Much has been said and much has been written on the departure of Cain Doliboa from the Univ. Dayton mens basketball team. Most of the conversation has focused on Oliver Purnell’s unwillingness to grant Doliboa a fifth scholarship year or the ensuing comments in the local papers from the 6-7 sharpshooter that led to eventual transfer to Wright State University. For some Flyer fans, it’s good riddance and goodbye, while others wonder if the coaching staff cut off their nose in spite of their face. The NCAA’s fifth-year grant notwithstanding, there’s no right or wrong answer when it comes to Cain Doliboa — only opinions. And opinions are like, well you know, therefore everybody has one.

What’s been missing from the Doliboa equation however is the underlying arithmetic of the upcoming season. How soon we forget that fall practice is less than two months away and the Flyers will once again take the court with less than a full roster. With so many new faces this year, Doliboa’s absence will not go unnoticed. Purnell and the university may have been looking out for Dayton’s future, but preventive maintenance has a price. The Flyers salvage at least one scholarship next year for an incoming freshman, but next year isn’t this year and until the branches of Purnell’s decision bear fruit — and ripen — the immediate hurdle will consist of patching together the remaining players to offset Cain Doliboa’s empty sneakers.

In 1999-00, Dayton managed a 14-9 campaign after Doliboa helped the Flyers to an 8-0 start. Purnell’s club managed impressive road victories over St. Joseph’s, UMass, and a drubbing of Duquesne, but the marquee wins over New Mexico and Kentucky were at the beginning of the season when Cain was in the starting five. Love him or hate him, the fact remains that Dayton was a much better team at the beginning of the year. Some of that credit belongs to him.

Further complicating Cain Doliboa’s departure was the loss of one scholarship in the 2001-02 season by the NCAA for improprieties involving UD booster Clay Mathile. Were it not for the scholarship reduction, Doliboa might still be a Flyer. The University of Dayton admitted skepticism at the chances of the NCAA accepting the school’s appeal to cross out Doliboa’s 1999-00 season as a medical hardship. It is also well known that Oliver Purnell has been on the tails of high school stars Adam Waleskowski (Archbishop Alter) and Keith Jackson (Purcell Marion) for a couple of years. In short, a convoluted web of circumstances too long to explain in one paragraph pushed the Doliboa-Dayton relationship to a breaking point in which neither side would (or could) claim victory after the dust settled. The Flyers lost a deadly three-point marksman and quality rebounder while Cain Doliboa walked away from a chance at two more seasons of college ball and an opportunity to play with a national contender. In truth, cause and effect on each side might have run deeper than anyone of us knew. Should this be the case, we’re better off uninformed.

As fall practice rolls around, the coaching staff must find a way to replace Doliboa’s intangibles for an entire season. What Doliboa packs up and takes to Wright State may be a selfish attitude according to some, but killer instinct, big-play potential, and hoops intangibles are making the journey with him. Newcomers like Sammy Smith, Ramod Marshall, and Stan King must deliver an effective scoring punch from the perimeter while veterans such as Yuanta Holland, Tony Stanley, and David Morris accept a greater responsibility for team success. Brooks Hall, once Cain Doliboa’s replacement off the bench, now becomes the hunted as hungry new faces behind him scramble for playing time. For better or worse, team dynamics have changed from what they were to what they might one day be. Dayton’s success will hinge on the expediency of this conduit.

No one will definitively realize the impact of Cain Doliboa’s departure until this time next year. On one hand, Dayton may take the Maui Invitational by storm and feed off the success of 1999-00. Depth and athleticism could turn into a holy grail of high-flying excitement and many victories. On the other hand, new faces and inexperience off the bench could derail the train before it leaves the station. In lieu of the difficult 2000-01 schedule, the Flyers could limp into the Atlantic-10 opener as the budding underachiever of the season.\

Whatever happens will prove to be as interesting as any season in recent memory. Reminiscent of last year, the Flyers will operate under a slim margin of error. Success and failure could hinge on 8-10 keys plays over the course of a season — as they did in 1999-00. As we watch these moments unfold, Cain Doliboa won’t be around to make the big play when a big play is needed. It remains to be seen how much he’ll be missed, if he’ll be missed at all.