The Dukes are set for the second installment of a home and away with the Dayton Flyers before what I would imagine will be a very large crowd in the AJ Palumbo Center. I caught up with Don Donoher, one of the writers at the Blackburn Review to discuss the rematch, the state of the A-10 and some other filler that I thought might make for some good blogging.
Steve DiMiceli: I know a lot of people who read Blackburn Review sent chocolates and flowers to Georgia Tech's athletic department after they hired Brian Gregory. What are your impressions of Coach Miller to this point?
Don Donoher: Archie is everything we wanted and more for this program. Young, passionate, recruiting guru, and most importantly, a developer. Gregory could recruit as much as the next guy, but he couldn't develop his players. Archie has taken a player like Matt Kavanaugh, who played about 10 minutes a game last year, and turned him into a serviceable center who averages about 10 ppg and 6 rpg. With Gregory still at the helm, Boof's minutes might have increased, but I guarantee his points and rebounds would still be embarrassing levels. That and Archie's wife is smoking hot.
What will Gregory bring to Georgia Tech? We'll have to wait and see. There are people like Seth Davis who say that you need to give Gregory 3 years and we'll see what he can do at GT. This year has been DREADFUL for the Yellow Jackets and I don't see it getting any better. Sure he'll have some good recruits coming up (like I said, he can recruit), but I his in-game coaching is brutally bad. I feel bad for the fans down there.
SD: The Dukes and Dayton are tied in the standings at the moment. How important is Wednesday night's game at the Palumbo Center for both teams?
DD: The game is as important as pulling out. Look, you don't want a kid, right? <*Editor's Note: This blog does not recommend Pull and Pray as birth control. Not a good idea.> Same thing goes with having to play a road game the 1st round of the A14 Tournament. While both teams have a SMALL chance of getting into the top 4, it ain't gonna happen. Win this game and keep your hopes alive for that home game. Lose and it's possibly an all expenses paid trip to a place like Olean, NY.
SD: When Dayton fans come to Pittsburgh, I'm sure a lot of them make a stop at Primanti Brother's (pronounced Primanny). What restaurant could I go to that would be distinctively Dayton if I made the trip? Also, my alliteration on Dayton. Awesome or super awesome?
DD: Dirty Dayton, Disgusting Dayton, Depleted Dayton. All of those would work. This is a city with a lot of problems. NCR is gone, GM is gone, the Mead Company has been gone for years. The only thing this city has is UD/WSU, awesome country clubs (how they are still in business boggles my mind), and Marion's Pizza. If you come ever come to Dayton (WHY?), you have to visit Marion's. Get a sausage and pepperoni pizza and thank me later. If you are looking to spend some cash, you can't go wrong with local steak houses such as Paragon, Oakwood Club, and Pine Club. And of course, Skyline Chili.
SD: With all of the BCS expansion discussion, what do you think the future of the A-10 looks like? If Charlotte and Temple bolt for the CUSA/MWC, who would you replace them with?
DD: I have heard the rumors that Temple is leaving, but I have not heard Charlotte. I have also heard that East Carolina will be joining the A14 when Temple leaves. That doesn't make any sense, as they have a FBS football team. If both Temple and Charlotte leave, I don't want the A14 to add anyone. They will still have 12 teams which is enough to field a strong mid-major conference. In all honesty, I think Temple is as good as gone. Their football team is getting better and their basketball team is too good for the A14. If Temple and only Temple bolts, go hard after Butler.
And one cannot talk about conference realignment without mentioning every UD/DU ham and egger's wet dream, The All Catholic/Jesuit conference. With the Big East football soon to be non-existent, as well as the basketball conference slowly deteriorating, one can dream, right?
West Division: Georgetown, Villanova, George Washington, Seton Hall, St John's, Providence, St Joseph's, Duquesne
East Division: Dayton, Notre Dame, Marquette, Saint Louis, DePaul, Xavier, Butler, Loyola
SD: I know Mr Blackburn is a very political guy as well as a great fan of basketball. The current president aside, field an historical all commander in chief starting five in his honor and president's day.
DD: Center: Abraham Lincoln. Our tallest president, and only vampire hunter, is a clear pick to clog the lanes and get us some boards. Kind of reminds me of our own Boof Kavanaugh, only with a beard.
Power Forward: Lydon Baines Johnson. Technically tied with Lincoln for tallest president, but his weight helps him in the low post. While Lincoln might be someone who would lose his head (PUN!), LBJ is a silent killer, as witnessed by him putting up 30 and 20 vs Cuba. And of course having JFK killed.
Small Forward: Bill Clinton. He might be on the chubby side, but he is the big swinging dick on this team. He'll mostly spend his time beyond the 3 point line but only because he believes that for ever trey he hits, he gets a 3-some in bed.
Shooting Guard: Thomas Jefferson. Silky smooth, owned slaves (so you know he is a bastard that don't give a shit), and the shooting guard is always the one with the best house. Have you SEEN Monticello in the summer? Beautiful.
Point Guard: George Washington. They didn't call him "The General" for nothing. No doubt about this one. He went against the British and fucked them up. Without him, we would still be calling the toilet a "loo" and drinking our beers at room temperature.
SD: Duquesne has now won 6 of the last 10 meetings with Dayton, but it seems like Flyer fans come away completely baffled when they lose to the Dukes. What do you think the root of this is? Is it the historical superiority dying hard or is this the way you guys react to most losses?
DD: I think it does have a lot to do with an inferiority complex. Dayton fans are tired of seeing Butler and Xavier consistently making the NCAA Tournament and winning games while Dayton is going to the NIT. But don't pay attention to most Dayton fans, as they are clearly insane.
I like to think that I am Dayton fan that can tell it as it is. To me, Duquesne is much like Dayton in the sense that their glory days were way in the past, both are in cities with hard working people who are very passionate about their sports teams, and both start with the letter D. Truth be told, I do think that because of Dayton's RECENT success (NCAA Tournament trips), UD does have the edge over Duquesne. However, Duquesne is still light years ahead of other schools.
The A14 is four tiers. The really good: Temple and Xavier; the average: Dayton, Duquesne, Richmond, Saint Louis, Charlotte; the "oh yeah, remember that one time:" UMass, St Joes, Rhode Island, George Washington; and the shitty: Fordham, St Bonaventure, Fordham, and LaSalle.
SD: Along those lines, I recently did a series on who Duquesne's biggest rival is and I analyzed 4 teams for the top honor, one of which was Dayton. I never expected them to win, but they did prove to be a modest rival predominantly because Dayton isn't too far away, the teams have a long history and they play each other twice a year. In terms of fan identification, I saw it relatively weak on both sides. Do you see the rivalry intensifying in the future? What do you think needs to happen for it to get there?
DD: Dayton/Duquesne will never been on the same level as Dayton/Xavier. If I had to pick Dayton's top four rivals, they would be Xavier, Saint Louis, Duquesne, and Charlotte. That 4th one was hard because I don't really think Dayton has any real rival after Xavier and Saint Louis. There is no "hate" for Duquesne, at least none that I have witnessed. I do think the "rivalry" could intensify if both teams continue to be in the top 6 of the A14. If one or both teams stumbles (like this year), forget about it.
SD: I think it's very likely that we'll be doing a third Q + A this season. How do you think meeting number two will turn out?
DD: I'm hoping Dayton comes out hungry and angry after Saturday's heartbreaker. However, I see Dayton coming out flat and lifeless for most of the 1st half. Look for them to fall down by 10 at half and while they might tie it or even take the lead in the 2nd, Dayton loses by 5.
