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Former Centerville star learning at UD

Flyers big man Matt Kavanaugh upbeat despite little playing time so far as a freshman.

By Doug Harris, Staff Writer 10:41 PM Thursday, January 7, 2010

DAYTON — Playing on the scout team with walk-ons is probably not how Matt Kavanaugh imagined spending his first year on the University of Dayton men’s basketball team. The former Centerville High School star, however, doesn’t mope, grouse or shy away from the thrashing that usually comes with facing the first-stringers.

“He gets the crap beat out of him every day in practice and keeps coming back for more,” UD coach Brian Gregory said, admiringly. “I like his desire to continue to improve and learn.”

Although he was a first-team Division I all-state player and was recruited by Big East schools, the 6-foot-10, 255-pound Kavanaugh discovered there’s still plenty left to learn at the college level.

“Every player is strong and physical,” he said. “Everyone on the court is an athlete. You have to fight for every ball. I have to work on boxing out. I’m obviously not going to out-jump many people, but if you can box out hard, that’ll go a long way.”

While he did get some quality minutes in the Puerto Rico tourney in November, Kavanaugh has scored only three points in five games and has fallen behind redshirt freshman sub Josh Benson in the post pecking order. But discouragement hasn’t set in.

“I’m enjoying myself. The team is winning. I’m having fun. I love UD,” Kavanaugh said.

Making the jump from the prep ranks to a top college program is tough for anyone, but Gregory believes centers have an especially hard time.

“Big guys take longer,” he said. “It’s just such a different game. More is demanded of you physically. To be honest, at the high school level, good coaches understand the most important thing is to keep their big guy out of foul trouble — because if they go by somebody, they get a foul called. Big guys are at a disadvantage.

“He’s been well-taught. He knows a lot. So do all our guys. We recruit guys from well-coached programs. But there’s still a learning curve for everyone.”

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