In both cases, the team’s quickness comes into play. The Flyers want to play fast but limit turnovers. They don’t have much size — one 6-foot-9 forward in Sam Miller and one 6-8 forward in Xeyrius Williams — so they need to use their speed on defense.
“It has to be a fast team,” Miller said Tuesday. “Part of it is when the 11th and 12th players come in, our goal is to continue the burst and not have a slower pace when we substitute. We want a consistent push on offense. That’s a huge deal for us.”
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The Flyers took advantage of transition opportunities in a secret scrimmage Saturday against Marquette, Miller said.
“I was happy to see that,” Miller said. “But we still have four or five unforced, unnecessary turnovers just trying to play too fast.”
Dayton averaged 12.9 turnovers last season. Two years ago, it averaged 11.5.
“We’ve always liked to play fast,” Miller said. “From a missed shot standpoint, defense to offense is the way you change the game. From a made standpoint, we’ve always wanted to be one of those teams that forces the action back down on you and doesn’t let you rest. I’m hopeful — and I know our players are hopeful — this year’s tempo and push has to be as fast as we can because right now we’re not bringing in anybody who doesn’t know how we play. They’ve all been there. We’ve just got to get consistent effort.
“I think right now we’re probably a 25-minute a game team. We’re able to play 25 minutes effectively. the back 15 minutes of a game is too sloppy and it’s careless and it’s not detailed. We’re trying this week to get up into the 30s and after the exhibition game we’ve got to be ready to play a full 40.”
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