Flyers rewrite record book in memorable season

Performances by DaRon Holmes II, Koby Brea rank among best in school history
Dayton's DaRon Holmes II hugs Sean Damaska after a loss to Arizona in the second round of the NCAA tournament on Saturday, March 23, 2024, at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. David Jablonski/Staff

Credit: David Jablonski

Credit: David Jablonski

Dayton's DaRon Holmes II hugs Sean Damaska after a loss to Arizona in the second round of the NCAA tournament on Saturday, March 23, 2024, at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. David Jablonski/Staff

Former Dayton Flyers scattered across the globe reacted to UD’s victory against Nevada last week, typically with shared posts on Instagram.

Obi Toppin, the star of the 2020 Flyers, wrote simply, “Yessir!!!!!!!”

The leader of the 2014 Flyers, Devin Oliver wrote, “Flyers win!!!!”

Ryan Mikesell, who spent five years with the program, wrote, “Proud Alum! But I’ll say playing as a player was a lot easier on the nerves than watching as a fan.”

Jordan Sibert, the star of the 2015 Flyers, lent his voice to a video shared by UD’s social media team before the start of the NCAA tournament.

“Moments,” Sibert said. “A minute or a brief point in time. It’s here, gone, here, gone, again and again. Every single day is filled with millions of moments. You can blink, and a moment is gone. And then sometimes ... sometimes there are moments that are different, special, memorable. Believe me, I know.”

Until last week, Sibert owned the latest, greatest moment in Dayton’s NCAA tournament history. He made a go-ahead 3-pointer in the final minute of a First Four victory against Boise State in 2015 at UD Arena. That led to a victory against Providence later that week in Columbus.

Nine years later, a number of Flyers delivered baskets of equal importance in a 17-point comeback — tied for the fifth largest in NCAA tournament history — in the first round against Nevada. Nate Santos scored the last four points in a 63-60 victory in Salt Lake City, Utah, on Thursday. Two days later, No. 7 seed Dayton’s season ended with a 78-68 loss to No. 2 seed Arizona.

It’s fitting this team ended the program’s NCAA tournament drought after seven years and won the program’s first NCAA tournament game in nine years because it was a season marked by record-breaking performances and historical milestones.

Here’s a breakdown of how the 2023-24 Flyers reshaped the record book:

DaRon Holmes II: The junior forward became Dayton’s second unanimous All-American in a five-season stretch. Prior to the performances by Holmes and Obi Toppin, Dayton hadn’t produced an Associated Press All-American since the 1950s and 1960s: Don May (second team in 1968); Bill Uhl (second team in 1956); and Don “Monk” Meineke (second team in 1952).

Holmes averaged 20.4 points. He has 1,745 points in three seasons. That leaves him in 11th place on the all-time scoring list. He’s eight behind John Horan. He’s 488 points behind UD’s all-time leading scorer Roosevelt Chapman (2,233).

Holmes broke Dayton career records for blocks and dunks earlier this season. He ended his junior year with 215 blocks and 242 dunks.

Dayton's Koby Brea makes a 3-pointer against Arizona in the second round of the NCAA tournament on Saturday, March 23, 2024, at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. David Jablonski/Staff

Credit: David Jablonski

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Credit: David Jablonski

Koby Brea: Brea became the first Flyer to lead the nation in 3-point shooting percentage. He nearly made almost exactly half of his attempts (100 of 201, 49.8).

Brea is the third Flyer to make 100 or more 3s in a season. Tony Stanley made 102 of 272 (37.5%) in the 2000-01 season. Brian Roberts made 100 of 220 (45.5) in the 2007-08 season.

The official UD record book lists players who attempted at least 30 3-pointers in a season. Coby Turner maintains the school record (61 of 118, 51.7%). Among players who attempted at least 150 3s, Brea has the record percentage.

Javon Bennett: The sophomore point guard set a school record for assist-to-turnover ration (3.29). Larry Schellenberg set the previous mark (3.04) in 1984-85. Bennett averaged 3.3 assists and 1.0 turnover per game.

Team 3-point shooting: Dayton set a school record by making 39.9% of its 3-point attempts. The previous record of 39.2 was set by the 1989-90 Flyers.

Dayton ranked third in the country in 3-point shooting percentage behind Purdue and Kentucky (both 40.9).

Dayton also set a school record from 3s made and attempted (310 of 777). The 1989-90 Flyers owned the previous record for made 3s (261 of 666), while the 2011-12 Flyers attempted the most (257 of 750).

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