Last senior class going global
Flyers playing all over the world; Davis seeing more time in G League.
DAYTON — Kyle Davis helped lead the Dayton Flyers to their first Atlantic 10 outright regular-season title a year ago, and he’s a name that won’t be forgotten anytime soon at UD Arena. Now he’s chasing his basketball dream in the NBA G League.
All four of Dayton’s senior starters from the 2016-17 season are playing professional basketball. Davis had to wait longer than his teammates in the winningest class in school history — Scoochie Smith, Charles Cooke and Kendall Pollard — for his chance but has seen his minutes rise in recent weeks with the Rio Grande Val-
ley Vipers.
In the last three games, Davis has averaged 8.3 points and 5.7 assists in 22 minutes per game. He played a total of nine minutes and scored three points in his first three appearances after signing Jan. 22.
“I wake up everyday blessed to have an opportunity to put on that jersey and show everyone the gift God gave me,” Davis wrote earlier this month on Instagram. “Just truly blessed for not giving up on myself and having the support from my family and friends. Came a long way and not stopping now.”
Here’s a look at how the other three players from that senior class are doing:
Pollard: The former Dayton forward Pollard signed to play in Iceland’s Dominos League on Jan. 31. He has appeared in two games with KR Reykjavik in the country’s capital. He scored 11 points in the most recent game on Feb. 16.
Pollard started the season in the NBA G League with the Salt Lake City Stars and averaged 4.2 points and 2.8 rebounds in 13 games.
Smith: Dayton’s former point signed last summer to play in Australia. He averaged 10.2 points and 2.3 assists in 27 games with the Cairns Taipans.
Smith, the only player to
Former Flyer on Instagram
appear in every game the past four seasons for Dayton, started 17 games. The season ended Sunday. Cairns finished 11-17.
Cooke: The leading scorer the last two seasons for the Flyers, Cooke has averaged 13.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 23 games in the G League. He started the season with the Greensboro Swarm and is now playing for the Salt Lake City Stars.
Cooke signed a two-way contract with the New Orleans Pelicans last summer and started the season on their roster. Two-way players can spend up to 45 days on a NBA roster. Cooke has played 23 total minutes in nine games with the Pelicans and scored six points. New Orleans doesn’t have a G League team, which is why Cooke has played for two different teams.
‘I wake up everyday blessed to have an opportunity to put on that jersey and show everyone the gift God gave me.’
Kyle Davis