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Commentary: Gruden energized Flyers, crowd in win against Xavier

By Doug Harris, Staff Writer 2:07 AM Thursday, January 26, 2012

News and notes from the University of Dayton basketball beat:

Jon Gruden may want to stick with his gig as a “Monday Night Football” analyst, but he seems to have too much fire inside him not to return to the sidelines again.

He had the Flyers ready to jump out of their seats during his pregame speech to the team before playing Xavier on  Jan. 21. And he showed how knowledgeable he is about hoops — emphasizing the need to finish plays, win the battle for loose balls and set a tone by being clean but physical.

He seemed genuinely touched when coach Archie Miller presented him with a UD basketball jersey afterward. The guy is all Flyer.

He shook about 1,000 hands while walking to press row and back for his short stint on the ESPN2 broadcast. He has clearly followed the Flyers. Gruden feels as if he and Miller have a lot in common by having gotten head coaching jobs at such young ages.

Gruden was 34 when the Oakland Raiders hired him, while Miller is the fifth-youngest coach in Division I at 33.

“Any time you get hired as a young man, you want to prove a lot right away. But what he’s done with their injuries and learning a new conference in basketball and new tradition, you have to give him credit,” Gruden said.

“I know what he’s going through. It’s just impressive — his intensity, his passion for the game. And it looks like he’s hired good assistants, which goes a long way.”

About his stint on “Monday Night Football,” he said: “I like it. I’m with good people. I miss coaching, but they do keep you close to the game. I’ve got a lot of work to do to get better at it, but I’m having fun.”

Recruiting update: Franklin High School freshman forward Luke Kennard and Dunbar freshman point guard A.J. Harris, both of whom have scholarship offers from UD, were seated behind the Flyer bench for the Xavier game, as were a couple of senior signees from Columbus Northland, forwards Devon Scott and Jalen Robinson.

Kennard has been to three Flyer games and said: “I love it. It’s a great atmosphere every time. It’s fun to watch.”

Kennard opened eyes on the AAU circuit last summer and is a standout on the Franklin varsity. He’s drawing attention from major programs.

“I’ve visited Ohio State, Michigan a lot, and I’m taking a visit to West Virginia and Michigan State,” he said.

Asked if any of those schools have made firm scholarship offers, he said, “Michigan has really talked to me a lot (about that), and so has Ohio State. But not as much as (UD).”

Game-changers: Asked by the Cincinnati Enquirer about playing at UD, Xavier senior center Kenny Frease said: “When they go on a run and they get their fans into the game, you can almost feel the gym vibrating. It’s really loud and they’ve got their towels that they’re always spinning around, and you can feel the wind from the towels.”

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2125 or dharris@DaytonDailyNews.com.

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