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Five Great Ones Of The New Era
Five Great Ones Of The New Era
Christopher Rieman
Published by Chris R
05-19-2008
Smile Five Great Ones Of The New Era

DAYTON (OH) – It’s hard to ignore the recent conversations about Flyer stars of the past. The list is long and distinguished and while basketball was and still is a team sport, individual greatness – at times – leaves fans with the fondest memories.

The modern era of Flyer basketball unofficially began in 1950 when the UD Fieldhouse opened, but another era of sorts began in 1990 with the departure of legendary Head Coach Don Donoher and the arrival of Jim O’Brien. This “New Era” signaled a major change in the program that was here to stay: conference affiliation (and turnover), fresh coaches (and coaching turnover), and forthcoming peaks and valleys unseen around these parts in several decades. Consider it the Rock n’ Rollification of big-time NCAA basketball. At times, Dayton struggled to digest the transition properly, but stabilized things and excelled on the heels of a patience demonstrated by the Flyer faithful that still defies proper explanation.

If the New Era began in 1990, who best reflects the excellence defined in the 18 years since? It’s a question asked many times before, but I’ll attempt to answer it nonetheless. The pool of applicants is strong, though not as deep as some might think. Most of the true greats in Flyer lore continue to come from the distant past, but that’s no reason avoid singling out the best of the best from the latest chapter.

Point Guard: Negele Knight
Knight’s inclusion was earned with the smallest amount of empirical data, but his senior year of 1990 remains one of the greatest individual stretches of pure greatness in Flyer basketball history – let alone the New Era. Mired in a funk for half of the season, Dayton patched together an unimpressive 11-9 record before a trip to Marquette jumpstarted a magic carpet ride fans are still talking about. Knight wasn’t just the Flyers’ focal point of this great stretch, he was the focal point of every team that tried to stop him. His handiwork turned opposing foes into carnage over the last third of the season, averaging eye-popping numbers that placed him squarely among the top two or three floor generals in the nation. By year-end he averaged 22.8ppg and 6.8apg.

Knight’s stats were impressive all to themselves, but even more so considering they came against the likes of Notre Dame, Xavier, Illinois, and Arkansas among others. The Muskies, working on a school record for most regular season wins, enrolled in Knight School twice in the last 10 days of the season and limped home with their tail between the legs. His 32 points and 15 assists in the MCC Championship solidified Knight's legendary status. He was unstoppable against anyone and the magic only ended when the Flyers were forced to play Final Four-bound Arkansas a man down. Drafted early in the second round by Phoenix, Negele Knight remains the last Flyer to make the NBA.

Shooting Guard: Brian Roberts
Perhaps most impressive in Brian Roberts’ resume’ is the fact that the Toledo native scored more than 1900 points, set a school record for career 3PT FG%, and finished as one of the all-time greats at the foul line while schlepping around for four seasons playing out of position. Roberts, like a lot of great players, will see his stock rise the longer time goes by. Until the departure of Trent Meacham, Roberts was pegged as a designated two guard groomed to run off picks for four years. It didn’t happen. Forced to play point guard because no better option existed, he performed admirably and got better every year. Roberts was never a prototypical floor leader and he never pretended to be, but he did the best he could with the skills he had that, so often, were enough to carry the Flyers on his back.

On teams lacking consistent depth and outside shooting, he faced double- and triple-teams to no end. UMass Head Coach Travis Ford designed a defense to slow down Roberts that was so risk-reward based, other teams followed suit for the remainder of the season simply because doing nothing meant absolute obliteration from a jumpshooter capable of getting 30 points pretty much any time he chose. His selfless team-first attitude might be the best endorsement of all however. Had Roberts been able to run off picks his entire career and shoot as often as fans envisioned, it’s fair to say Roosevelt Chapman’s career scoring mark may have fallen.

Tony Stanley comes to mind as the next logical choice. More gifted athletically, a better defender, and the player Roberts’ three-point scoring records broke, T-Stan had his moments and scored a lot of points, but had more talent around him and took more shots to get the same throughput. There’s also a feeling among many fans that Stanley could have done even more and his glaring absence from the Flyer alumni roll call continues to stick out.

QUICK FORWARD: Chris Wright
This is the most difficult choice given just one year of data, but local superstar Chris Wright has upside and potential outshined only by the kindness and glowing smile his mother Ernestine gave him. All too often we see young men believe their own hype and live in a world of perceived entitlement. But as much as Wright’s natural talents impress, most insiders believe his separation from other potential greats rests in a work ethic equal to or exceeding his own skills. The most logical choice to man the three hole of the New Era is Brooks Hall, a player not unlike Brian Roberts who did more than even the softest of critics credited him for.

Hall was consistently good from day one and excelled at minimizing weaknesses rather than exploiting strengths. Every team needs a Brooks Hall or two, but every team hell-bent on playing in the second week of the NCAA tournament needs Chris Wright – and that’s where the difference lies. Wright’s big-game potential and ability to drop jaws with the seemingly unfathomable is why he’s the most important recruit of the last 25 years. If the Flyers have any chance of turning the corner and becoming the next Xavier or Gonzaga, Wright is the meal ticket.

POWER FORWARD: Ryan Perryman
A fan once told me, “give me five Ryan Perrymans in the starting lineup and I will send Godzilla limping back to Tokyo.” A lot of players of the New Era bring considerable talent to the table and Perryman is no exception. Most “effort guys” get incorrectly labeled as talent-deficient souls that narrow the gap with intangibles. Keith Waleskowski, another Flyer great, mistakenly falls into the same pigeon-hole. Perryman had talents that were unteachable: instincts, hands, preparation, attitude, and heart. You either have them or you don’t.

The P-Man was an old-school warlock in a modern game of flash and Sportscenter highlights. And yet fans forget several impressive Perryman dunks for some reason. He just preferred to save his legs for that game-changing rebound rather than add pastry to a basket that still counts for two. The NCAA tournament deserved Ryan and he deserved a shot at the big stage, but his supporting cast was never quite there to make it happen. The final 10 games of his career were among the most impressive in 100 years of UD hoopdom, with gaudy averages of 18ppg and 15ppg that were double-double numbers far beyond anything the rest of the country’s basketball base had the pleasure of watching. Waleskowski had a broader set of tools and was more capable at the foul stripe, making the four spot the most competitive position to call. Perryman’s inclusion as one of the top 20 players of all time by fan voting cements his place forever -- no matter the era.

CENTER: Mark Ashman
This was a two-horse race with Sean ‘Shark” Finn, but Ashman clearly has the advantage in most categories. First and perhaps most important, Ashman energized the program right away and was one of Oliver Purnell’s signature recruits after taking over the program. Ashman, like Perryman, was instrumental in changing the culture of Flyer basketball and helped push the Flyers to a dramatic win over Kentucky (among his best performances) and ultimately to the NCAA tournament. The St. Mary’s HS product did everything: shot the ball to 17ft, rebounded, defended, hit for percentage at the foul line, and was a leader – not bad for a 6-9 power forward playing out of position for four seasons. Dayton’s ability to recruit another big-man to compliment Ashman never happened, so Ash was our aircraft carrier. Ashman was as sure a thing as a coaching staff could hope for every night of the season. The consistent ability to get 13 and 7 every night gave Dayton a stability that boxscores alone do not measure.

While Finn was a far better shot blocker and had a senior year competitive with Ashman’s, it took a full two seasons before the Shark figured out college basketball. Finn also had confidence issues at the foul stripe that went from anemic to almost dead-eye accurate for stretches of his career. It’s a shame Flyer fans never got the chance to see them together at their prime because their games were perfect compliments.

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Ordinarily, lists like these include a bunch of close calls – guys who just missed the cut. I’m leaving that to all of you. I mentioned a few names, but there are plenty more so accept the challenge and start the conversation.

One question remains and if you haven’t guessed it by now, your Flyer Fan credentials are on the chopping block: “how good might this team of New Era greats been?” Assuming everything else remains equal and no other teams pieced together similar all-star lists, this Flyer team would match up with just about anyone. The backcourt could stand on its own as one of the nation’s finest, while the interior looks very much like the yeoman collection of hard-hatted nasties George Mason reached the Final Four with. Unlike Mason or a lot of other non-BCS schools with dreams of making such a run, Dayton has that X-factor in the lineup: the remarkable big-time talent of Chris Wright that begins where even John Wooden’s coaching ends. Every national power has one guy that puts opposing coaches into a cold sweat. Knight had that, but balance at the other four positions might leave Top Flyght as the scariest force of nature of all.
__________________

Hot shooting hides a multitude of sins.
Make everyone else's "one day" your "day one".
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  #1  
By UDEE79 on 05-20-2008, 04:26 PM
Waleskowski belongs on this list. I fully expect Wright to pass him in total greatness and value to UD but that won't happen on the career level for at least two years.
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  #2  
By Binnie Bombs 33 on 05-23-2008, 12:51 PM
Without Keith Waleskowski on this list ... it makes the list meaningless.

No joking here ... CW does not deserve to be mentioned until his college career is complete.
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  #3  
By PhillyFlyer95 on 05-23-2008, 11:27 PM
Great Article Agree With All Five Selections...Four Different Coaches

Great Article...I agree with all five selections.

What I found interesting, of the five selections, they were recruited by four different (all four) coaches in the modern area. Of the five, the only coach who has more than one recruit on the list is the current coach. Of the five on the list, and as we all know, all five are special. The one that has to have you most excited, is CW. Not only does he probably have more talent than anyone to ever wear the uniform, but with his character and work ethic, he sets an example for future Flyers that will wear the uniform for the next generation.

B-Rob and Ryan Perryman never got the day they deserved in The Big Dance. I don't think, thanks to BG and CW, this current crop will have that same problem. That day will come, we all know it will...
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  #4  
By Chris R on 05-25-2008, 10:21 AM
Waleskowski was a tough omission, however I built the starting five based on playing position. No four guard lineup of "best available". Keith was a power forward, and I just could not put him ahead of Perryman.

My next toughest omission was Corbitt. Undersized forward as well who also played center. His stats are hard to argue and stack up well against Ashman's, however with Perryman bruising inside, I felt Corbitts playing style would be a bit redundant and wanted a big man who could step outside and hit the 17 footer with regularity. Ashman is the only big man in the last 15-20 years who could really do that for us -- minus Chip Hares two year career and two years of mailing it in.
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  #5  
By Fudd on 05-26-2008, 01:14 PM
I like the list. I agree that you have to take Perryman over Waleskowski. It's a close call, but I loved the extrordinary toughness that Perryman brought to our team.
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