Fans get first glimpse of new Flyers in exhibition Saturday

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Mikesell will sit out the season after undergoing hip surgeries in the summer. Toppin will practice but not play because he's anacademic redshirt. Even so, this is a lengthy team. That's one reason fans can't wait to see the players in action.

The first chance comes at 7 p.m. Saturday. Dayton plays Ohio Dominican, a NCAA Division II program, in an exhibition game at 7 p.m. at UD Arena. Half of Dayton’s available scholarship players have never played in front of a fans at the arena, and there will be a big crowd as always. Fewer than 200 tickets remained as of Thursday.

Cunnningham, a 6-7 redshirt junior and the lone team captain, has tried to counsel the younger players to prepare them for the moment.

“I told them it’s an amazing feeling,” he said, “but I know when you first get out there you’re going to have jitters. Even when I sat out a year and didn’t play, I got the jitters just sitting there. I told them the first few times up and down the court, you’ll be nervous. After that, you’ll adjust to it.”

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Dayton practiced once at the arena on Oct. 27 and held a "secret scrimmage" against Northern Kentucky, the defending Horizon League tournament champion, the next day.

Dayton’s exhibition opponent, Ohio Dominican, finished 14-12 last season. The Panthers return 14 letterwinners and all their starters, including guard Ronnie Williams, of Columbus Brookhaven. He led the team with 13.7 points per game last season.

This is the fourth straight season Ohio Dominican has played an exhibition game against a Division I opponent. It lost 94-79 to Toledo last season and also played Wright State, losing 109-54.

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One of the Panthers has a connection to Dayton basketball. Sophomore guard Sam Hickey, of Toledo, is the grandson of Gene Hickey, who averaged 4.4 points per game for the 1950-51 Flyers. That team finished 27-5 and was the NIT runner-up. Hickey was also a high school teammate of Dayton’s all-time winningest coach, Don Donoher.

"Basketball was everything for me," Gene Hickey said in a story posted to Ohio Dominican's website this week. "I had great teammates."

For Dayton, this is the last chance to play outside competition before the regular season begins. It faces Ball State in the season opener on Nov. 10 and then travels to South Carolina for the Charleston Classic the following week.

First-year coach Anthony Grant was asked Tuesday if his team was ready for real games.

“That’s a tough question,” Grant said. “When you’re as young as we are, you never feel like you’re ready. I feel like there’s still a lot of little things we need to implement and improve upon. We’ll be as ready as we can be when that time comes.”

SATURDAY’S GAME

Ohio Dominican at Dayton, 7 p.m., 95.7, 1290, TV (none)