Every time I drive my son Chase, 4, anywhere these days, he wants me to act as if I’m playing Mario Kart, the video game featuring Super Mario and his friends racing on go-karts. I dodge imaginary banana peels and flying mushrooms and speed to catch Bowser, Luigi and the other racers. I’m sure the officer will understand when I get pulled over for reckless, imaginary racing. Maybe Chase can help me talk my way out of that ticket.
Chase is never not interesting but also a major challenge. The same could be said for covering the Dayton Flyers over the last 10 seasons. The last seven days provides a good example.
Dayton blew a four-point lead in the last 30 seconds in stunning fashion a week ago on Friday in a 63-62 loss to Virginia Commonwealth. I’ve covered approximately 283 games since 2013 and had never seen anything quite as devastating as that loss. The fact that it was VCU, which has owned the Flyers more than any other program in recent years and now has a leg up in winning the regular-season championship this year, made it worse for Dayton and its fans.
» PHOTOS: Dayton vs. VCU
Four days later, Dayton bounced back by beating Davidson 68-61, but the bigger story came out after the game when Dayton coach Anthony Grant interrupted his own postgame press conference to blast fans, specifically sports betters, who came after his players online after the loss to VCU.
» PHOTOS: Dayton vs. Davidson
Knowing the importance of Grant’s comments, I posted a video of him speaking to Twitter as soon as I could after the press conference. First, I had to track down Malachi Smith, who was soaking his feet in a cold tub at the Donoher Center for an interview. At 10 p.m., I got the video posted. Although I had a story to finish for deadline for our digital extra edition, I put that off and transcribed Grant’s comments for a story on DaytonDailyNews.com. I published that at 10:23.
The video and story took off that night and all week. The video has been watched almost 94,000 times. Almost 20,000 people have clicked on the story. Tom Archdeacon’s more in-depth follow-up piece on Thursday generated another 5,000 page views.
In short, Grant’s comments hit a nerve. The vitriol coaches and players face from not only gamblers but disgruntled fans is a sad part of sports these days. I see it myself as a voter in the Associated Press football and basketball polls. I’ve been called plenty of names. I’ve got a thick skin and haven’t experienced anything close to what Grant and the Flyers have seen, I’m sure, but even a faceless, nameless keyboard idiot can ruin five seconds of my day.
I don’t think Grant’s words will change anything, but I’m sure it felt good to say something.
How well do you know UD Arena?
We published a quiz about UD Arena’s history this week on our website. I got seven of the eight questions correct. I should have posted a perfect score considering how much time I’ve spent thinking about the arena in the past 18 months.
A reader asked for an update on my UD Arena book project last week, so here it is. I’ve written about 62,000 words. The book has chapters on the planning, construction and building of the arena, as well as chapters on the many updates the arena has had over the years, including the three-year project that wrapped up in 2019. There are also chapters focusing on the great moments from Dayton basketball history and on the memorable NCAA tournament moments at the arena. I just put some work into the chapter on UD women’s basketball history at the arena this week. I’ve written about the many miscellaneous events the arena has hosted: from the Bogie Buster celebrity events in the 1970s to The Basketball Tournament last summer. There’s a chapter on the concert history and the history of high school games at the arena.
Maybe I’ve written too much. We’ll see. I’ve been talking to a small publisher in Cincinnati and will pay to publish the book myself. I’m sure I’ll make my money back fast, knowing Dayton fans, but this project isn’t about the money. I just want this book to exist. My hope in pushing the publication back to this year was the Flyers would write a fun final chapter with their play this season. I don’t know if that’s going to happen, but no matter what happens, 44 straight sellouts at the arena adds to its legacy.
Smith: ‘I just wanted to get back on the court’
Dayton’s longtime director of athletic communications, Doug Hauschild, helped me find Dayton point guard Malachi Smith after the game Tuesday against Davidson. Smith returned to action after missing 11 games with an ankle injury. That would have been the story of the day if not for Grant’s comments about fans. Smith didn’t come to the postgame press conference because he was getting treatment from trainer Mike Mulcahey, and when Doug found Smith, he was sitting on the edge of the cold tub inside the Donoher Center, soaking his feet. Mulcahey joked I had to get in the tub with Smith if I wanted to interview him, which I would have been happy to do if it had been the hot tub.
I asked Smith to revisit his Nov. 25 injury, which happened about five feet from where I sat on the baseline. We talked about whether he thought about taking a medical redshirt (not really) and about the longterm prognosis for his often-injured ankles (he’ll probably get surgery after the season). The story mostly focused on his joy of being on the court again — joy shared by the fans who gave him a standing ovation and by the teammates who welcomed him back.
“We know the Flyer fans love Mali, and we do, too,” Dayton forward Toumani Camara said.
Last game against the Colonials?
I fly to Washington, D.C., tomorrow. It’s the easiest trip of the season. A short flight from Columbus to Reagan National Airport: 7:03 a.m. departure and 8:23 arrival. I usually take the train to the Arlington National Cemetery stop and walk the rest of the way, visiting the Lincoln Memorial, which is about three blocks from George Washington’s Charles E. Smith Center. I may just walk the whole way from the airport this time — it’s about four miles to the arena — detour past the Jefferson Memorial just to see something different.
RELATED: A lifetime of travel memories covering the A-10
Dayton plays George Washington at 12:30 p.m. It’s a friendly time for me because I can fly home at 8 p.m. The fewer nights I have to spend away from home and the more times I can help with Chase in the morning the better. That won’t be possible next week for the Archie Miller Bowl: Dayton vs. Rhode Island on Wednesday in Kingston.
This will be the last time Dayton plays the Colonials unless they meet in the A-10 tournament. GW is changing its nickname and will have a new one next season. I just hope they pick something original — or choose Rams, so I can make more jokes about there being so many Rams in the A-10.
Fast Break
Each week, I’ll spotlight news from around the A-10 or other news that might interest Flyer fans.
🏀 Does VCU’s victory at Dayton make it the A-10 favorite now? The Richmond Times-Dispatch covered the aftermath of that victory this week. VCU routed UMass on Tuesday in its first game since beating Dayton but faces a bigger test tonight in a road game across town at Richmond.
🏀 There aren’t many happy fan bases in these parts nowadays, especially when it comes to the tradition-rich programs. We know the roller-coaster Dayton fans have experienced this season. Xavier is still the most satisfied bunch, despite a loss to DePaul this week. Louisville is at rock bottom. Kentucky had a big victory Saturday against Tennessee but isn’t having a fun time this season. Cincinnati has won three games in a row, which is an accomplishment for it these days. Indiana has played better in its last two games but was struggling until that point. Then there’s Ohio State, whose struggles beat writer Adam Jardy wrote about in the Columbus Dispatch today.
🏀 ESPN’s Joe Lunardi still lists Dayton among teams he’s considering for an at-large berth.
What do you want to know about the Flyers?
I want to hear from you. Reach out to me directly at david.jablonski@coxinc.com with your questions and feedback on the team or this newsletter.
Also be sure to follow our Flyer Nation Facebook page for the latest news on the team. I’ll have updates, photos and videos on Twitter, as well.
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