With four returning starters from a team that finished 25-8, this Dayton team appears poised for another banner season. Here are five reasons the Flyers can return to the big dance:
1. Star power: The Flyers have an Atlantic 10 Player of the Year candidate in Charles Cooke, a 6-foot-5, fifth-year senior guard from Trenton, N.J. He averaged 15.6 points and shot 39.9 percent from 3-point range, leading the team with 59 3-pointers.
“Charles has a chance to be as good as he wants to be with another jump,” Miller said in May.
2. More experience: The four seniors should be four of the five starters. Point guard Scoochie Smith, guard Kyle Davis and forward Kendall Pollard have won 78 games in three seasons. Cooke, the team's co-MVP last season with outgoing senior Dyshawn Pierre, will play his second and final season with the Flyers.
That group averaged 45.6 points between them. Smith has improved his field-goal and 3-point percentage each season. Davis took major strides with his shooting last season (from 45.6 to 49.7 in field-goal percentage and 22.1 to 33.9 in 3-point percentage).
Pollard’s numbers dropped last season because he battled an injury for half the season. He had offseason wrist and knee surgeries. Getting him healthy for next season will be key for the Flyers.
3. Improving players: Dayton's freshman class (point guard John Crosby and forwards Ryan Mikesell, Sam Miller and Xeyrius Williams) had an up-and-down first year, but coach Archie Miller remains high on each of them. Their ability to improve their bodies and games will be one of the most important factors in the team's success.
Find out why the Flyers have a great chance to return to the big dance over at myDaytonDailyNews.com.
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