Joey Gruden was far and away the star of the group. He played four minutes, took the only shot and grabbed the only rebound. Jack Westerfield and Alter grad Michael Schwieterman each played one minute. Jeremiah Bonsu never saw the court.
The group made its mark in other ways. The Flyers need the walk-ons to contribute in practice. They run and suffer with the rest of them even though they don’t get scholarships and can only hope for an appearance or two in garbage time. Their reward is a front-row seat for 30-plus games, plenty of face time on cable TV and in photos of the bench rejoicing after big shots and the knowledge they helped the team in countless ways never seen by fans.
When Dayton senior guard Kyle Davis wrote on Twitter last week, “Remember us as the group of guys that left all the blood, sweat, and tears out there on the court,” he wasn’t just talking about the scholarship players. The guys at the end of the bench play a big part in what happens on the court, and here’s a glance at this year’s group:
RETURNERS
Gruden, 6-2, Sr., G, Leesburg, Va., Sycamore High School: Gruden joined the team for the 2014-15 season and appeared in seven games that season. He's the son of Washington Redskins coach Jay Gruden and the nephew of UD alum and Monday Night Football analyst Jon Gruden. He's also the team's best Ping Pong player.
https://twitter.com/DaytonTrueTeam/status/782387663357771776
Gruden told the Dayton Daily News in 2015 he wants to be a coach one day and learning from Archie Miller will help him get there.
“He’s very intense,” Gruden said. “It can be fun, but every day is a hard day.”
Bonsu, 5-11, Sr., G, Pickerington North High School:Bonsu joined the team as a student manager two years ago and sat on the bench for the first time as a walk-on during a game at Saint Louis in February 2015.
Cut from the basketball team in his first three years of high school, Bonsu finally made the team as a senior. He has yet to see the floor as a Flyer, but there's little doubt the moment will come at some point this season. On Friday, The Players' Tribune published a first-person piece by Bonsu about his experiences.
“My ultimate goal?” Bonsu wrote. “Well, one day, I want to be a coach. And not just any coach — I want to lead a top-tier D-I program. Trust me, I’m going to be put in the work to achieve this dream. I don’t know any other way. I know I’ll have my doubters. But that’s nothing new. I’ve been proving people wrong my entire life, and I don’t plan on stopping anytime soon.”
https://twitter.com/j_bonsu/status/789468913130147840
Westerfield, 6-1, So., G, Cincinnati St. Xavier: This is Westerfield's second season with the program. He made the All-Greater Catholic League South second team as a senior. Like Bonsu and Gruden, he wants to coach basketball after college.
https://twitter.com/DaytonTrueTeam/status/763675200525328384
NEWCOMERS
Adam Goines, 6-3, Fr., G, Cincinnati Walnut Hills: Goines is one of three new walk-ons added to the roster last week. He led Walnut Hills with 9.9 points per game last season. He was one of 1,000 students from across the nation to win a Gates Millenium Scholarship.
Ben Kanieski, 6-3, Fr., G, Brecksville, Walsh Jesuit: Kaneiski is the son of UD Hall of Famer Mike Kanieski, who played for the Flyers from 1978-82 and ranks 12th in school history with 1,642 points.
Jack Parsley, 6-5, Jr., G, Granville: Parsley was a captain at Granville as a senior and earned an honorable mention to the All-Central District team in 2014.
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