Findlay Observations
So that was closer than we all wanted. Overall I’m not too worried. They came out with no intensity whatsoever and got down 15–6. Archie then subbed everybody and there wasn’t much of a response until Scoochie came back in. They got the lead down to 7 by the end of the half and eventually took the lead on a Sam Miller three pointer with about 7 minutes left and I was never really concerned after that. The transition game really fueled the comeback, as Charles Cooke and company started to lockdown on defense. Cooke finished with 19 points, newcomer Josh Cunningham had 18 and Scoochie scored 16. More specifically, let’s go through all the subjects I mentioned in the preview and a few more:
- Kendall Pollard: Kendall didn’t play due to a thigh contusion. Dude stop getting injured we need you.
- Josh Cunningham: A slow start included him getting blocked and allowing a couple offensive rebounds. He got better as the game went along, finishing strong at the rim (7–10 from the floor) and rebounding with tenacity. It was probably just the first game jitters. Hype machine keep hyping.
- Charles Cooke: Played great in transition and wrecked havoc all over the floor defensively. He ended with 4 steals and 3 blocks and led to countless transition opportunities that got UD back in the game. His shot blocking remains elite.
- The Davises shooting: Kyle was pretty bad offensively, shooting 1–6 from the floor. At one point in the 2nd half he had a beautiful shot fake at the three point line, took a dribble in and airballed a wide open pull-up jumper. I was bothered he didn’t take it all to the way to the rim. He did have the block at the top of the page to clinch it and played his customary solid defense, so I’m willing to overlook that for now. Darrell struggled inside the arc (0–4) but went 1–2 from three and I thought the one he missed looked great. Bounceback outside shooting year coming.
- The sophomores: A thoroughly meh game from most of them, but I thought John Crosby looked the best of the bunch, scoring on a nice spin move and dishing an assist to Cunningham in one 2nd half sequence game. Most importantly he only had one turnover. Mikesell got the start, implying he will be the first non-guard off the bench once Kendall returns. He had 4 assists, and overall looked fine though his one three pointer was bricked badly. Xeyrius Williams played 15 minutes without taking a shot and I legitimately cannot remember a single thing he did. Ask again later on both those guys. Then we have Sam Miller. O dear Sam. Although he made the three-pointer to take our first lead of the game, his other shots were an adventure. The two missed three pointers he took about two feet behind the line. It bothers me a ton when bigger guys do that because they don’t need the extra space a guard needs because of their height. Their shot is unlikely to get blocked. Just take a half-step up and you’re there man. He was only 1–4 from two and struggled to finish around Findlay’s big guys. His defense did look better though. At one point he covered two back-to-back pick and rolls and made it back to the basket to affect a shot, all in one possession. Encouraging, that.
- John Crosby playing next to Scoochie: It went pretty well actually. There was actually a point in time where Scooch, Kyle, and Crosby were all on the floor at the same time. That is not a big deal against Findlay, but I would imagine the lack of height would make this unplayable against real opponents. It could be a fun changeup to use if Kyle is having a rough shooting night and we need a spark.
- Bonsu playing time: We’ll have to wait till next time.
- Jerseys: I loved the Big Steve patch. Not a huge fan of the fade to gray in the shorts, but other than that the jerseys looked svelte. If somebody could just make a Marian blue version we’d be set.
Elsewhere
1. Shooting woes: The Flyers shot 68.6 percent from the free-throw line two seasons ago and fell to 66.8 percent last season.On Friday, Dayton 54.8 percent (17 of 31). Forward Josh Cunningham made 4 of 4. Guard Charles Cooke made 4 of 6. No one else shot better than 50 percent. Dayton made 29 of 35 in a secret scrimmage against Marquette but took a step back Friday.“Shooting in general is a concern,” Miller said. “Especially the last four minutes, being able to ice that game and make it three or four possessions and not doing it, if you just watch our team, we’re not a confident shooting team early. I think we’re going to get better as the season goes as far as guys having confidence they can take it. But at the line, it’s concentration; 17 of 31 is not good enough.”
Right now, if we have a two point lead late in a game I do not trust anybody on the team to go to the line and make both. It’s a problem. Adding Kendall isn’t going to help. Cunningham going 4–4 was encouraging at least.
After the game head coach Archie Miller gave credit to Findlay but said he was disappointed in both the Flyer’s intensity level and mindset defensively to start the game. Miller called out the front court for showing no intensity and simply said “we have a lot of work to do. With the standards and expectations we’re under right now, we have to make a big jump.”I thought Scoochie and Cooke in particular looked pretty unengaged to start the game. Cunningham also started a little slow. All three of them turned it on eventually and ended up being the best player in the game.
My stomach did a back-flip when Findlay blew a layup early on and my instant reaction was “Grab that Big Steve.” This season’s for you big guy. Big fan of the new jerseys and the “5” patch:It was weird not having him out there dancing during pregame. Whatever the team has planned for pregame this Friday is sure to be emotional. On to Austin Peay!
