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11-30-2013, 12:40 PM
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We did you proud - Maui
What an experience!!!
First thing that stood out to me about Maui tourny. Almost a high school Gym. Not only were the Flyers playing Gonz, Baylor and Cal, but it felt like our fans were in a battle with their fans, like I've never felt before.
The Zags were our(fans) biggest competition. It was a tight battle all the way. From what I was told, they outnumbered us. But in the end, it was the Flyer fans that prevailed. On our way into the Cal game, a lady Zags fan stopped me, she said "I always thought that us Zag fans were the greatest, we travel as well as anybody, but congratulations, your fans are the best.
The Flyers thanked us at every turn. You could tell how much they appreciated us and how they probably feel they couldn't have done it without us. Archie, is pure class. Every time we passed, he waved and thanked us.
The players were down as you could expect, they felt they let themselves down of course, but they felt like they let us down even more. We stood in a line and and high fived them as they got on bus for Call game. Smiles appeared on all their faces. It was our way of showing they didn't let us down and we're as excited for the 3rd game as we were for the 1st and 2nd.
Never have Flyer victories felt just like our own victories to me.
I don't know how it is in other tournys, but this was special and we have a special team this season, so much talent and so much depth, and we all know we have special fans, every season, and their are 3 other groups of fans that now know this as well.
Just got back home, very tired, but felt like this trip was worth every penny and would advise anyone to take it the next time we go to Maui.
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31 UDPriders Offer Mad Props to Smitty10 For This Totally Excellent Post:
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11-30-2013, 12:50 PM
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Originally Posted by Smitty10
What an experience!!!
First thing that stood out to me about Maui tourny. Almost a high school Gym. Not only were the Flyers playing Gonz, Baylor and Cal, but it felt like our fans were in a battle with their fans, like I've never felt before.
The Zags were our(fans) biggest competition. It was a tight battle all the way. From what I was told, they outnumbered us. But in the end, it was the Flyer fans that prevailed. On our way into the Cal game, a lady Zags fan stopped me, she said "I always thought that us Zag fans were the greatest, we travel as well as anybody, but congratulations, your fans are the best.
The Flyers thanked us at every turn. You could tell how much they appreciated us and how they probably feel they couldn't have done it without us. Archie, is pure class. Every time we passed, he waved and thanked us.
The players were down as you could expect, they felt they let themselves down of course, but they felt like they let us down even more. We stood in a line and and high fived them as they got on bus for Call game. Smiles appeared on all their faces. It was our way of showing they didn't let us down and we're as excited for the 3rd game as we were for the 1st and 2nd.
Never have Flyer victories felt just like our own victories to me.
I don't know how it is in other tournys, but this was special and we have a special team this season, so much talent and so much depth, and we all know we have special fans, every season, and their are 3 other groups of fans that now know this as well.
Just got back home, very tired, but felt like this trip was worth every penny and would advise anyone to take it the next time we go to Maui.
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Nice post. I have been to some out-of-state early season tournaments over the years, and the Flyer fans, almost without exception take over the house. It doesn't hurt that our team normally takes over the tournament as well. A lot of those tournament games have the feel of home games because the UD crowd is always juiced and boisterous. Other teams can get shell shocked because they are not expecting a ferocious crowd.
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11-30-2013, 03:27 PM
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General
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Since you are talking Hawaii, just looked at scores today. and Spearman (of Univ of Hawaii) and Derenbecker just faced each other. Spearman had 16 for Hawaii.
Derenbecker plays for New Orleans Privateers and is averaging 10 a game and had 7 in the game.
Liked Matt, wishing him and both of them well!
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11-30-2013, 05:04 PM
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Brandon Spearman tweet before the tourney "Good Luck to Dayton Flyers in Maui and my brother (DMO). I'll be watching. Welcome to the islands".
There were other tweets of former players R. Hill. MJ, London, CJ (and others I have forgotten) retweeted by current players. Ralph and Brandon were in Devin's recruiting class.
Another I liked was from Jared Sullinger "Always knew Archie Miller would be a special coach"
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11-30-2013, 05:20 PM
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Maui thoughts
I consider these to be the bigger benefits of the tournament results.
1. Dayton has put itself into position for an NCAA bid IF IT DOES NOT WIN THE A-10 Tournament.
2. The team now has an example of what is possible if it works hard on the defensive end.
3. The freshment have experienced playing big time NCAA basketball schools, and, performed well.
4. The exposure may help the team to have a higher level of talent available in considering giving a late signing period scholarship.
5. Unlike the Dayton Women's team, the men's team appears to be in good shape at point guard.
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11-30-2013, 09:14 PM
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If I can accurately sum up the boards' concerns this Summer it was:
- point guard play
- frontcourt presence (Can Kavanaugh, Scott and Robinson be more effective than our bigs last year)
- playing tough and more effective defense
On Point Guard play , we seem squarely solid in terms of ball movement, protecting the ball, and ability to score from the 1 position. Scooch has some lapses , which is expected for a frosh. I think Arch's main goal besides what we are currently getting , is to get Kyle Davis more playing time. (When it fits in of course)
Bigs: The Cal game from Jalen was GREATLY welcome and inspired play. IT's obvious that Scott and Robinson give us two entirely different versions of what a 4/5 can be. Which is superb. Scott is certainly tough enough, and has attitude.
Coach Miller focus: how to fit Kavs in effectively. And keep the rotations appropriate to whoever else is on the floor.
Tough D: This may the MOST INCREDIBLE improvement from last year and early in the season. Has improved in the most obvious leaps and bounds.
What I am impressed with is the guys also challenge opposition shots . Didn't expect that this year . Pierre, Scott, Oliver, some of the guards, all challenging opponents when they drive and take it inside.
Needs work: 1. closing out shots.
2. finding the missing shooter. We have been decent on team rotations and covering the weak side. What I saw is that we let key shooters escape to a safe and open spot. Guys gotta recognize who the top shooters are
So interior D is a nice surprise. Perimeter defense and opponent recognition needs some attention. As long as the guys are talking, which it looks like more talk is occurring, this should improve as the year progresses.
I looked at some team stats, and three A10 teams are very high up in either 3 point shooting, total offense , or ordinary FG %. If memory serves, ST Joe's, GW and UMass have been shooting at exceptionally high levels to date.
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12-01-2013, 08:49 PM
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Honestly, I expected UD to lose to Georgia Tech and Gonzaga. I saw the first three games at the arena. The first two games gave little in the way of optimism. I expected UD to lose to GT, Gonzaga, win against Chaminade and fight for a 2-2 record. (Don't ask me to predict any more games this year.)
A 3-1 record and they won they is impressive. And how they did it.
Defense improved. They shut down every play on CAL except one. 17 steals Georgia Tech. They played good D against Baylor until they were worn down. They made key plays against Gonzaga.
Different players stepped up. Pierre did not have a very good 4 game stretch. Vee was up and down and Kav had a bad stretch. I think those three are capable of playing better ball. yet they still won. If you would have told me that Pierre was in foul trouble and played as he did, I would have said 3-1 was a pipe dream.
Freshman were impressive. During the first three games at the arena, the freshman looked like they were totally record for college. They had a few bright moments and lots of ugly moments. They grew up very quickly.
The team is quicker and deeper than last year. Time to put last year in the past. This team has more speed which makes their offense stronger. They are using their speed on defense also. They are deeper which lets them play better D.
There will be ups and downs going forward. You still have players like Sibert, Scott, Price who not played a lot minutes in the past. Remember Price was hurt last year which cut into his playing time.
The 5 position offers three choices based upon match ups. Kav, Scot and Robinson each offer different options. Each will have ups and downs and match ups.
The team played unselfish in Hawaii. They were very one on one oriented the first few games and still not jelling. They were not used to each other enough.
Going forward. Building on Maui.
1) Keep working on the D.
2) Get Kav back in the flow. Get Scott more in the flow. He is very physical but needs to work on footwork, positioning etc..
3) Get more consistency out of Sanford and Pierre
4) Keep passing.
5) Don't get big heads.
6) Adjust to what scouting will do to you next. The A10 will throw counter punches.
I am excited going forward.
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12-01-2013, 09:36 PM
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Smitty, excellent post. I wonder if we chatted at any of the games? The Flyer Faithful represented very very well. We were loud, in great numbers, and respectful. A few Gonzaga fans were on our bus back and everyone wished them well and hoped that they ended the season with only one more loss (to the Flyers in the NCAA tournament of course).
Same with Baylor. They didn't have too many fans, but everyone was respectful and polite even after a crushing loss. The following day, during the Cal game, the Flyer fans stood and applauded/encouraged the Baylor team as they came by the court near the Flyer contingent. That's good stuff.
I stopped a couple Cal fans after our game to wish them well in the PAC-12 and one told me he thought UD was the best team at the tournament and just got hosed to lose to Baylor. I said, nah, Syracuse is the best team here but he insisted it was the Flyers.
Jay Bilas could not stop saying positive things about the Flyer fans or team. It was pretty cool to watch the games after the fact. I was able to sit near Devin Oliver's family for the last two games. His dad has a great booming voice and he was very encouraging toward all the players.
I'll add that I saw the UD coaches working hard all the time. They were watching film in the lobby or in their areas, talking strategy pretty much all the time. I saw coaches from some of the other teams out and about (watching film as well, though not nearly as much as the UD coaches). This staff works HARD and they are very demanding of the players. I don't know that Archie said a lot at halftime as the team came back out with well over 8 minutes on the clock for the Gonzaga game. It seemed like a light switch went off after half of that game.
We played three very good teams and came away with two wins and one very tough loss. All our freshmen played well and gained a lot of confidence. You can just see Kyle Davis oozing it as the Cal game progressed. Scoochie is getting better and Pollard is showing he belongs. That guys loves to block shots.
As stated above, Pierre didn't even play all that well. Sibert didn't play well against Cal and Kavanaugh didn't do much at all (to his credit, he did not sulk on the bench while sitting). As Archie said in today's DDN article, we'll need him later in the year.
A big key will be maintaining the intensity. Now we have guys who can come off the bench if the starters aren't getting it done and Archie has proven he is willing to leave guys on the floor if they are playing well. So if you're not getting it done on defense, have a seat. Davis and Smith and Pollard and Robinson and Scott are ready to play heavy minutes. This team really does look to be a unit, with Devin Oliver leading the way. He is a class act all around and I'm so happy to see how much more confident he has gotten.
Back to the travel/fan part of it, it was awesome. It was great being around so many Flyer fans, seeing so much red, and the games themselves were extremely well run. I talked to an usher (100% volunteer, btw) and he told me the team who puts on the Chicago Bears games runs the Maui Invitational. It was very, very enjoyable. This might have been stated elsewhere, but the word is that ESPN has told UD they can play in one of these tournements every year as long as we want. So it is Puerto Rico next year, Orlando for the Old Spice Classic in 2015 and in 2016, back to Hawaii for the Diamond Head Classic, which is around Christmas. I'm not sure after that, but the Maui tournament has a rule you can't be in the tournament more than every 4 years. If you're able to go, please go. It's worth the trip, and you're helping to support Flyer athletics. I can't even put into words how enjoyable the trip was, and that even counts driving all night Sunday night so my 2 1/2 year old son would sleep and the rest of my group (read: my wife) could sleep. My little guy is a bad sleeper on the road but will sleep in his car seat.
So props to the Flyers for a great tournament, props to all the fans, and props to UD for taking care of the fans who made the trip. Well worth it!
Edit: forgot to add this link:
http://www.mauinews.com/page/content.detail/id/579416/Maui-Invitational-notebook.html?nav=5166
Not 100% accurate, as I have a son and daughter and only my wife and I attended the games, but still fun. Go Flyers!
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Last edited by THirt; 12-01-2013 at 09:40 PM..
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12-01-2013, 10:19 PM
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Can't add much to what has already been said.
Yes, it is held in a gym that is smaller than Trent Arena in Kettering. However, one of the unique aspects of this event is the local participation. The ushers are not professional ushers you see at most NBA and large college arena - just local folks helping out - and very friendly. The outside entertainment/food area is all local groups - Boy Scouts, etc. It is their yearly fundraiser. There are no inside concession areas. The timeout entertainment at times is just a 6 year old kid doing some break dancing. The halftime hula dancers are eye candy as well.
You can watch up to 12 games of high quality basketball - and its like sitting in the middle 100 sections at the arena.
There is one bummer - the seats are hard plastic and not real ergonomic - a good seat pad is well worth it.
Maui is still one of my favorite places on earth. Hoops, Hana, Hula, and Haleakala - nothin better.
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12-01-2013, 10:33 PM
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2nd Lieutenant
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The Flyers have looked very good so far.
Credit to Archie and his players.
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12-02-2013, 02:14 AM
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Thirt,must have been on same bus.
When we dropped them off at Weston someone jokingly said "here comes the walk of shame"
If possible I'll pmail u a photo of me and girlfriend on bus and we'll determine if we talked.
QUOTE=THirt;326855]Smitty, excellent post. I wonder if we chatted at any of the games? The Flyer Faithful represented very very well. We were loud, in great numbers, and respectful. A few Gonzaga fans were on our bus back and everyone wished them well and hoped that they ended the season with only one more loss (to the Flyers in the NCAA tournament of course).
Same with Baylor. They didn't have too many fans, but everyone was respectful and polite even after a crushing loss. The following day, during the Cal game, the Flyer fans stood and applauded/encouraged the Baylor team as they came by the court near the Flyer contingent. That's good stuff.
I stopped a couple Cal fans after our game to wish them well in the PAC-12 and one told me he thought UD was the best team at the tournament and just got hosed to lose to Baylor. I said, nah, Syracuse is the best team here but he insisted it was the Flyers.
Jay Bilas could not stop saying positive things about the Flyer fans or team. It was pretty cool to watch the games after the fact. I was able to sit near Devin Oliver's family for the last two games. His dad has a great booming voice and he was very encouraging toward all the players.
I'll add that I saw the UD coaches working hard all the time. They were watching film in the lobby or in their areas, talking strategy pretty much all the time. I saw coaches from some of the other teams out and about (watching film as well, though not nearly as much as the UD coaches). This staff works HARD and they are very demanding of the players. I don't know that Archie said a lot at halftime as the team came back out with well over 8 minutes on the clock for the Gonzaga game. It seemed like a light switch went off after half of that game.
We played three very good teams and came away with two wins and one very tough loss. All our freshmen played well and gained a lot of confidence. You can just see Kyle Davis oozing it as the Cal game progressed. Scoochie is getting better and Pollard is showing he belongs. That guys loves to block shots.
As stated above, Pierre didn't even play all that well. Sibert didn't play well against Cal and Kavanaugh didn't do much at all (to his credit, he did not sulk on the bench while sitting). As Archie said in today's DDN article, we'll need him later in the year.
A big key will be maintaining the intensity. Now we have guys who can come off the bench if the starters aren't getting it done and Archie has proven he is willing to leave guys on the floor if they are playing well. So if you're not getting it done on defense, have a seat. Davis and Smith and Pollard and Robinson and Scott are ready to play heavy minutes. This team really does look to be a unit, with Devin Oliver leading the way. He is a class act all around and I'm so happy to see how much more confident he has gotten.
Back to the travel/fan part of it, it was awesome. It was great being around so many Flyer fans, seeing so much red, and the games themselves were extremely well run. I talked to an usher (100% volunteer, btw) and he told me the team who puts on the Chicago Bears games runs the Maui Invitational. It was very, very enjoyable. This might have been stated elsewhere, but the word is that ESPN has told UD they can play in one of these tournements every year as long as we want. So it is Puerto Rico next year, Orlando for the Old Spice Classic in 2015 and in 2016, back to Hawaii for the Diamond Head Classic, which is around Christmas. I'm not sure after that, but the Maui tournament has a rule you can't be in the tournament more than every 4 years. If you're able to go, please go. It's worth the trip, and you're helping to support Flyer athletics. I can't even put into words how enjoyable the trip was, and that even counts driving all night Sunday night so my 2 1/2 year old son would sleep and the rest of my group (read: my wife) could sleep. My little guy is a bad sleeper on the road but will sleep in his car seat.
So props to the Flyers for a great tournament, props to all the fans, and props to UD for taking care of the fans who made the trip. Well worth it!
Edit: forgot to add this link:
http://www.mauinews.com/page/content.detail/id/579416/Maui-Invitational-notebook.html?nav=5166
Not 100% accurate, as I have a son and daughter and only my wife and I attended the games, but still fun. Go Flyers!
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12-02-2013, 09:57 AM
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Someone already said this but I recommend going if you have the time and means.
I could not go this year, mostly couldn't afford it, but went the last two years to Orlando and Charleston. Its fun being around Flyer fans and seeing red wherever you go. UD always has a pregame party or gathering somewhere so you mingle before games also.
When the chant goes up "we are UD" another game in the bag and letting everyone in the joint know that we came to support our team and win the game because thats what Flyer fans do.
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12-02-2013, 10:04 AM
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Originally Posted by THirt
the Maui tournament has a rule you can't be in the tournament more than every 4 years. If you're able to go, please go. It's worth the trip, and you're helping to support Flyer athletics. I can't even put into words how enjoyable the trip was, and that even counts driving all night Sunday night so my 2 1/2 year old son would sleep and the rest of my group (read: my wife) could sleep. My little guy is a bad sleeper on the road but will sleep in his car seat.
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I am impressed. Not many people drive to Maui. I was in Maui the week before but opted to fly, I was afraid that if I drove there might not be enough rest areas along the way.
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Mad Props to oldfan For This Totally Excellent Post:
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12-02-2013, 11:20 AM
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oldfan.... let me know what your route was... my wife won't fly, but she did say we could go next time if we could drive.....
Last edited by TerryK_67; 12-02-2013 at 12:29 PM..
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