Welcome to the Atlantic 10 Women’s Basketball Tipoff for the 2018-19 Season. Today, we feature the Dayton Flyers.
Dayton (Predicted A-10 Finish: 2nd)
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Last year, a Dayton team so injury-riddled at times it was down to six healthy bodies still persevered to go 15-1 in Atlantic 10 regular-season play and qualify for the NCAA Tournament.
Imagine what the Flyers might do with a full complement of players.
Sure, Dayton will miss do-everything point guard Jenna Burdette. But with eight returners among the 16 players (including walk-ons) on hand, the formerly thin Flyers now project to be among the deepest teams in the A-10, if not all of Division I. Combine this with Dayton's well-established winning tradition, and here we go again!
The Flyers got a head start to the season with a summer trip to Italy that included some basketball, but more importantly some bonding. They visited the Vatican, the Coliseum, the statue of David and rode gondolas in Venice before taking in breathtaking Lake Como in Italy.
They also played some basketball. Dayton finished 3-0 overseas, finishing off the trip with a 65-64 over a German all-star team.
“We showed a lot of toughness, a lot of grit,” Shauna Green said. “We were just relentless and battled. It was good to see that. We made plays when we had to pull out some tight games. When you have new pieces to your team, you like to see how you can find a way to win.”
Coach: Shauna Green, 3rd season, 45-17 overall and 5thseason overall, 74-42
Last year: 23-7, 15-1 (regular season Atlantic 10 Champions; lost to George Washington 58-53 in the A-10 quarterfinals; advanced to the NCAA Tournament as an at-large selection, seeded ninth. Lost to No. 8 Marquette 84-65 in the first round).
They’ll miss: Jenna Burdette, the point guard and All-Conference First Team selection averaged 16.2 ppg to go with 3.9 apg and shot 44.5 percent from 3.
Impact returners: 5-8 senior guard Lauren Cannatelli, who averaged 13.3 ppg and set a single-season school record with 83 3-pointers made; 5-10 junior guard Jayla Scaife 14.5 ppg, 5.4 rpg; 6-3 junior forward Jordan Wilmoth played sparingly last season but returns healthy
Newbies of note: 5-6 redshirt sophomore guard Araion Bradshaw, a transfer from South Carolina; 5-6 redshirt junior guard Shakeela Fowler, who starred for Trinity Valley Community College, are both eligible. “Both have the ability to score and are dynamic guards,” Green said. 6-2 redshirt junior forward Julia Chandler, a transfer from Syracuse
Reasons to be optimistic: The faces change over the years for the Flyers, but the consistency doesn’t. Once again, Dayton has the potential to be the best team in the Atlantic 10.
After an injury-prone season, Green touts the depth Dayton has, with multiple players at every position that should make the Flyers harder to defend.
Expect Cannatelli, recipient of Dayton’s Ann E. Meyers Award of Excellence last winter, and Scaife, who received the Most Improved Award at the team banquet, to be more vocal leaders who will be asked to play bigger roles in the absence of Burdette. Look for Cannatelli to light it up again from 3; she shot 40.7 percent from beyond the arc last season.
Bradshaw, the No. 32 recruit in the class of 2016 who was recruited by Green out of high school, is expected to start at point. She didn’t play a lot of minutes at South Carolina for Dawn Staley, but she was part of the 2017 National Championship team.
While the Flyers’ offense previously revolved around Burdette, expect a more versatile team in 2018-19.
“We’re going to be completely different,” Green said. “Everything I’m preaching to them is 16 strong. It’s going to take all 16 of us every single day to get where we want.”
What really makes this team potent: Their bigs – Chandler, Cannatelli and Scaife -- can shoot from the perimeter. This should be a fun team to watch.
X-factor: How quickly the Flyers adjust to a new point guard after relying so heavily on Burdette will be telling. The nonconference schedule isn’t kind – dates with Maryland, Green Bay, James Madison, South Carolina and Virginia Tech loom – but wins could pay dividends with the NCAA selection committee if the Flyers don’t win the conference outright.
Circle the date(s): The Flyers are on the road for three straight starting Nov. 24 at Green Bay, followed by a date with South Carolina and then James Madison. It will be a telling stretch.
Bottom line: Dayton finds a way to be at the top of the league year in and year out. That’s not likely to change under Green, who’s led the Flyers to a pair of NCAA tournaments in her two seasons as coach.