#44 JASON OSBORNE, 6-7 260LB, FR, RANDALLSTOWN, MD

The departures of Mark Ashman, Matt Cooper, Ted Fitz, and (to a lesser extent) Stephen Bamigbola provided the Dayton Flyers a challenge during the recruiting season. Not only did they have to replace experience, but tremendous depth as well. Head coach Oliver Purnell likes to employ two players at each position during the course of the game. Knowing this, his mission during the recruiting season became clear: sign big men. Enter Jason Osborne.

The hope for the UD coaching staff for Osborne will be to step in and help the Flyer rebounding game in the low blocks. Ashman – now gone – led the team in rebounding, while the next two leading rebounders were shooting guard Tony Stanley and small forward Brooks Hall. Simply, the Flyers need better board work from the power forward position.An All-Honor Team (Catholic, Metro, and Maryland) member last year, the thick 6’7″ 260 lb. center hauled down 14.2 rebounds per game – helping Towson Catholic High to a 29-11 record. Even scarier for Flyer opponents is that – according to his high school coach – Osborne is still growing. In addition, Jason looks to also provide some quickness to go with his physical stature. Jason also added 13 points per game last year in HS, something Purnell is looking for in order to alleviate some of the defensive pressure from his outside shooters.In addition to Osborne, the Flyer coaching staff also went out and got Lamar Hill from a Texas junior college to help out inside. Keith Waleskowski will suit up for real this season after sitting out during a redshirt year. Nate Green and Yuanta Holland also return. Suddenly, an area of concern about getting players on the court has become an area where Purnell can pick and choose who he wants in the game.

One note about Osborne and the sudden depth at power forward however. There are whisperingsthat he will be redshirted this year. At a recent scrimmage, Jason sat with his leg wrapped, further fueling this speculation. Whichever way the coaching staff decides to go, it must be easier to deal with knowing they have added inside depth in 2000-01 after things looked bleak in this department a mere six months ago.