Johnny Davis, a a 6-foot-1 guard from Detroit who scored 1,562 points for UD from 1973-76, had not seen the Flyers play in person since his playing career ended. A long career in the NBA, first for 10 years as a player and then for decades as a coach, prevented him. All these years later, not much about the scene in front of Davis had changed.
“The floor is different,” Davis said. “We were on the tartan floor when I played. The arena looks very similar. I know there have been some changes. But the spirit of the school itself and the arena here, you can just feel it. I’ve been in a lot of gyms, been in a lot of arenas, seen a lot of fans. The fan base here at the University of Dayton is as good as I’ve seen anywhere.”
Davis was the head coach of the Philadelphia 76ers in 1995-96 and the Orlando Magic from 2003-05. He last coached with the Los Angeles Lakers as an assistant in 2013-14 and is now semi-retired and living in Asheville, N.C.
The game, which Dayton won 75-61 over East Tennessee State, marked the second memorable moment of the weekend for Davis. He addressed the team on Friday and talked about “how important team chemistry is and how important it is that they stay connected and that the good teams rise above all the obstacles that are placed in front to them. They don’t do it individually. They do it collectively. They do it as a group, as a unit. As long as they stay true to that, then the sky’s the limit for them, and who knows how far they can go.”
Pollard's play: In his third game of the season, Kendall Pollard had 12 points and 12 rebounds. He played 31 minutes after playing 18 and 17 in the last two games. Pollard also made his first start of the season.
Sam Miller started the first six games. He missed the 91-59 victory over Saint Joseph’s College with an illness, and Xeyrius Williams started in his place. Pollard took that starting spot in this game.
“It felt good to get out there and get my feet wet early,” Pollard said, “and not have to sit and come off the bench. We got a good win against a great team.”
Next game: Dayton (7-2) gets a week off and will be dealing with final exams in the days leading up to a Dec. 17 game against Northwestern (6-2) at the United Center in Chicago. It will be a homecoming game for three Flyers: Pollard; senior guard Kyle Davis; and injured sophomore forward Josh Cunningham.
None have ever played at the United Center, the home of the Chicago Bulls.
“I’ve been wanting to play at the United Center my whole life,” Pollard said. “This is the biggest game on the schedule for me.”
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