Red Scare: A Fan Base In Transition Holds To Tradition

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By: Ethan Swierczewski – Contributing Writer

The departure of former coach Archie Miller left the Flyer men’s basketball team with countless questions; who would be his replacement? Could they be immediately successful without him?

Would their dominance in UD Arena continue? While the team itself mulled over these unknowns, another group was also losing sleep over the same questions; the Flyer faithful.

There’s a reason UD Arena has been continually categorized as the toughest place to play in the Atlantic 10 conference by ESPN. Dayton ranked 22nd in attendance in Miller’s last year as coach, averaging just over 13,000 fans per game.

Leading the charge for Flyer spirit is the Red Scare, the largest student run organization on campus. After Miller left for Indiana University last spring, students debated what the future held for the Flyer men, but one thing remained clear for the Red Scare; their support would be unwavering.

“We’re really dedicated fans,” said Lauren Rodimel, a member of the Red Scare executive board. “The whole community is focused on our season; dedication is important.”

Rodimel highlighted another key to the Red Scare’s mindset in this transitional era. She stated, “this is our season,” for fans and players collectively. As the organization’s mission statement says, they are “dedicated to doing whatever it takes to give the Flyers a home advantage during games.”

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The Red Scare, and the student body as a whole, have come to understand the difficulties presented by a new coaching staff and the departure of several senior leaders and starters.

“It’s definitely a reloading year,” said John Brown, another member of the Red Scare executive board. “We’re all optimistic for what’s to come. We’re playing hard out there [every night]. It’s exciting, you never know what’s going to happen.”

That was the prevailing mindset of the organization heading into the Flyers’ matchup with the Rhode Island Rams Saturday. They held their annual “March to UD Arena” ahead of the game, an annual staple of the Red Scare’s dedication to Flyer spirit rain or shine, reloading year or not.

“It was a great time,” Brown said. “It’s a yearly tradition we do and we had a really good turnout for a great game. We’re excited that the weather provided a great opportunity for it.”

Although the Flyers would fall to the Rams, the sold out crowd was a testament to the fan base’s ceaseless support. The Red Scare is a tradition like no other, and as coaches and players come and go, student support will always remain.

Flyer fans give credence to the idea of the “Dayton 6th”; the home-court advantage in UD Arena is a teammate in itself, an extremely reliable one.

The key personnel departures last year may have plunged the Flyers into a transitional period, but the unwavering support of the Red Scare and their fans as a whole will always remain constant.
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Upcoming Games:

The 14-4 women’s team will hit the road Wednesday to Virginia to take on Richmond at 7 p.m.

The men’s team looks to turn things back around Tuesday at home against Davidson at 7 p.m.

Photo Courtesy of Griffin Quinn/Staff Photographer