Basketball season is finally here. The Dayton Flyers got things underway with an early morning practice, but came back to the court for a 5pm matinee called Meet the Flyers, giving the Faithful a chance to size up the prospects for the 2000-01 season. A small crowd of about 3500 took advantage of the opportunity to grab some first impressions as Oliver Purnell’s club gets ready for the start of the season on Nov. 20, against UConn in the Maui Invitational.

Larry Hansgen, WHIO Sports Director who emceed the event, poked fun at last year’s disaster of a program when UD officials used clowns and face painting as a warm-up to the Flyer Madness festivities. This time it was all basketball. No gimmicks, mirrors, or sleight-of-hand. Still, it clearly lacked an energy that fans are searching for in such an event.

Jaci Clark’s womens team took the court first and followed warm-ups with a 10-minute scrimmage and a three-point shooting contest. The men followed with warm-ups of their own, then played two 15-minute scrimmages with a running clock. At the end, the men took part in a slam-dunk contest that came down to the two usual contenders: Yuanta Holland and Tony Stanley.

Despite the evening however, it had to leave most fans wanting more out of their trip to the Arena. A local radio station broadcasted live from the event and when things got started, the lights went low and the spotlights came on. It all seemed too predictable however and nothing stood out as extraordinary. Fans can only wonder if recruits in for a first impression left satisfied or asking for more. With just 3500 fans in attendance, the theory of nabbing the crossover traffic exiting the recently-completed UD football game at Welcome Stadium was a serious misjudgment. The Faithful want a bona-fide Midnight Madness again, but nobody knows for sure if there will be changes in the future. On a positive note, entrance to Saturday’s event was $1 and all proceeds are going to fighting cancer.

Kyle Skeldon, Editor of Musketeer Madness, told me this morning that Xavier’s Midnight Madness event at the new Cintas Center last night was a zoo. The local Cincinnati papers predicted 5000-6000 fans but that appears to be a low figure. Skeldon said the Muskie fans were electric and that Xavier/Flyer recruit Adam Waleskowski was a prime target from the XU student section as loud, sustained chants of “WE WANT ADAM!” went on for two or three minutes during the event. While it’s hard to say whether small things like these make an impression on a young man, there was mostly silence at the Arena on Saturday and nobody was singled out by the crowd.

Equally tough is gauging a team or its players after two 15-minute scrimmages that never carry the same degree of execution as a real game. Having said that, Tony Stanley and Brooks Hall were as sharp as nails and appear to be primed for a big year. Stanley picked off a couple passes, charged to the hoop for finger-rolls, and hit the long-range jumper. Hall was his vintage self, shooting only the shots he felt he could make, made them, played defense, and passed well. The Troy, OH, native connected on three treys in as many attempts and a short jumper on the baseline.

The upperclassmen appeared to be a step sharper than fans might expect at this point, but the newcomers will need more time to find their edge and blend in. Ramod Marshall handled the basketball fairly well on first inspection while Sammy Smith has a quick first step. Nothing from Saturday’s preview however gave any indication as to who might be in the lead for filling the center position vacated by Mark Ashman. Nate Green, if anyone, looked like a player with something to prove. There’s no question Green rarely takes a day off from the weight room. He looked bigger and stronger than Lamar Hill at first glance, but it’s too early to hold anyone, let alone UDPride, on opinions gathered from one evening of hoops.

The newly-installed scoreboards, first published by UDPride a few weeks ago, were a pleasant surprise. While the four graphics boards hanging from the corners of the lower Arena are not video quality, they are backed by a nice graphics engine that displayed several nifty clips of various colorized logos spinning around. Fans will enjoy them all year, especially when they are used for game stats as they were in the scrimmages.

The Flyers will continue to practice as they lead up to a Nov. 8, exhibition against Athletes in Action at 7:30pm at the UD Arena. Dayton’ s last exhibition is Nov. 13, against Premier All-Stars. The season begins Nov. 20, against UConn at the Maui Invitational in Lahaina.