Welcome to the Atlantic 10 Women’s Basketball Tipoff for the 2020-21 season. Today, we feature the Dayton Flyers. To revisit all of the season previews throughout the week, click here.

Dayton

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Shauna Green hasn’t forgotten and neither have the upperclassmen.

Dayton women’s basketball topped VCU in last year’s Atlantic 10 Championship and celebrated the program’s second conference title in Green’s four years at the helm. Dayton won on its home floor and was ready to head to postseason winning 20 of its last 21 games. Then COVID-19 forced the cancellation of the NCAA Tournament.

“It was a special season and a special group, and then all of the sudden, it’s just complete disappointment,” Green said. “We had six seniors, a core that had been through a lot. I’m grateful that at least we had that moment in time. We got to go out on top.”

Championship MVP Jayla Scaife, also Dayton’s leading scorer, is among the losses to graduation along with starter Shakeela Fowler. But four of Dayton’s top six scorers return and the Flyers are intent on experiencing the postseason they missed out on last spring.

“It’s motivated our returners, especially our three seniors,” Green said. “They’re hungry. They’re not satisfied. They are playing with a little edge to them because they want to get to the NCAA Tournament.”

All-Conference second-teamer Erin Whalen and A-10 All-Defensive team ace Araion Bradshaw, both fifth-year seniors, along with an improved Kyla Whitehead and senior Jenna Giacone are the leadership for a team that includes six newcomers expected to see playing time.

Whalen, a former SEC All-Freshman Team selection at Vanderbilt who Green has lauded as a supreme competitor, buried a team-high 66 3-pointers last season, many of them timely. And while Bradshaw has a well-earned reputation for stopping people, Green believes she's now capable of shouldering more of the offensive load, too.

“I think she is probably one of the players who has grown the most,” Green said. “She makes me really proud because she’s put a lot of working in growing and leading this team.”

The Flyers have size — the most in Green’s four seasons. French center Tenin Magassa, a 6-5 newcomer to the U.S. college game but a veteran of international youth competitions overseas, is a towering presence who could contribute early. Redshirt freshman Nadjy Tyler, who stands 6-3, is now healthy; 6-0 Maliya Perry is eligibile after transferring in from Auburn.

“We’re really big, just inexperienced,” Green said.

Expect the Flyers to figure it out and be in place to defend their title.

A look at Dayton:

Coach: Shauna Green, 116-64 overall, 87-39 in four seasons at Dayton.

Last year: 25-8, 15-1 Atlantic 10, (Defeated VCU 52-48 to win A-10 Championship). 

They’ll miss: Jayla Scaife, 5-10 G (two-time first team All-A-10 selection and the most outstanding player at the 2020 A-10 tournament); Shakeela Fowler, 5-6 G (8.4 ppg, 3.8 apg, 86.2 FT percentage in 33 games (18 starts) 

Impact returners: Erin Whalen, 6-1 redshirt senior G/F (12.2 ppg, team-high 66 3-pointers on 34.2 percent shooting); Araion Bradshaw, 5-6 redshirt senior G (5.7 ppg, 4.7 rpg, team-high 35 steals and 2nd on the club with 93 assists. Named to A-10 all-defensive team); Kyla Whitehead, 6-2 junior forward; (7.2 ppg, team-high 6.2 rpg, named to A-10 all-tournament team); Jenna Giacone, 6-1 senior G (6.4 ppg, 38.1 3-point percentage (45-118)

Newbie of note: Tenin Magassa, 6-5 freshman C from France (third-leading scorer on French team that took bronze at the U18 European championships last summer); 

Reasons to be optimistic: With the uncertainty of a season during a pandemic, Green believes leadership will be key, and she’s got it starting with her three redshirt seniors. The Flyers tasted success last season by cutting down nets in front of their home fans. That only left a hunger for the obvious next step.

Bottom line: Hard to see this team not competing for another A-10 title. If just a few of the newcomers develop early, these Flyers could be dominant night in and night out.

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