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Dayton basketball getting a piece of $6 million athletic facilities upgrade

Archie Miller

Dayton’s head coach Archie Miller, right, yells at a referee during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Butler at the Atlantic 10 Conference tournament in New York, Thursday, March 14, 2013. Butler defeated Dayton 73-67. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

AP

When I think Dayton, I think of one of the best possible places for the NCAA Tournament’s First Four. UD Arena presents a great atmosphere, at least half the teams in the pod seem to be within driving (or reasonable flying) distance of the city and there always are a few games with some memorable finishes.

As an athletic program by itself, though, Dayton appears to want some upgrades. So the school announced it will put $6 million — $2 million each into three projects — into certain facilities to improve them.

The funds for the improvements will primarily come from donations.

As a part of the renovation, the basketball weight room will be relocated from the Donoher Basketball Center to a new 10,000-square-foot Athletic Performance Center in Reichard Hall. The Donoher Center will also get upgrades to include more technology and meeting spaces for the football and men’s basketball teams.

The upgrades also benefit the volleyball and women’s lacrosse teams (the school is adding women’s lacrosse in 2016).

It’s a good sign for the Flyers that the school is investing in the advancement of all the athletic programs, obviously. From a basketball standpoint, it’s a never-ending arms race for facilities and with new competition entering the Atlantic 10 in the past few years, any upgrades Dayton can make to help lure recruits is a good one.

Archie Miller’s squad went 17-14 last season, ending a streak of five-straight 20-win seasons for the Flyers. The team returns Vee Sanford (12.3 points per game) along with leading rebounder Devin Oliver (7.8 boards per game).

Follow David Harten on Twitter at @David_Harten