If the Flyers had any excuse to lose their first ballgame of the year, Saturday’s contest against Cleveland State might offer the most reasons. The Dayton squad put down their basketballs this week and crammed for exams. They are 8-0 and due for some bad luck. It is a road game. The Vikings have a stable of Ohio Mr. Basketballs on their roster. Rollie Massimino guided CSU to an upset over Dayton two years ago at the UD Arena. Cain Doliboa is injured and won’t play. The Flyers are reading their press clippings and already penciling in a national ranking.

All of the above however is bunch of hooey. The reality is there are no excuses, and the Dayton Flyers as we have come to know in 99-00 won’t be able to use any of them if they don’t travel to Cleveland State and whip up on the Vikings. In short, Dayton is the better team and any program complaining about get shafted in the national polls should pummel a talented but mediocre non-conference opponent. Besides, Dayton got stung by CSU two seasons ago — a loss that bumped the Flyers out of the NCAA Tournament. Every player on the Flyer team should have a chip on their shoulder for this one.

Sizing up the Cleveland State Vikings is like sizing up a nice looking pair of sneakers at the discount shoe store. You know they are probably just as good as the name brand, but they lack the polish and confidence of the ones that pro athlete tries to sell you on television.

The CSU backcourt welcomes a new addition this year. Damon Stringer, the former Ohio State Buckeye, transferred from Columbus last year and is one of the best pure talents in the MCC. Stringer has been away from the game for more than two seasons — sidelined in 1997-98 with an injury, and sitting out 98-99 due to the transfer rule. But the off-court time hasn’t affected Stringer’s output. The former Cleveland Heights HS star is putting up 17.6ppg, 3.4rpg, and 4apg while lading the team in minutes played. At OSU, Stringer netted 15.1ppg, 4.4apg, and made 3rd Team All Big Ten. Stringer has never been the greatest jumpshooter, but he creates his own scoring opportunities and opportunities for his teammates with little trouble. At 5’11”, he’s much like David Morris — with a little more polish and a little more experience. He’s a dangerous player who can drop 30 points on a given night.

At shooting guard is a CSU mainstay who decimated the Flyers two seasons ago at the Arena. James Madison, a 6’3” senior, is the long-range bomber who can also put it on the floor and make things happen. Last season Madison averaged 15ppg and 2.9rpg, but his numbers are 9.8ppg and 1.5rpg this year. Madison was touted as a possible MCC Player of the Year candidate, but has been hampered by nagging injuries in recent times. He’s shooting just .321% from the floor — but the moment you dare him to sink a few treys, the moment you wish you played it safe and fronted him everywhere on the floor.

At the quick froward slot is Sonny Johnson, a former Ohio Mr. Basketball who averages 13ppg, good enough for second-best on the team. Johnson also gets to the glass relatively well at 6’5”, nabbing 4.6rpg. Johnson is a slasher and post-up type of wing man, and that makes him dangerous. He won’t step out take the long jumper but his medium-range game is arguably the best on the team. His .488 FG% is indicative of his ability to get near the basket and find high-percentage shots.

At power forward is Anthony Jackson, a 6’7”, 225lb, junior who bulked up in the offseason and tends to play a small but important role in the CSU rotation. Jackson isn’t much of a scorer, but he’ll throw some weight around and grab a few boards (4.5rpg).

In the middle is 6’8” Kevin Ross, a JUCO product from Monroe Community College (N.Y.). Ross averages 7.1ppg and 4.3rpg and is active near the basket, but gives up a few inches to taller, more traditional centers who like to post up and do damage with their back facing the basket.

The danger of CSU is their depth however. Five players have been mentioned but another five contribute heavily to the Viking attack.

Jamaal Harris, a 6’1” junior, who was a teammate to Stringer at Cleveland Heights, is a steady point guard with experience who averages 8ppg, 2.5rpg, and 2.8apg. Doc Taylor, a transfer from DePaul, is a 6’3” junior who chips in 6.4ppg and 2.8rpg. Taylor led the entire Conference USA class in scoring as a frosh.

Tahric Gosley, a 6’6” frosh, hails from prestigious Philly Simon Gratz — a HS with a laundry list of NCAA and NBA standouts. Gosley’s numbers are a healthy 7.3ppg and 4rpg.

Ricardo Crumble, a 6’8” junior, averages 4.3ppg and 3.2rpg while playing center in Massimino’s height-disadvantaged but talented rotation.

In all, 10 players average at least two rebounds a game, an unheard-of statistic that underlines the “committee” effort of Cleveland State. While Stringer, Johnson, and Madison are the triple threats, the Vikings have so much depth and raw talent that 10 players have the potential to put up huge numbers in any single game. On the whole, Massimino may have one of the 40 most-talented rosters in the country. Unfortunately, consistency has been a problem.

CSU is 3-5 on the year, with wins over such no-names as Hawaii-Hilo, Prairie View A&M, and Sacred Heart, while losses have been to Cincinnati, Ohio U., Rhode Island, Bowling Green, and Akron — the last four losses by a total of just 21 points. Clearly, CSU is having problems winning the close ones, but a contest against the high-flying Flyers would go a long way to making up for past mistakes.

The Dayton Flyers can win this game and should win this game, but could also suffer their first defeat of the season if they don’t arrive in Cleveland with their game faces on. Mark Ashman has a size advantage on the inside while the depth of Yuanta Holland, Nate Green, Brooks Hall, and even Tony Stanley at the forward positions could be the difference in the game. The point guards must control tempo and take care of the basketball as Damon Stringer may be the most-difficult matchup so far this season. The Vikings like to get out on the fast break and score points, but the Flyers need to stick to the game plan and work for open shots. If Dayton can fast-break on occasion and catch CSU napping on defense, it will help even more. But defense will once again win or lose this game — as it has every game this year. If the Flyers shut down the trey, close the driving lanes, and clean the glass, UD will remain undefeated. If the Flyers come out flat like week-old soda pop, the Flyer Faithful will be fishing for excuses where there simply aren’t any.