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Dayton Basketball: Cunningham expected to be “done” for season

By Carmine Carcieri

Mar 6, 2015; St. Louis, MO, USA; Northern Iowa Panthers forward Seth Tuttle (10) and Bradley Braves forward Josh Cunningham (21) battle for the ball during the first round of the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament at Scottrade Center. Mandatory Credit: Scott Rovak-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 6, 2015; St. Louis, MO, USA; Northern Iowa Panthers forward Seth Tuttle (10) and Bradley Braves forward Josh Cunningham (21) battle for the ball during the first round of the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament at Scottrade Center. Mandatory Credit: Scott Rovak-USA TODAY Sports /
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Josh Cunningham underwent surgery to repair a torn ligament and is not expected to return this year for Dayton basketball.

When Dayton forward Josh Cunningham collapsed to the court and screamed in pain after a game-clinching And-1 dunk, the Flyers and their fan base feared the worst.

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Cunningham escaped a serious knee injury, but after undergoing tests on his ankle, the team announced that the Bradley transfer had surgery on a torn ligament. That will keep the forward out for approximately three months.

However, Flyers head coach Archie Miller said that Cunningham is “done” following the team’s loss to Saint Mary’s in Ohio on Saturday.

From Dayton Daily News:

"“Josh is done,” Miller said after a 61-57 loss. “If he’s not done for the season, he’ll make a miraculous run in February, and maybe he’s good. We don’t plan on having Josh. If we have a plan to have Josh back, it’s not going to be until the middle of February before he can start doing much from what I understand. I don’t anticipate Josh being able to make a six-game run at the end of the season. Crazier things have happened. Rehabilitation, he heals faster, maybe. My inclination for our staff and our team, we’re moving forward with Josh not having it. That’s where you’ve got to start and stop every conversation. There’s no saving grace. We are who we are. There’s no excuses. We’ve got to get better.”"

We’ve seen crazier things happen and fast injury returns, so I wouldn’t completely rule out Cunningham. Also, this could be one way for Miller to motivate his team, especially after a tough loss to Saint Mary’s at home. He might not want the Flyers’ front court to rely on the 6’7″, 225 pound forward’s return and certainly doesn’t want excuses to impact his team’s execution.

Also, if Cunningham does end up returning in the middle of February, how much can Dayton truly count on him? There’s going to be some level of adjustment from the big man after not playing in a single game for three months. Cunningham relies heavily on his athleticism (he’s undersized for a four or a five man), so a foot injury is not exactly going to be an easy recovery.

This is a vital loss for the Flyers. Cunningham averaged 12.5 points and 4.5 rebounds in two games against Austin Peay and Alabama this season. He also put up 7.9 points and 7.5 rebounds back in 2014-15 with the Bradley Braves before sitting out the entire 2015-16 season after transferring to the Flyers.

Most importantly, this leaves Miller and company awfully thin up front. Between the loss of Cunningham and the constant injuries that Kendall Pollard has suffered from (he hasn’t played in a game yet this season), the Flyers have very little depth in the front court.

The options at forward and center position now consist of stretch four Sam Miller, 6’8″ sophomore Xeyrius Williams and forward Ryan Mikesell. On Saturday against the Gaels, Dayton started Miller and Mikesell up front with Williams playing 29 minutes off the pine.

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Dayton is still going to be one of the top three teams in the Atlantic 10 even without Cunningham. However, the road to an Atlantic 10 title and a potential run in the NCAA Tournament just got that much tougher without their athletic forward.