The Dayton Flyers had a fantastic season in 2019-20. They were planning on being a tough beat in the 2020 NCAA Tournament.
Coach Anthony Grant led this team to an undefeated Atlantic 10 conference record. They received the bad news of the cancellation just prior to the conference tournament that was to be held in Brooklyn, NY.
Coach Grant had to deliver the bad news to the team.
“You could tell he was kind of emotional. He stood me up in front of everybody and hugged me, and he just started crying. It was an emotional time,” said senior Trey Landers.
Landers added that his team was extremely confident going into March, saying they would have been national champions.
This was the year that Dayton could’ve secured their first-ever national title. The coronavirus epidemic happened at the wrong time for the Flyers.
The team went 29-2 with their Wooden Award star Obi Toppin. Now, some Dayton Flyers are hoping to give their fans some reason to cheer after the disappointing end to the season.
TBT
The Basketball Tournament (TBT) started the 2020 edition on July 4. It is a 16-team, 5-on-5 tournament for a grand prize of $1 million.
Many of these teams include former student-athletes from Ohio State, Syracuse, Marquette, Illinois, Clemson, Purdue, Oklahoma State, Marshall, and Dayton. These games are taking place at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio.
The team called “Red Scare” is a team that is led by former Dayton Flyers. Several are using this opportunity to try to make up for what they missed in March.
“I don’t think the TBT will completely heal the wound, but it’ll definitely be a start,” senior Ryan Mikesell said. “It’s good to have some sort of positive in your life with everything going on. I remember watching it on TV last year when they played Carmen’s Crew in the (regional) championship. I’m happy to get a chance to play again.”
Red Scare
The Red Scare team is trying to make a run in the tournament while avoiding COVID-19 concerns. Five teams have already had to remove themselves from competing because of positive tests.
“It’s a crazy time, but they have to be really cautious with everything that’s going on,” Landers said. “I really salute the TBT because they’ve done a great job of organizing things.”
They were able to play their game against Big X on Wednesday and got the win. This could set up the potential rematch with the former champion Carmen’s Crew.
Landers scored seven points, grabbing four boards and dishing out three assists in the 77-68 win. Mikesell only played 22 minutes but scored 14 points for the team.
The Red Scare also adds some other former college players on their team. Sharpshooter Ryan McMahon is on the squad and played for the Louisville Cardinals last season. They also have a former Ohio State player from 2017 in Trevor Thompson.
After the win on Wednesday, maybe more Dayton fans will tune in to the TBT to watch these alumni try to go all the way.
