Flyers all smiles after NIT win
April 02, 2010
By Nate Waggenspack
Photos By Ryan Kozelka
Click here to see pictures from immediately after the game!
Click here to see the flyers cut down the net!
"A great way to go out," Kurt Huelsman said.
"Yeah, it was a great way to go out for our seven seniors," London Warren said.
"Winning this tournament, Madison Square Garden against North Carolina, it doesn't get any better than that," Marcus Johnson said.
The words of Dayton's three team captains after their NIT Championship echoed the sentiments of the entire team after the game during the postgame celebration of their win.
The Dayton players danced around the court for a bit to a chorus of cheers from Dayton fans before taking pictures, as senior Rob Lowery yelled "I want a ring!" into the camera.
Next came the All-Tournament team awards, where Marcus Johnson and Chris Johnson were honored, the latter give Most Outstanding Player honors.
Finally the ring and trophy presentation came, when each player was given his ring and the team its trophy.
Finally, it was time to cut down the nets. One by one the players climbed the ladder set up in Madison Square Garden to cut off a piece of the net on one of the hoops that they filled up en route to two wins in New York City.
While players were waiting for their turn they continued to dance and joke with teammates and others on the court, including Athletic Director Tim Wabler. Warren could hardly keep still, bouncing from reporter to reporter and teammate to teammate.
Several players cut off their piece and raised it to the sky, to raucous applause from the Flyer faithful in attendance. Chris Wright took things a step further and stuck his piece of net between his nose and mouth and wore it like a moustache.
Finally it was time for head coach Brian Gregory to finish the job. The general of the Flyers cut the net down and pumped his fist high into the air several times in excitement. It was the final symbol of Dayton's fantastic run through the NIT.
For Gregory, it was a great way to tribute his seniors in their final game.
"We're fortunate, we've built a good program in the right way," he said. "Those guys [the seniors] are the foundation of that."
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