I’m typing this as I ride the Blue Train from O’Hare to downtown Chicago. I had a 10:25 a.m. flight from Columbus. Shoutout to the mom who followed her son, a young servicemember, all the way through the TSA line before saying goodbye. I miss the old days when family members could go all the way to the gate without a ticket.
This was an easy trip of less than an hour for me. The train ride will take almost as long when you throw in the trip north I’ll have to take later to Welsh-Ryan Arena.
I plan to kill time at a couple of museums this afternoon. There’s the American Writers Museum near Grant Park and the International Museum of Surgical Science near the zoo. I’ve been almost everywhere in Chicago but not to those two museums. Both seem relevant today. I’m writing, as I do every day. My dad had knee replacement surgery yesterday and is already up and walking to his favorite coffee shop. Of course, the next item in this newsletter also touches on surgery, though it’s not one anyone wants to read about.
I’ll also make time to eat. I asked Dayton fans for Chicago recommendations today. I did deep-dish pizza last season at Pequod’s. I’ll probably hit Portillo’s, a famous hot dog place, this time. I’m sure the Flyers are eating healthier. I believe they’re staying at the same hotel they used last season for the trip to Loyola Chicago, which isn’t far from Evanston. This will be the first time I’ve ever seen Dayton play at a Big Ten arena.
This isn’t a must-win game for the Flyers, but a victory would put them on a strong trajectory toward a NCAA tournament bid, while turning the tide of poor results Dayton has gotten in these non-conference true road games during the Anthony Grant era.
Here’s a quick rundown of those games:
2022: Losses at UNLV and Virginia Tech.
2021: Loses at Southern Methodist and Mississippi.
2018: Loss at Auburn.
2017: Losses at Mississippi State and Saint Mary’s.
That’s nine straight losses on the home court of non-conference opponents. Dayton has not won this type of game since it beat Alabama 77-72 in the second game of the 2016-17 season.
Another sad Malachi Smith story
Credit: David Jablonski
Credit: David Jablonski
Late in the first half Monday, I noticed junior point guard Malachi Smith had not played for a long stretch. From my vantage point in the corner by the visitor’s bench, where I was shooting photos on the floor, I couldn’t tell if he was on the Dayton bench, so I moved to the other side of the court for the final few minutes of the half. I still didn’t see Smith. Nor did I see trainer Mike Mulcahey. I had said hello to Smith’s dad, Elliot Rosado, in the stands before the game, and I didn’t see him either.
I knew this wasn’t good, but I didn’t notice the Smith injury in the first half. It wasn’t obvious because he didn’t fall to the ground or immediately leave the game. Later, when watching the video I shoot with my iPhone as I’m taking still photos with my bigger camera, I examined the footage and saw the moment he suffered a knee injury and saw him alert the coaches that he needed a sub.
At halftime, I saw Smith’s mom, Sharika Rosado, outside the locker room and witnessed another family member ask a security guard near the UD bench if he could visit the locker room.
I messaged Elliot Rosado later in the game to ask about Smith. He told me after the game Smith had an MRI scheduled for the next morning with Mulcahey. I told him I would hope for the best.
Late Wednesday night, hours after I had gone to sleep, a source texted me the news that Smith would miss the season. I woke up at 2 a.m. just to see what time it was and noticed that message. I couldn’t go back to sleep. I wrote the story and never did go back to sleep. Dayton made the news official with a press release at noon Thursday.
I don’t know how Smith’s injury will affect Dayton’s chances this season, but the bigger concern is his health and well-being because he’s been through so much over the last three seasons. It’s a crushing disappointment. He’s a fun player to watch. The season won’t be the same without him.
Good and bad in opener for Flyers
Credit: David Jablonski
Credit: David Jablonski
The Flyers pulled away in the second half for a 63-47 victory against Southern Illinois University Edwardsville on Monday. It was not the best season-opening performance by the Flyers but not the worst.
The 3-point shooting woes were the most troublesome stat, while the play of the defense and the performances of Kobe Elvis and Javon Bennett, who presumably get more minutes at point guard with Smith sidelined, were perhaps the biggest positive takeaways.
I was somewhat surprised Zimi Nwokeji didn’t get any minutes Monday because he was one of the first players off the bench in the two exhibition games. Petras Padegimas was the only one of the three freshmen to play, though Marvel Allen was not available because of an injury. Padegimas played well with six points on 3-of-3 shooting but did have two turnovers.
DaRon Holmes II struggled to get good shots from the field and made 4 of 11 but made up for that at the free-throw line by making 11 of 12. Nate Santos showed his rebounding ability, which Tom Archdeacon wrote about after the game. Enoch Cheeks led the team with four steals in his UD debut.
All in all, it’s hard to draw too many conclusions from the opener. We’ll know a lot more about the Flyers in the next four games.
Fast Break
Here’s other news that might interest Flyer fans:
🏀 The A-10 won 11 of 12 games on the opening night of the season, but the one loss was a big surprise. Virginia Commonwealth lost its first game under new coach Ryan Odom to McNeese State, a Southland Conference program that has suffered 11 straight losing seasons. Adding insult to injury, McNeese is coached by former VCU coach Will Wade, though he was not at the game Monday because of a suspension.
🏀 Former Dayton forward Toumani Camara is averaging 5.8 points and 4.5 rebounds in 24.6 minutes per game eight games into his rookie season. He’s earned praise for his defensive abilities. “He’s a junkyard dog,” teammate Malcolm Brogdon said this week. “He’s gritty. He’s tough.”
🏀 An update on my UD Arena book: Copies of “The Epicenter of College Basketball: A History of UD Arena” will be delivered to my house in Columbus by Post Printing, of Minster, on Monday. It should be an exciting moment. This printing process has gone on longer than I expected, but it’s been out of my hands for months.
I’m meeting with the woman who runs the UD bookstore and UD Arena gift shop on Tuesday to show her the book and hope to put them on sale at those locations. The books will be available for purchase online at UDArenaBook.com (link is not active yet) on Nov. 19. I will also try to bring some copies to Charleston next week in case anyone wants to buy one in person from me.
What do you want to know about the Flyers?
I want to hear from you. Reach out to me directly at david.jablonski@coxinc.com with your questions and feedback on the team or this newsletter.
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