For one game at least, the Flyers proved they can win without him, but his status going forward remains a question mark.
Asked after the game if he would be cautious with Pollard, Dayton coach Archie Miller said, “I don’t want to be cautious with him. The poor kid just can’t catch a break right now. For whatever reason, he’s got that little injury bug.”
Miller said Pollard wasn’t ready mentally to play in the Red and Blue scrimmage, but after missing that game, he engaged himself in practice and told himself he could fight through it. He started to look his old self in the secret scrimmage against Marquette and had two good workouts after that game when he suffered the setback.
“He gets a very very difficult thigh contusion, which has really stalled him,” Miller said. “The good thing is he knows, as we all know, when he does get the leg calmed down the knee right now is not really his issue. We’ve got to fight through it. I don’t know when he’ll be back or when he’ll be ready. I know this: he changes our team mightily when he’s out there. But the more he’s out now, you worry about the lack of conditioning he was building. He’s kind of in a holding pattern. He’ll play when his leg allows him to play. He knows we’re waiting on his recovery. There’s nothing we can do.”
Landers debuts: Wayne grad Trey Landers didn't play in the exhibition game but saw action in the second half Friday. He made both his shots from the field and finished with four points in eight minutes.
Bonsu debuts: Four walk-ons saw the court in the final minute: Joey Gruden, Jack Westerfield, Jack Parsley and Jeremiah Bonsu. It was the first career action for Parsley, a 6-foot-5 junior from Granville, and Bonsu, a 5-11 senior from Pickerington.
Bonsu has become a fan favorite. Students were chanting his name before Miller motioned for him to get in the game. His teammates tried to get him a shot, but Bonsu passed out of traffic on a drive to the basket in the final seconds.
“I told him when he left, I was really disappointed in him, to be honest with you,” Miller joked. “He had his one crack to shoot the ball, and he passed it up.”
Next game: The Flyers play at Alabama at 1:15 p.m. Tuesday in Tuscaloosa. The game is part of ESPN's Tipoff Marathon for the second straight year. Dayton beat Alabama 80-48 in coach Avery Johnson's second game last season.
The Crimson Tide overcame a 33-27 halftime deficit to beat Coastal Carolina 70-53 in their opener on Friday night.
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