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Home > Blogs > Flyer Connection: University of Dayton sports > Archives > 2009 > February > 19 > Entry
Freshman duo playing like veterans
Dayton freshman Chris Johnson has been logging crunch-time minutes all season, and classmate Paul Williams has started to gain the confidence of coach Brian Gregory, too.
Williams was sidelined throughout the preseason with a broken bone beneath the big toe of his left foot, and he’s just now regaining his form. The 6-foot-3 Detroit native buried a 3-pointer against Xavier and hit another trey that sealed the decision in a 69-63 win over Richmond on Saturday.
Although he’s averaging a mere 1.8 points, Williams played a season-high 21 minutes against the Spiders.
The 6-5 Johnson is fifth on the team in scoring (7.0) and second in rebounding (5.7), and he’s become the Flyers’ best free-throw shooter at 80 percent.
“You think about where Paul would be if he didn’t miss all that time,” Gregory said. “He’s going out there just kind of competing on his competitiveness alone. Sometimes he doesn’t even know what he’s doing out there. It’s not his fault. He just missed so much time.
“But those two guys are going to be very, very special players in this program. You’re talking about our future perimeter players. And they’ve got toughness. They can score. They’re both lefties, so they screw people up — lefties are screwed up in general.”
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By tds70
February 19, 2009 3:52 PM | Link to this
I agree, the Freshman contributions across the board have been great, CJ & PW especially of late. If LF can hone his ball handling skills, and LF & PW establish a shot off the dribble, the three could be a big force in the future. It appears the team in general gains body strength etc. as they age so that element is a given must. The one item I still believe the entire team has to focus on is free throws. I don’t know how they should improve, but 70% + across the board is a real necessity to go with the fast pace approach. Its a free 3 to 4 points a game from where they are at now. Go FlyersBy FaithfulFlyer65
February 19, 2009 6:57 PM | Link to this
The article says Chris Johnson is 5th in scoring and 2nd in rebounding. Can anyone tell me where he ranks in minutes played ?By Mongoose
February 19, 2009 9:46 PM | Link to this
He’s 7th. I think he needs more playing time too. You can get all the info here http://daytonflyers.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/stats/2008-2009/teamcume.htmlBy GreeneB
February 19, 2009 10:44 PM | Link to this
Agreed on more PT for Chris J. He is deadly from three, is very athletic around the rim, and a real force on the defensive boards, no matter that he’s “only” 6’5”. But as much as this substitution pattern - or lack thereof - drives me crazy, you gotta say it is working. I have NEVER understood Gregory’s sub pattern, but you look at what he’s done this year without a decent offensive team and it is somewhat impressive. Then again, maybe if guys stayed in longer, they’d develop more of a flow and score more. But either way, we are winning, and I like CJ and am excited to see how we navigate this awfully tough end of the season.