The resurgence

Scoochie Smith has the coolest name in college basketball, but he may not have attended UD without Jordan Sibert. My freshman year at UD, Brian Gregory was the head coach & the two touted freshmen were Juwan Staten & Brandon Spearman. Before I even set foot on UD's campus, I held hope for the team as they were the 2010 NIT Champions. Instead, the team disappointed, as they lost in the NIT first round, Gregory left to become the head coach at Georgia Tech, & Staten & Spearman transferred. The following season, Jordan Sibert sat out per NCAA transfer rules & the team finished with a record of 17-14. Finishing with a sub-.500 record in conference play & losing to Butler in the first round of the conference tournament brought nothing for fans to celebrate.

The 2013-14 season was where Archie Miller, Jordan Sibert, & the Flyers took fans on a magical ride, pulling upsets, busting brackets, & celebrating every special moment along the way. With a mix of players such as upperclassmen Devin Oliver, Sibert, & Vee Sanford combined with the addition of talented freshmen Kyle Davis, Scoochie Smith, & Kendall Pollard, the team appeared better than the previous season. A season full of highlights began when Jordan Sibert hit a buzzer-beating three to give the Flyers a home court season opening victory. My favorite part of that game is the fact that Mom, Dad, & I attended, & the craziness of the play resulted in a very jubilant UD Arena.

Around the Thanksgiving holiday, Dayton beat #11 Gonzaga in the opening round of the Maui Invitational. Because the game took place in Hawaii, the game began at midnight Eastern Time, & Joe Wooley & I watched it. We agreed if UD began to lose heavily, we would turn off the TV & go to bed. After all, Gonzaga was nearly a top 10 team & while Dayton was undefeated, they poorly finished the previous season. In my final Creative Monday Status as a UD student, Joe terrifically wrote, “Mine's an easy one: staying up until 3am watching Dayton beat ranked Gonzaga! Being the only two people awake in the house, trying not to scream as Dayton picked up a crucial early win. Having a 9am class very soon on the horizon, but not caring a bit. Now that was a great night!” Yes, Dayton won 84-79, & because of the closeness of the game, Joe & I watched the whole game, cheering on Dayton but trying to let our other roommates sleep!

While Dayton lost for the first time that season to Baylor in the semifinals of the tournament, they briefly trailed but lost by 1 to #18 team in the nation, & they thoroughly rebounded by beating California by 18 for a 3rd place finish in the Maui Tournament. Their performance earned them #25 ranking, showing the improvement of the team from the previous season. Their last non-conference game ended in a road overtime buzzer-beater 3 by Devin Oliver to defeat Ole Miss. Again, the game winning shot ended up on SportsCenter’s Top 10 plays. They entered a midseason struggle as they finished January with 1-5 conference record & their overall record slipped to 13-8. They found their stride in February as they lost once, improving to 19-9 & 7-6 in conference play. In their last road game, they defeated #17 SLU 72-67, strongly improving their NCAA Tournament candidacy. While they lost in the A10 conference tournament quarterfinals, they entered the tournament as #11 seed.

Their first game in the NCAA Tournament was also the first game in the NCAA Tournament Round of 64. Countless UD students crammed their way into KU Hangar, watching the game, & I proudly skipped a class to watch the game. Vee Sanford scored a layup with seconds remaining & UD won 60-59. Students in KU erupted following the layup & the noise level amplified when the Buckeyes missed their final shot. When I arrived in class later that afternoon, the professor immediately asked, “Who do we play next?” Naturally, everyone whipped out their bracket & informed her most likely Syracuse. While Jordan Sibert did not score the game winning layup against Ohio St., there had to be a strong level of vindication as he defeated the school he originally attended. After feeling neglected by Ohio St. coach Thad Matta in terms of minutes, Sibert was a starter for a team advancing to the Round of 32. What joy that must have been. The following day, The Dayton Daily News celebrated the victory with the headline The University of Dayton, mocking the defeated Buckeyes. My graduation present from Marycrest was a t-shirt that says The University of Dayton.

Dayton then faced Syracuse, consistently one of the best college basketball programs in the nation. I watched the game with friends in Campus South & as Dayton again stayed close, like in previous games against IPFW, Ole Miss, & Ohio St., & everyone’s blood pressures rose. Jordan Sibert scored 10 points, including a clutch 3 with less than a minute left, & like the Buckeyes, the Orange missed their last shot, which would have resulted in their win. Bryan Westerlund recorded the madness that burst forth from our excitement! We were going to the Sweet Sixteen! As we pranced around the floor with pure joy, we heard chants coming from the Ghetto. Looking at Jacob, I said, “Ghetto?” & he answered, “See you there,” as he frantically put on his shoes. We bolted down the stairs, albeit he faster than I, & sprinted with a conglomeration of ecstatic students. As we raced towards the Ghetto, a police officer with the biggest grin on his face stuck out both hands, high fiving as many people as possible.

This night is Top 5 greatest nights of my college career. The celebration was spontaneous & respectful as the UD community celebrated. I called my roommates & told them where to meet me. When they arrived, we all gathered together celebrating as if we’d hit the walk-off base hit to win the World Series. At one point I bumped into a hallmate form my freshman year whom I rarely saw. We high fived & in celebration he handed me a beer & we toasted to the Flyers’ success. During the celebration, I sat with Joe on someone’s front porch, repeating we’re going to the Sweet Sixteen, & we sat there watching students celebrate in style so much so that pictures ended up all over social media, some video made it on SportsCenter, & after Dayton defeated Syracuse, not a single perfect bracket remained. While Joe & I sat watching the merriment, UD president Dr. Dan Curran walked down Kiefaber with a massive smile. What a special night that must have been for him. His beloved Flyers were going to the Sweet Sixteen, his students rejoiced without problems, unlike the fiasco that occurred on St. Patty’s Day just over a year ago. As he reached the end of Kiefaber, the horde of students lifted him, & Dr. Dan crowd surfed! As a student then & as alum now, I can tell you that is what I love about Dr. Dan. He came out to celebrate that night rather than to end the festive atmosphere, & when his students began to lift him, he did not act as if he was above us students; although he was physically, he celebrated as a fan, smiling, waving & high fiving students; proud students gladly photographed the events of the evening. How many university professors do that? Dr. Dan does!

That evening when I finally returned home, I turned on the TV & saw analysts dissecting the Flyers victory. Sadly, Charles Barkley claimed the Flyers did not deserve to be in the tournament. We defeated Syracuse & Ohio St., what more proof did he need? From that point on, I hate Charles Barkley. Luckily for the Flyers, Stanford upset Kansas, & so the Flyers were the favorites. We watched the game in a house in the Ghetto, & eerily, when I opened the door at halftime, you could hear a pin drop in the Ghetto. It was very quiet as everyone watched our beloved Flyers. Finally, in a pressure-filled game, the Flyers easily won, 82-72. Guess who scored the most points for the Flyers? That’s right, Jordan Sibert, who scored 18 points & logged the most minutes for the Flyers.

This celebration differed. When the Flyers upset Syracuse, the celebration erupted so spontaneously the celebration stayed peaceful. Against Stanford, everyone knew what would happen when the Flyers won. We would all party in the Ghetto. This resulted in the celebration becoming unruly much faster, something I disliked. Sure, celebrate the victory, but let’s celebrate, not riot. Unlike the victory over Syracuse, I left the party before it concluded & returned to watch the outcome of the game whose winner would face Dayton. Florida won that game, & if the Flyers fought all game against Syracuse & Ohio St., they needed to play the game of their lives to advance to the Final Four. I signed up to attend a retreat the weekend the Flyers played the Gators, & I texted one of the retreat leaders inquiring if we would watch the game while on retreat. Honestly, if his response was no, I may have not attended the retreat. It was my Senior year & the Flyers were in the Elite Eight! Fortunately, he held similar thoughts, & during the retreat, we, the retreatants, traveled to a nearby restaurant to watch the game. While we cheered our hearts out, the Flyers played feeling intimidated by the Gators, & therefore they made mistakes that they did not make all season, & they fell 62-52.

What a marvelous run it was though. When the Flyers received a bid into the tournament, the UD Bookstore sold t-shirts. When the Flyers defeated Ohio St., new t-shirt designs were sold, but I disliked the design. I love the t-shirt Marycrest Dining Staff gave me. When we beat Syracuse, Sweet Sixteen t-shirts became available, but I held off buying one in case we advanced further. If we lost the next round, I would have purchased a Sweet Sixteen t-shirt. When we finally lost to Florida, I purchased two t-shirts. One reads, “Dayton Flyers 2014 NCAA Elite 8,” & another reads, “The Road to the Elite 8” & it contains the scores from the Flyers’ victories to reach the Elite 8. While I own far too many t-shirts, & a good percentage of them are from UD, those two, along with my t-shirt I received from Marycrest, are three out of my favorite four UD t-shirts. Wearing those still to this day brings out my UD pride.

I graduated in May 2014 & in September moved to Philadelphia. As a result, it became a challenge to follow the Flyers as closely. Nevertheless, I followed the team on Twitter, Facebook, & routinely checked in on them on ESPN.com. Due to the graduation of four players, the dismissal of two players, & two players lost for the season due to injuries, the Flyers were left undersized & undermanned, with their tallest player being walk-on Bobby Wehrli. CBS Sports journalist Gary Parrish called the Flyers roster, "To put this into perspective, consider that Kentucky has seven scholarship players taller than 6-8, and that UK's starting backcourt (Andrew Harrison and Aaron Harrison) is just as tall as Dayton's starting frontcourt (Dyshawn Pierre and Kendall Pollard).” Despite the adversity, the Flyers overachieved, finishing second in the A10, advanced to the A10 conference tournament final, & finished the regular season 25-8.

In an odd twist, Dayton received a bid to the First Four, which is played in Dayton, at Dayton’s home court. This had never occurred before, where a tournament team played on their home court. After the NCAA allowed the occurrence, they created a rule to prevent further situations. Dayton defeated Boise St. 56-55, & who hit the game winning three? Jordan Sibert of course! Sibert averaged 16.1 points his last season while dealing with an injured wrist since December 2014 which prevented him from shooting in practice & I imagine hurt when he shot during games. Gritting out the pain & leading the Flyers demonstrates the importance of Sibert to the Flyers. While the Flyers advanced to the Sweet Sixteen, & played their other two tournament games in nearby Columbus, Sibert revitalized the Flyers.

In his last two seasons, the Flyers won five NCAA Tournament games, & Archie Miler became a popular name for many head coaching vacancies. I like to think that partially because of the resurgence of the Flyers, Archie signed a contract extension with the University of Dayton, & he will certainly keep the Flyers competitive. According to the University of Dayton, Sibert played all 73 games of his UD career, played the most minutes in a single season in his Senior year, & led the Flyers in scoring both years. While an NBA team did not draft him, the Flyer Faithful certainly will fondly remember him. As previously noted, the Flyer Faithful will forever his clutch shots.

When I began this writing, I thought it would be more persuasive about the importance of Jordan Sibert to UD basketball. While I hope to have done that, I also hope you enjoyed reading about my love of UD basketball, especially in my Senior year during that magical Elite Eight run. Furthermore, as the Flyers tip off this season tonight, I sincerely desire this increased your affinity for the Flyers. Recently, I texted Joe Wooley in regards to the Flyers’ season, “We overachieved last year with an undermanned undersized roster. Even if we’re average, we’re taller & deeper. Should at least stay the same as last year... plus they’re in A10. Do well out of conference, average in conference, should be in tournament.” With the success of the past two seasons, one must be excited for the upcoming season of your Dayton Flyers!

Though I have a beard

I hate long head hair. However, I love long facial hair. On guys that is. At Marian, I was told, ok yelled at, to shave & I abhorred it. As a result, I graduated & stopped shaving. Then I got the job at Marycrest. Have to keep the beard trimmed they said. Lame but I need the money. For More to Life, I let Michaela, Candice, & Ryan Mooney shave it as Michaela’s 21st birthday present. It was a cold night sitting on the back of Megan’s porch. Yet it was awesome at the same time. While at Naper Settlement I kept the beard trimmed. Then this year I got a warning from work to trim it. Therefore, I shaved it, hoping I will not need to shave in 2013 again. I do not know why but I do not like being clean-shaven. Granted I doubt I could do a Duck Dynasty beard, even though they are fantastic. If only I could grow a mustache. In the future, I plan to keep the beard for the most part, even if people do not always like it. I have not cared before & will probably continue to do so. Therefore, I do not have long head hair. Though I do have a beard

Punishment doesn't fit the crime

This past Tuesday, NASCAR suspended Matt Kenseth for the next two races in response to his actions to Joey Logano in Sunday’s race at Martinsville. While I understand NASCAR needed to remind drivers that intentionally wrecking is completely unacceptable, I believe NASCAR penalized Matt Kenseth too harshly. However, I believe Kenseth intentionally wrecked Logano & I believe Kenseth needed to be punished. Furthermore, I am neither a Matt Kenseth fan nor a Joey Logano fan; as an avid fan of the sport though, I understand both drivers’ perspectives. Regardless of what I would have done in that situation, Kenseth received an incredibly harsh punishment because NASCAR wanted to set a precedent. I hope that just as the NFL wanted to punish the Patriots for Deflategate, Kenseth will channel his inner Tom Brady & the suspension will be lifted. Lastly, to assert my argument that NASCAR unjustly penalized Matt Kenseth, I will cite sources, as sources supplement my point.
Before I discuss the incident at Martinsville, I flashback to the NASCAR Cup Series Chase race at Kansas on October 18. With the drivers in the Chase, if a driver wins during one round of the Chase, he automatically advances to the next round. After the races for one round conclude, the bottom four drivers are eliminated, & so it goes on for each round. With less than five laps remaining in the race, Matt Kenseth led Joey Logano. Kenseth desperately needed a win to advance to the next round after a poor finish the previous week & Logano wanted to win, but he already clinched a berth with his victory at Charlotte the previous week. Kenseth repeatedly blocked Logano for several laps, & with about five laps to go, Logano spun Kenseth. Rather than bump & run as NASCAR drivers do so often, especially at short tracks, Matt Kenseth said, "He (Logano) picked my rear tires off the ground and wrecked me, so there's no debate about that one” (Spencer). Logano won the race, denying Kenseth a win as he finished 14^th (Spencer). The next weekend, Matt Kenseth both failed to win & did not accumulate enough points, & as a result, he was eliminated from the Chase whereas Joey Logano advanced to the next round.
Unfortunately, Brian Frances’ remarks following the race further escalated the situation. As Bob Pockrass covered France’s radio show,

“France endorsed the Logano move, which earned Logano the victory and put Kenseth in a virtual must-win situation Sunday at Talladega Superspeedway, if Kenseth is to advance to the next round of the Chase for the Sprint Cup. That's quintessential NASCAR,’ France said…  ‘Late in the race, I think that's a great example of everybody doing probably exactly what they should be doing. You had Matt Kenseth trying to block and hold his position. He had a faster car behind him, and when you block, you risk that somebody is going to be in that position ... and there was contact.’

If I were Brian France, I would not have championed the move nor opposed it. I would have said, “I understand both drivers’ points of view, the reality is the little contact caused the spin, & while I know Joey Logano wanted to win & put Matt Kenseth in his current situation, I sincerely hope the spin was accidental. Because, as I want to remind both drivers & fans, intentionally wrecking another driver is unacceptable & will not be tolerated.” In that phrase, the move is accepted, but drivers receive a stern warning to be careful. That would have cautioned Logano not to be aggressive & prevented Kenseth from wrecking Logano. Instead, France approved spinning another driver to win the race, & he put a target on Joey Logano. Additionally, he failed to discourage revenge by Kenseth as France inadvertently supported grudges. While I seriously doubt he supports grudges & desires revenge by drivers, his words spoke volumes on the incident.
Before I dissect the racing at Martinsville, I feel it vital to state the facts. The race rundown from jayski.com clearly states, “With just over 50 laps remaining, #2-Keselowski got into #20-Kenseth, spinning him into #41-Kurt Busch. Keselowski and Busch had to go to the garage for repairs. Kenseth pitted and stayed on track. Then with 46 laps to go, Kenseth got into the back of Logano in turn 1, sending them both into the wall. NASCAR parked Kenseth for the remainder of the race. Logano called the move intentional, Kenseth denied that.” To provide further context, the inside line at Martinsville is the preferred line. On restarts, drivers on the outside fight to get in line on the inside otherwise they are sitting ducks for drivers on the inside to pass them. Team Penske drivers Brad Keselowski & Joey Logano dominated the field, & on the restart, Keselowski started on the outside with Logano on the inside. What the two drivers previously did was the inside driver would allow the outside driver to pass & get on the inside lane to prevent either driver from losing positions. While that is legal, the other drivers were irritated because the two drivers would wait until the last moment to go, causing the rest of the field to stack up. Kurt Busch, the second driver on the inside lane, lost his patience & shoved Keselowski, who bumped his teammate Logano. Busch, trying to perform a bump & run on Keselowski, continued to shove him & Keselowski lost control of his car. While Kenseth claimed Keselowski intentionally wrecked him, I doubt it, as I believe the momentum from the shove caused Keselowski to lose control of his car & hit Kenseth. Kenseth spun hard left, causing damage to Keselowski & brutally slammed into Kurt Busch. As Jayski informs you, Kenseth returned to the track, & when Logano went to further lap him as Kenseth was already several laps down, Kenseth turned hard right, ramming both cars into the wall & ruining Logano’s chance to win. Logano finished in 37^th & Kenseth 38^th (Pennell). While Logano still has a chance to advance to the championship round at Homestead & win the championship, Kenseth cannot win it. Kenseth does not care; he achieved something satisfying at Martinsville: vindication.
The aftermath of it all is Logano probably must win one of the two remaining races in this Chase round to advance to the championship round. Kenseth’s team appealed the penalty, & if upheld, I feel as though NASCAR refuses to acknowledge the contradiction. Denny Hamlin, a veteran who has won many races & sometimes quick-tempered himself, described the contradiction as, "I love Brian France, but when he says that drivers are 'doing what they have to do,' it seems like he's promoting this type of racing.  That's tough to crown a true champion when things go like this.” Hamlin is right. Logano may have won the race, which would have locked him into the championship round instead of Jeff Gordon, who has now become the sentimental favorite. While the Kansas results are final, the decision to suspend Matt Kenseth alters the remainder of this Chase round. In NASCAR, each position is a point, & suspending a driver like Kenseth benefits the remaining Chase drivers as a NASCAR champion is not in the field, & so virtually they each gain an additional position. That is not fair to hand them an additional point nor will a true champion be crowned because of the events at Kansas & Martinsville, & if Kenseth’s suspension is upheld, the next two races. While there will be a champion, & I am cheering for Gordon to win the championship in his last season, the incidents from those races greatly influence the Chase. When NASCAR created the Chase, it wanted an elimination style of playoffs. What the Chase has produced is desperate & then vengeful drivers like Kenesth racing aggressive drivers still in the Chase such as Logano. That is a dangerous predicament, & not only for those two, but also their fellow competitors. Again, Kurt Busch was an unlucky victim. He took the brunt of Kenseth’s spin. Conversely, Jeff Gordon greatly benefited from the Martinsville incident. If Kenseth, Keselowski, Logano, & Kurt Busch did not sustain damage, Gordon would have raced more cars that are superior in the final laps of the race. The Chase, which NASCAR developed to boost ratings, emphasize winning, & create fun great racing, has turned into, “It's a no-holds-barred, Wild, Wild West…  The structure which we have around us is not very strong as far as an authority figure saying, 'No, you cannot do that anymore'” (Associated Press).
Matt Kenseth is guilty of wrecking Joey Logano & should be held responsible. However, NASCAR bears responsibility for creating a system where drivers race aggressive & drivers form feuds. Drivers have good memories & they remedy the situation, peacefully or not, on or off the track. Danica Patrick intentionally wrecked David Gilliland & foolishly admitted to it on Sunday. She received a penalty of $50,000 & the loss of 25 points. I would create a system. If you intentionally wreck a driver in places 1-10, you are suspended one race, lose 50 points, & a fine of $50,000. If you intentionally wreck a driver in places 11-20, you lose 40 points with a fine of $40,000. If you intentionally wreck a driver in places 21-30, you lose 30 points with a fine of $30,000. If you intentionally wreck a driver in places 31-43, you lose 20 points with a fine of $20,000. Standardize it & establish a rule. If a driver appeals that another driver intentionally wrecked him, such as the Kansas incident, both drivers are on probation until the appeal. I believe Matt Kenseth should be suspended one race, lose 50 points, & be fined $50,000. One race is a loss of almost 50 points, so the penalty is comparable in terms of points. Winning the All-Star Race is $1 million, so $50,000 is plausible. Nevertheless, two races is excessive, because NASCAR established this culture, Brian France endorsed Logano intentionally spinning Kenseth, & Logano was part of the reason Kenseth wrecked in the first place at Martinsville.
Sadly, NASCAR denied Matt Kenseth’s appeal & he remains suspended for the next two races. While Kenseth deserved a penalty, Joey Logano was not an innocent victim. An issue NASCAR has not addressed aggressive driving. Logano spun Kenseth at Kansas & the tactics employed by Logano & Brad Keselowski on the restarts at Martinsville were the tipping point for Kenseth’s anger. NASCAR has not warned Logano about pushing the limits; they should put him on probation for pushing drivers to their boiling points. How are drivers supposed to act when they are aggressively bumped, shoved, or spun by Logano, or any other driver for that matter? Apparently, they cannot do anything on the racetrack. Because revenge is unacceptable. Again, do not question my feelings about the actions of Matt Kenseth. Nevertheless, I am confident about one thing.  The punishment doesn’t fit the crime.

  

Works Cited

Associated Press.  "Jeff Gordon Gets First Win of Year, to Run for 5th Cup Title in Career Finale.”                     ESPN.  ESPN Internet Ventures, 1 Nov. 2015.  Web.  04 Nov. 2015

Jayski.  "Martinsville 2015 NASCAR Race Info.”  Jayski's® NASCAR Silly Season Site - Race Info                Page.  Jayski LLC, 1 Nov. 2015.  Web.  04 Nov. 2015.

Pennell, Jay.  "Race Results: Jeff Gordon Wins at Martinsville Speedway. “  FOX Sports.  Fox Sports              Interactive Media, LLC, 1 Nov. 2015.  Web.  05 Nov. 2015.

Pockrass, Bob.  "Brian France Backs Logano's Late Bump on Kenseth as 'quintessential                                      NASCAR'" ESPN.  ESPN Internet Ventures, 19 Oct. 2015.  Web.  04 Nov. 2015.

Spencer, Reid.  "Logano's Late Bump Denies Kenseth, Ices Kansas Win.”  NASCAR.  NASCAR                       Media Group, LLC, 18 Oct. 2015.  Web.  04 Nov. 2015.