Dayton AD talks to men’s basketball players about dedication of Flyer Faithful

The first episode showed Dayton athletic director Neil Sullivan giving the Flyers a tour of UD Arena. He took the players to the 400 level to give them a lesson on the dedication of the Flyer Faithful.

“We’re in this new world, right?” Sullivan tells the players as they stand behind the last row in the Bud Light Flight Deck. “Our fans have always mattered to us, but now they matter a little more. We’re in the period of survival of the fittest fan base that allows you to pursue your hopes, goals, dreams, aspirations of playing basketball, getting an education, and now there’s money that comes with it.

“Everyone that came before you really didn’t have that opportunity. People have played in this building since 1969 so it’s really important to me that we take some time to see what we have. Coach (Anthony Grant) is big on being grateful. We’re a grateful program.”

Sullivan told the players he would take them on a 20-minute tour. Then he asked the players if they had ever been to the upper level of the arena.

“You’re down there, right?” he said, talking about Tom Blackburn Court at UD Arena. “So there’s a lot of things that you don’t see.”

Sullivan gave each of the players a sheet of paper showing how much fans pay for tickets, depending on where they sit. He said he would show the players a suite that costs $75,000 a year. He also planned to show them seats that cost $366 per season.

“There’s people that come up here, and this is their view,” He said. “Now that’s a pretty good 400-level view for most arenas, but coming up those stairs wasn’t easy, right? You’ve got people that are older. We have an elevator for people that are handicapped.”

It’s really important, Sullivan said, that the players understand that every fan is important, not only the ones who sit near the court. He also wanted them to understand how difficult it can be to get tickets.

“For the last four years, every ticket has been sold before the season starts,” Sullivan said. “So if someone says, ‘Hey, I want to go to a Dayton game tonight,’ the only way you’re doing that is on the secondary market —StubHub or one of those deals.“

Credit: Bryant Billing

Credit: Bryant Billing

There are 1,500 people on a waiting list for season tickets, Sullivan said.

“When a season ticket opens up, they’ve got to start up here because these seats turn over a little more than down there,” Sullivan said. “In the lower arena, for some people, it’s taken them 20 years to work their way down, and it’s based on how long they’ve been a season-ticket holder and how much they donate to the program or to the university.”

Sullivan told the players something he has mentioned often in interviews over the years. He doesn’t take the fans for granted. He knows they’re making a sacrifice no matter how much they’re paying for tickets.

“It’s important to me that our players recognize,” Sullivan said, “that the season-ticket holder in the front row is just as valuable as a season-ticket order in the last row.”

Making sure the players, eight of whom are new to the program, understand that was the point of the tour.

“In my three years here, that was the first time we ever did something like that,” guard Javon Bennett said in the video. “We went to places I’ve never seen before in the arena, going all the way to the top and then going all the way to the bottom, just to see the different views that people who are paying to come watch us play get. It’s kind of amazing how much the fans in the community really care about UD basketball.”

Even Alter graduate Jacob Conner, a senior forward who grew up going to games at UD Arena, had never gotten a full tour like this.

Credit: Bryant Billing

Credit: Bryant Billing

“That’s the first time I’ve really been around the arena and the concourse and everything since it got redone,” Conner said in the video.

Sullivan also guided players around the concourse, talking to them about the history behind some of the photos on the walls. He told them about the 29-2 team from the 2019-20 season and talked to them about the First Four game against Boise State in 2015 and the Flyers’ run to the NCAA championship game in 1967.

Forward Malcolm Thomas, a transfer from Villanova, saw the giant Obi Toppin photo display.

“Seeing all that Obi accomplished at Dayton just made me eager to get on the court and made me want to really live up to this No. 1 that’s on my back,” Thomas said in the video.