Amaël L’Etang had one of his best games as a Flyer with 17 points, three 3-pointers, 10 rebounds, five assists and two blocked shots. (Press Pros Feature Photos By Julie Wright-Daniel)
Dayton is healthy and getting contributions from everyone. And their most recent win after a bad stretch to end January makes them happy.
Dayton, OH – When joy can be found in the grind of a basketball season, players and coaches hang on to it for as long as they can.
Veteran columnist Jeff Gilbert writes the OHSAA and Ohio State sports for Press Pros Magazine.com. Follow on X @jw_gilbert
Like anything good, joy can be fleeting.
So the Dayton Flyers, after a joyless 10 days and four straight losses to conclude January, are back on the joy bus and flooring it. They are finding happiness in the little things that are leading to big wins, thriving on the steal, the dive on the floor, the blocked shot, health and unsung heroes.
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“We just find joy on the court with each other,” said 7-foot-1 sophomore Amael L’Etang.
The joy is rubbing off from the tallest to the shortest and the older to the younger.
“Like Frenchie said, I feel like we found our joy again,” said 5-foot-10 senior Javon Bennett. “Winning obviously helps, but we love playing for each other, helping each other out. That’s what you need in college basketball.”
Javon Bennett didn’t make this shot, but he was fouled and made both free throws as part of his 14-point game.
The Flyers (18-9, 9-5 Atlantic 10) won their third straight game Saturday and for the fourth time in their last five games, putting Duquesne away in the second half 78-66 doing all those little things that bring smiles.
L’Etang is driving the joy bus a lot of miles lately, and his mileage was efficient Saturday. He posted his fourth double-double this season with 17 points and 10 rebounds. He made five of seven shots, including three of four from 3-point range, His five assists and no turnovers made him the first Flyer to do so with a double-double since DaRon Holmes II two seasons ago. And he blocked two shots.
“He’s done a great job affecting the game in multiple ways,” said Bennett, who scored 11 of his 14 points in the first half. “I feel like we just feed off his energy when he’s able to play well.”
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L’Etang’s play has been up and down like most sophomores playing American basketball for only the second year. His progress was impeded with a leg injury that kept him out four games starting December 31. His minutes were limited in his first three games back and he failed to score.
Keonte Jones contributed 13 points, seven rebounds and this fast-break dunk when the Flyers were building a second-half lead.
But beginning with the loss to Rhode Island, L’Etang has averaged 15.1 points to raise his average from 10.4 to 11.9. He said his legs no longer feel heavy. Down the stretch of the season and into the Atlantic 10 tournament the Flyers will need more of the same.
“I feel in shape,” he said. “I had a tough time after my injury, but I feel like I’m getting back to 100%. And the way we play, just sharing the ball, everybody on the team benefits from the way we play.”
Senior guard Jordan Derkack played the leading unsung hero role in the second half. He couldn’t get some shots in the paint to fall, but it didn’t stop him from playing hard and creating opportunities for others. He managed to score nine points by getting to the foul line for five of them.
But his five rebounds, two assists and two steals are the reasons head coach Anthony Grant played Derkack 14 minutes off the bench in the second half.
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“Impacts winning,” Grant said. “And if you got multiple guys on your team that understand their role and understand how to do that, that’s really where it’s at.”
Jaiun Simon, a starter, is that kind of player for the Flyers, too. He scored a couple early baskets and finished with seven points. But his size and strength play a role on defense and he has a knack for making an important play when the team needs it.
Jordan Derkack was in the middle of a lot of important plays for the Flyers on both ends of the floor.
“Those are guys that I call multipliers,” Grant said. “By just them being on the floor, they help you have success on both sides of the ball.”
The winning plays by L’Etang, Derkack and Simon were spread throughout the game.
L’Etang blocked an early Duquesne shot to establish his defensive presence. Simon made a difficult spinning shot with his left hand to beat the shot clock for an 11-5 lead.
L’Etang tipped out an offensive rebound and later in the possession made a 3-pointer for a 30-29 lead late in the first half. He added another three with 43 seconds left for a six-point lead.
The Flyers went to halftime up 42-39 despite the Dukes (16-11, 8-6) shooting 50% from the floor and making 7 of 10 3-pointers. That stat got Grant’s attention.
“Coach did a good job of adjusting, making sure we were playing more aggressive on switching and all that stuff, instead of letting them run free,” Bennett said of the second half.
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The Dukes shot 27.6% in the second half and finished the game at 37.7%, making only one three in the second half.
“Our guys really locked in and did a did a great job,” Grant said. “We were able to get consecutive stops, be able to get out in transition, be able to have some success in broken-floor situations, to be able to build a lead, and then it just came down to being able to make enough plays on both sides of the ball to secure the win.”
DeShayne Montgomery helped balance the offense with nine points and four assists.
The winning plays stacked up the way the Flyers need to stack wins to get the A10 tournament double-bye by finishing in the top four.
L’Etang and Derkack manufactured a burst in a 12-4 run that pushed the lead from 47-44 to 59-47 with 11:49 left. L’Etang made a 3-pointer. Derkack took a rebound up the floor for an alley-oop dunk assist to DeShayne Montgomery. L’Etang defended the rim and got the rebound. Then Derkack finally finished at the rim and added a free throw.
From there, the lead stayed in double digits except for a brief moment until the final two minutes.
“We came in expecting a win, and I think we did a good job of playing together, playing as a team,” Bennett said. “It’s huge for us playing this well at the right time.”
Just how well will the Flyers be revealed Tuesday night when No. 18 Saint Louis (25-2, 13-1) visits UD Arena. The Flyers were embarrassed 102-71 at Saint Louis on January 30. The Flyers have momentum. SLU finally lost its first league game on Tuesday to Rhode Island.
Like anything else, joy – in Dayton and St. Louis – can be fleeting.
Dayton coach Anthony Grant shares his opinion with an official, which was a popular thing for players to do on both sides as well.
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