Tony Stanley’s sophomore season was solid but inconsistent, leaving fans a bit teased at the prospect of seeing the 6-4 Philadelphia native turn on the magic night in and night out in his final two seasons at Dayton. Stanley finished 1998-99 averaging 15ppg and 5.6rpg, good enough to earn the title as the league’s best rebounding guard. Not only did he lead his team in offensive rebounds, he also led the Flyers in steals (50) and minutes played (871).

Defensively, Stanley made dramatic improvements in becoming more than just a lethal scoring threat and started off the first 10 games of the season as the premier defender in the A-10 conference. Inconsistency came soon thereafter however – along with off-court distractions – and Stanley struggled to find a happy medium between efficiency and flare. As basketball analyst Quinn Buckner said during a Flyer broadcast, “Stanley could use a little more substance and a little less style.” Stanley’s last half of the season was but a shadow of himself compared to earlier in the year when he was the team’s emotional catalyst, defensive vulture, and offensive firebomb. The potential is still there, but improvements are needed to become a premier A-10 performer throughout an entire season.

Stanley struggled with his shot all season, nailing just .410% of his attempts and .323% from behind the arc. Free throw shooting also took a dive, falling from well over 80% in his freshman year to .763% — still respectable but maybe an indication of a bit less focus. Stanley’s Achilles heel has always been a premium on the three-point shot and not enough of the north-south game. When 47% of your field goal attempts are treys in spite of possessing extraordinary athletic ability and quickness, things just don’t add up. Stanley’s game-high in 1998-99 was just 23 points, a far cry from his explosive potential for a 30 or 40 point game. In his defense, Tony’s disappearance acts on the road portion of the schedule subsided; several of his better games were away from the UD Arena. Next season is a critical turning point for the most heralded Flyer recruit since Oliver Purnell took over the Flyer program. Stanley possesses all the tools to carve himself a place as one of the all-time Flyer greats, but for everything he’s done there’s just as much he’s yet to fulfill. If Stanley attacks the basket on a consistent basis, improves his ball-handling (24 assists to 58 turnovers in 1998-99), and becomes a bit tougher mentally – especially when things aren’t going right – he could position himself as First Team All A-10 this year.

But this year’s team has a footlocker full of questions and concerns and the coaching staff is expecting the veterans to supply most of the answers. Tony Stanley’s fortunes will be measured by how well he accepts the challenge and acts accordingly.