The University of Dayton Flyers will round out the preseason portion of their schedule on Nov. 7th as Athletes in Action’s “Blue” squad visits the Gem City for a 7:30pm tip-off. AIA puts on an annual fall tour to polish their basketball skills and promote the word of Christ, and have won nearly 60% of their mens’ and womens’ basketball games over the years.

AIA Blue is a talent-laden team with enough firepower to pose problems for college teams looking for a preseason cakewalk. Among the notable players dressing up for AIA Blue are 6-11, 255lb Todd Fuller, an NC State All-American and 11th overall pick of the 1996 NBA draft by the Golden State Warriors, and Casey Shaw, a 6’11, 260lb bruiser from the University of Toledo. Fuller, who was nominated for a Rhodes Scholarship, is a tireless worker who scores, rebounds, and moves well for a man his size. Shaw, a recent draftee by the NBA as well, gives AIA Blue a “twin towers” look that can be overpowering for clubs with a questionable frontcourt.

AIA Blue is currently 3-1 on their fall tour that runs through mid-December. Lee University took a 115-95 lathering in AIA’s first game, and the Bible Backers raised their record to 2-0 with a 93-67 win over Walsh — blistering the nets with 57% shooting. John Chaney’s patented 2-3 match-up zone proved too much as the Temple Owls handed AIA an 80-59 loss a few days ago. Todd Fuller managed 17pts and 11rbs in the loss and AIA kept Temple’s shooting percentage around 40%, but the Owls’ strong ball-handling yielded just six turnovers all night to help their cause. AIA rebounded with an impressive 84-73 win against Georgia Tech. Fans must remember that Tech is without the services of phenom Dion Glover because of an ACL tear and big man Jason Collier is not eligible until the second academic semester after transferring from Indiana a year ago. Also, two Jackets post players injured themselves during the contest that helped give AIA a 55-30 rebounding edge for the game. Still, Bobby Cremins has enough Georgia Mr. Basketballs on his roster to beat good teams despite key losses, making AIA’s victory worrisome for Tech fans.

Oliver Purnell got a good first look at his team’s potential Tuesday night and should be encouraged yet conservative in his approach as the start of the 1998-99 season nears. Ural Great exposed several defensive weaknesses in the Flyers that need to be corrected in time for Saturday’s game against a much stronger opponent. The trio of incoming players — Yuanta Holland, David Morris, and Nate Green – all showed they should contribute this year. The question marks remain in the post where Stephen Bamigbola, Mark Ashman, Ted Fitz, and Matt Cooper need to flex their muscles and provide the scoring and rebounding punch to compliment the quality backcourt players on this year’s team.