UD’s new leader, Javon Bennett, en route to two of his 20 points. (Press Pros Feature Photos By Julie Wright-Daniel)
For the Flyers, it was the old (Javon Bennett) and the new (De’Shayne Montgomery leading the way with 20 points and 16 points in UD’s Opener Monday night in UD Arena against Canisius, a team that went 3-28 last year and is picked to finish last this season in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.
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Dayton, OH. — As Canisius sophomore forward Evan van der Ploss stood on the foul line at the north end of the University of Dayton Arena in front of the student section, the students chanted, “We want chicken, we want chicken.”
Van der Ploss delivered. And the students roared as loud as they had all night because what’s to cheer about when your team wins by 40.
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When van der Ploss missed the free throw with 15 seconds left in the game, it was the sixth free throw a Canisius player missed and that means free chicken from Lee’s.
And 15 seconds later, the University of Dayton Flyers owned an 88-48 victory in the season’s opener.
Canisius was the perfect palooka for UD’s 2025-26 season’s opener. The Golden Griffins — and there is nothing golden about them —began their season with 12 new faces.
And they need new faces after going 3-28 last season during coach Jim Christian’s first year. But coaches in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference are not impressed with those new faces. They picked Canisius to finish 13th this season, a synonym for last place.
Christian quickly paced the sidelines as the Flyers buried his team, looking as if he was searching for the nearest exit.
UD’s ‘Frenchy’ Amael L’Etang slams one of his dunks of the night.
And the Flyers, led by the old and the new, made Canisius play the part of the foil Monday night.
Third-year point guard Javon Bennett, the old, scored 16 points on 7 for 8 shooting in the first half to help the Flyers build a 51-27 intermission lead. He backed off in the second half and took only two shots and made one to finish with 20 points.
De’Shayne Montgomery, the new as a transfer from the University of Georgia, displayed what a well-rounded game looks like — 16 points, six steals, four rebounds, five assists and zero turnovers.
But it was Bennett, a 5-10 senior, who was a whirling dervish. He wears ‘0’ on his uniform, but it is false advertising. There is no ‘zero’ in his game, which he improved immensely over the summer with daily play.
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And it is as clear as a swished three-pointer what Bennett is about when he is on the floor with obvious leadership, almost as if to say, “This, now, is my team.”
“It was good, what we expected,” he said. “We came out wanting to dominate and I feel like we did that.”
De’Shayne Montgomery displayed what a well-rounded game looks like — 16 points, six steals, four rebounds, five assists and zero turnovers.
Feel like? No mongoose ever dominated a King cobra the way the Flyers strong-armed the Griffins.
“From the jump, we kinda imposed our will and we carried it throughout the game,” Bennett added. “I’m excited for what’s to come.”
Of his first half, seven for eight from the field, Bennett said, “Confidence. . .I felt good during warm-ups and these guys got me some open shots and I was able to make ‘em.”
At least half his shots, though, were self-made, head down and hell-bent-for-the basket drives.
When Bennett arrived in Dayton three years ago, a transfer from Merrimack, he was a fit-in guy, a guy hanging out in the background.
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“I was waiting my turn, picking up bits and pieces to try to get better,” he said. “Coach (Anthony) Grant and the coaches have great confidence in me, supported me throughout my journey. To be in this position is a great feeling.”
Grant is wild about Bennett.
Newcomer Keonte Jones raises in front of the hoop and scores.
“I’m really proud of him and that’s what you want to see,” he said. “To see a guy in his third year, knowing the system, knowing what to expect, knowing what we want and stepping into that leadership role. He’s ready for it and excited about it and we’re excited to have him out there.
“Javon has always played with a lot of confidence and belief in himself,” he added. “It shows and his experience showed tonight. He led the team, got us started offensively, led us defensively.”
In the game’s early moments, Bennett threaded his way to the basket for layups to give the Flyers a quick 4-0 lead and they never had to look back because nothing was gaining on them.
The closest the Griffins got was 9-6, but Bennett drove the lane again then stole the ball and scored again. It was 13-6 and a few ticks later it was 20-6 and bye-bye Canisius.
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And Grant liked what he saw from Montgomery — not necessarily his 16 points or his six steals, but “he impacted the game in ways it doesn’t show up on the stat sheet.
“What I’m most proud of was to see five assists to zero turnovers,” Grant added. “And he is an energy bringer on both sides of the ball.”
Jaiun Simon driving to the basket and gets fouled.
Grant was on the high road after what he saw from his team in its opener.
“It was exciting to start the journey with these guys,” he said. “We didn’t have alot of information in Canisius, so I thought our guys did a really good job of locking in, imposing the way we want to play.
“Our defense created offense for us, got us out in transition and created the tempo,” he added. “The guys offensively did a real good job of attacking and being efficient all the way through.
“I like the way we shot the ball (25 for 51, 52.9%), the way we were able to get to the free throw line (28 for 41 to 5 for 11 by Canisius) and it was great to see 16 assists as to four turnovers,” he added.
And then Grant issued a jaw-dropper that should make the Flyer Faithful optimist.
“Basketball is always going to be a team game, so they feed off each other,” he said. “We always talk about what we want is the sum to be greater than the individual parts, meaning everybody is working together and helping each other.”
Now, wait for it. . .”When it shows up on both sides of the ball (as it did Monday), we have a chance to be a really dangerous team.”
UD leader Javon Bennett fights off a Canisius defender.
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