When Jim Jabir was a young child, his mother sat him down and gave him what some might consider tough love.

Jabir said that his mother told him, "You're not very good looking and you're not very smart, so you'd better work really hard."

Jabir will be the first to admit that Mom was right.

"She says I look like my dad," Jabir said, laughing. What his mother told him that day stuck with Jabir and drove him to become a dedicated coach.

Jabir, now the women's basketball head coach at UD, has improved every program he's coached during his 21-year coaching career. From developing Sienna College's first ever freshman All-American, to directing Providence College's highest finish in the Big East since the conference went to a Division I format, to introducing Marquette to the national spotlight, Jabir has left his mark on every stop along the way.

The results aren't just on the court. Coach Jabir has a knack for turning basketball programs into a reflection of his values and the values of the university he represents. His mentoring of the women's basketball program at UD has been no different. The Flyers have been one of the most improved teams in the nation under Jabir since his arrival in 2003.

"We get after it here," Jabir said. "We understand the core values of the university and we sell them. It's trying to outwork people who have a little bit more. I love UD and I think our program is turning into what we want it to be."

The hours of work that Jabir and his staff have put in over the last year has landed Dayton a top-40 recruiting class for the 2008-09 season. The class is ranked 39th nationally by the Blue Star Report.

Piecing together this class was no walk in the park for Jabir and his staff.

"It was critical that we sign these girls. They could've gone a lot of places. We had to outwork SEC, Big Ten and Big East schools to get them and I think they're really happy to be here," Jabir said. He added that landing this class wasn't simply due to his hard work. "UD is a great university and it's an easy sell. We had to make sure that they were aware of everything that the university has to offer."

One of the biggest names in this recruiting class is Casey Nance, a 6-foot-4 forward from Akron, Ohio. Nance averaged 15 points, 14 rebounds and 4.3 blocks per game during her senior year at Revere High School.

Nance is excited to be a part of the class and agreed with her coach that the biggest challenge for this young Flyers team is the learning curve. The Flyers lost seven seniors and four starters from last year.

"The learning process has been slower because we have more freshmen than returners but we're picking up fast. It's been a lot of work but it's going great," said Nance. And if the name sounds familiar, Casey's father Larry spent 13 seasons in the NBA with the Phoenix Suns and the Cleveland Cavaliers and was a three-time all- star selection.

"It's a lot to deal with because I'm expected to be a fantastic player because of him, so it's a lot to live up to," Nance said. "But at the same time I wouldn't have it any other way; he's taught me so much and I wouldn't be the player I am if he wasn't my dad."

When asked if she could pick one thing that her father has taught her about the game that sticks with her, Nance said it was hard work.

"He always taught me that you can always be good on the defensive end," Nance said. "You don't have to be super talented, all you have to do is be willing to work hard and go 100 percent."

Larry Nance, a three-time NBA all defensive team member, said that his requirements for Casey are simple.

"There's only one thing that I preach and that's to give 100 percent. If you do that, then good things will happen. And if you're lucky enough to have a little talent with it, that helps too," Larry Nance said.

With a roster that is loaded with talent and a coach like Jabir at the helm whose mantra is hard work, good things are exactly what the Flyers expect this season.