Flyers, fans can get to UD Arena quicker now

By Doug Harris, Staff Writer 12:56 AM Tuesday, December 1, 2009

DAYTON — The opening of the Stewart Street bridge will make for a shorter drive to UD Arena for Dayton Flyers basketball players coming from their campus apartments, and it also should mean a few less geese and other fowl will be put in harm’s way, at least in the view of Chris Wright.

“It’s huge,” the junior forward said of the finished construction. “Now we don’t all have to drive that back path anymore. At night, people and ducks are crossing the street. You almost hit ’em. (The bridge) is back, and I’m glad it’s back.”

The Flyers have been forced to either go through downtown Dayton or weave past Carillon Park to get to the arena since the bridge closed in June 2008. It reopened Monday, Nov. 30, which will give fans another option in making their way to games.

“Six minutes!” UD coach Brian Gregory said of the time it took to drive from the basketball office in the Frericks Center to practice. “Six minutes, as opposed to 14 or 15.”

Lowery close

Rob Lowery received a favorable report on his reconstructed knee and was cleared for full practice Monday for the first time since tearing his right patellar tendon against Xavier on Feb. 11.

But Gregory said Lowery is unlikely to play against Miami on Wednesday, and the senior point guard admits he doesn’t have the stamina yet to contribute in games.

“I’m all out of shape,” he said. “It’s pretty bad.”

Lowery, though, conceivably could make his first appearance in nearly 10 months when the Flyers host Lehigh at 2 p.m. Saturday.

Wright comes through

The Flyers staged an almost incomprehensible comeback in beating Towson (Md.), 74-69, after trailing by 18 with 9:30 to go on Saturday. And a key component in the victory was the steady play of Wright.

He had 20 points on just seven official field-goal tries. He made 10-of-11 free throws.

“I’m getting more and more comfortable at the free-throw line,” said Wright, who is shooting 75.8 percent this season after hitting 67.6 last year.

RedHawks can shoot

Gregory is always leery of playing the RedHawks, and the chief of his concerns this year is their long-range bombing.

“They’re a tremendous 3-point shooting team,” Gregory said. “All you have to do is ask John Calipari.”

The Kentucky coach watched Miami go 15-of-26 from the arc in an upset bid before the RedHawks fell, 72-70. Nick Winbush, a 6-7 junior, went 8-for-10.

The RedHawks are shooting 40.8 percent on 3s, the Flyers 35.2.

Gregory has been on a mission to get UD’s defense up to its usual standards. After finishing second in the Atlantic 10 last season in scoring defense (61.4 points) and field-goal defense (39.7 percent), the Flyers are surrendering 72.4 points per game and allowing foes to shoot 45.9 from the field.

“There’s no debate,” Gregory said. “There’s not a lot you can say. It just has to be better if we’re going to be successful.”

Next game

Who: Dayton (3-2) at Miami (2-4)

When: 7 p.m. Wednesday

Radio: WHIO-AM (1290), WHIO-FM (95.7)

TV: WHIO-TV (Ch. 7)

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Ideal Travel will have 2 busses of Flyer Fanatics making the trip down from Dayton. There may still be space available. Give Ideal Travel a call.

Jeff
4:20 PM, 12/1/2009

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I go to miami and am a huge flyer fan. the flyer faithful NEED to come to miami tomorrow night as miami is making this game a bigger deal than ever after the huge comeback 2 years ago. it should get loud in millet (bunch of incentives for coming to the game) and we need some flyer fans to rival miami's noise. lets turn millet into the decibel dungeon jr.

Brian
10:45 AM, 12/1/2009

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c'mon flyer faithful, travel to miami for the game tomorrow.

steve
9:39 AM, 12/1/2009

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