two players at mid-season a year ago, McElvene stepped in during practice and found court time.
“We were down bodies,” Miller explained. “Steve was a guy who practiced because we needed bodies. He practiced every single day against the five or six guys…He started getting reps upon reps upon reps. We started to see a guy develop last year.
The 6-11 center, who keeps the ball above his head as well as any big man in the college game, leads the Flyers in field goal percentage (60.5) and rebounds per game (7.1).
“He stayed with it in the off-season,” Miller noted. “He had a good summer and continued to develop his body. Right now he’s about 250 pounds. He’s a good, mobile big guy. He has amazing hands. As the game continues to slow down for him, especially from a defensive perspective, he doesn’t foul… When he’s in the game, it clearly changes our team.”
“McElvene brings another dimension – an inside presence, Schmidt said. “They can really rebound the ball. They defend the ball, and they got really good offensive players. That’s why they’re so good. They’re well-coached.”
This will be the 30th meeting between the two schools. UD leads the series 20-9 including all three games from last season.
A 7 p.m. tipoff is scheduled. The game will be televised on the American Sports Network.
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