Dayton Flyers 2006-2007

Flyer Madness kicked off the 2006-2007 season Friday and started what seems to be a very intriguing season for the Dayton Flyer faithful.

After watching our Flyers on Friday night, it was clear that this team is full of everything Coach Gregory and his staff could want athletically. While all of the fans enjoyed Friday night and are ready to get the season started, there are still a few questions which will be answered in the first half of the season.

How will the team bounce back this year after a 14 – 17 record in 2005?

Dayton Insider attended Media day last week and there was a common word that each player used in describing last year and that was “Disappointing”. The word “Disappointing” came out of every single player’s mouth, even freshman Kurt Huelsman. D.I. asked Kurt what to expect from the team this year and he responded, “Last year was very disappointing and we are looking to improve on that. Our expectations for this yeara are to be a solid team all around; we need to be a well balanced team on both offense and defense”. The Flyers seem ready to make the commitment to improve and will hopefully show the Dayton fans that last year was just a minor setback and the future is still extremely bright.

Will the team be able to improve on the 2 -12 record they had last year away from U.D. Arena?

This was also a big topic for the players at media day. Desmond Adedeji talked about this very topic as soon as D.I. arrived to speak with the fan favorite. What improvements do you guys have to make to improve from last year? Des responded, “We have to win on the road. Last year we had 2 road wins all year and even worse we had 1 win outside of Ohio (Dayton beat UC 75-66). I think that with the guys we have back, and the newcomers, that will not happen this year, but we have to work hard every time we step on the floor.” This will not be an easy task as Dayton’s first 3 road games are against SMU, Pittsburgh, and North Carolina. Two of the country’s most talented teams and an up-and-coming SMU team led by Matt Dougherty.

How will the newcomers fit in and respond to the large roles they will be asked to play from day 1?

Last year Dayton had many question marks after a “strange” off-season which was primarily due to a late transfer out of the program. Brian Roberts was asked to play the point guard spot, to get everyone else involved in the game but at the same time, be the offensive leader from a scoring standpoint. With the addition of Andres Sandoval and London Warren, Brian will be allowed to worry about the one thing he does best for the Flyers, score. Kurt Huelsman will also be asked to produce early as Norman Plummer will miss both exhibition games and the first 2 regular season games while he serves his suspension for the off the court incident a few weeks ago. Marcus Johnson may also be thrown into the fire as Monty Scott continues to nurse a sore hamstring.

This Saturday the Flyers will host their annual Red and Blue scrimmage at UD Arena and will be a better opportunity for the Flyer fans to see the progress Coach Gregroy, his staff and his players have made this off-season. D.I. is excited about this year’s team and wish the Flyers the best as they take the next 4 weeks to prepare for the Austin Peay Governors.