The University of Dayton men’s basketball team reached the postseason in all four years that Matt Kavanaugh was in a Flyer uniform, including an Elite Eight run in 2014. The 6’10” big man from Centerville, OH was a productive force in the middle for UD. With Kavanaugh in the line-up his senior season, the Flyers were 25-7. He missed time due to a concussion as UD lost three of the four games he did not play in.
Kavanaugh finished his UD career with 558 points as he shot 52.3% from the field (213-of-407). He hauled in 397 rebounds, including 195 offensive rebounds. As a junior, Kavanaugh pulled down 97 offensive rebounds, which ranks as the fifth best mark for a single season. Kavanaugh’s UD teams had a combined record of 93-40 and won at least 20 games each season he was in a Flyer uniform.
He was part of a streak of top local products to play basketball at UD. Kavanaugh follows Chris Wright of Trotwood-Madison High School and Dayton Dunbar graduate Josh Benson (Benson redshirted as a freshman).
If anyone was “born” to be a Flyer, it is Kavanaugh. His parents attended UD games while his mother Susan was pregnant with him. His father John is a UD graduate. His uncle Tom played football at Dayton in the mid-1960’s. And Matt’s great-uncle, Bob Kavanaugh, was one of the Flyers’ first basketball-only scholarship players and is a member of the UD Athletic Hall of Fame. He played for the Flyers from 1939-42 and when he graduated, he held the single game, season and career scoring records.
2013-2014
Matt Kavanaugh played in 33 of the Flyers’ 37 games during the 2013-2014 season. He started 27 of those games, averaging 5.7 points and 3.5 rebounds per game as he totaled 188 points and 115 rebounds for the season. Kavanaugh finished third on the team in offensive rebounds (47), total rebounds (115), and blocks (12).
Kavanaugh scored seven points and hauled in a season-high 11 rebounds against IPFW. He scored 10 points versus St. Francis NY and tallied 11 points against Delaware State.
Kavanaugh netted eight points and grabbed 6 rebounds against Murray State. He scored 10 points on 5-of-7 shooting and hauled in five rebounds at Ole Miss. At Rhode Island, Kavanaugh tallied 13 points on 5-of-6 shooting from the field.
At George Mason, Kavanaugh scored 14 points on 4-of-5 shooting and grabbed six rebounds. In 19 minutes of playing time against La Salle, Kavanaugh scored a season-high 16 points on 5-of-8 shooting from the field.
At Duquesne, he tallied nine points and hauled in nine rebounds. Against Saint Joseph’s in the Atlantic 10 tournament, Kavanaugh netted 10 points on 5-of-6 shooting and hauled in four rebounds.
In the second round of the NCAA Tournament against Ohio State, Kavanaugh scored all nine of his points in the first half as he finished 4-of-6 from field. In the Sweet 16 against Stanford, Kavanaugh netted 10 points on 5-of-6 shooting from the field.
2012-13
Sat out the 2012-13 season.
2011-12
Center Matt Kavanaugh was UD’s Chris Daniels Memorial Award winner for the 2011-2012 season. After averaging 1.9 points and 2.3 rebounds a game, and shooting .451 (23-of-51) from the field and .571 (16-of 28) from the line in 30 games as a sophomore, Kavanaugh upped those numbers to 9.0, 5.9, .546 (113-of-207) and .807 (71-of-88) in 33 starts. He was second on the team in rebounding and led in offensive rebounds (2.9) and was second in FG% (.546, 113-for-207). The last UD player to shoot that well over a season was Sean Finn, who shot .688 in 2003-04.
Kavanaugh’s .546 field goal percentage ranked seventh in the Atlantic 10 and his 97 offensive rebounds were the fifth-most in a single season in school history.
Kavanaugh opened the season with 15 points on 7-of-9 shooting from the field and seven rebounds in his first career start in the season opener vs. Western Illinois. In the first round of the Old Spice Classic against Wake Forest, Kavanaugh tallied 15 points on 6-of-9 shooting and a career-high 13 rebounds.
Against USC Upstate, Kavanaugh netted 11 points on 5-of 7 shooting. At Temple he scored 14 points on 6-of-9 shooting and hauled in six rebounds. In the victory over La Salle, Kavanaugh recorded a career-high of 23 points on 5-of-8 shooting and hauled in nine rebounds. In that game, he netted a career-high 13 free throws on 14 attempts.
On Jan. 23, Kavanaugh was named Co-Player of the week in the Atlantic 10 for his performance against Xavier. He scored 20 points on 8-of-9 shooting and had nine rebounds. He had 12 points on 5-of-10 shooting against Rhode Island and 17 points on 7-of-11 shooting against Duquesne. At Xavier, Kavanaugh had a double-double of 11 points and 11 rebounds. Kavanaugh then recorded back-to-back double-doubles as he had 12 points and 11 rebounds at Duquesne.
In the following game versus UMass, Kavanaugh hauled in 10 rebounds for the third consecutive game. The last Flyer to achieve this feat was Chris Wright during the 2008-09 season (Nov. 25-29, 2008). In the regular season finale versus George Washington, he tallied 15 points on 5-of-9 shooting from the field and grabbed eight rebounds.
2010-11
Matt Kavanaugh played in 32 games for the Flyers during the 2010-2011 season. He played a total of 293 minutes (9.2 mpg), scored 62 points (1.9 ppg) and hauled in 75 rebounds (2.3 rpg). Kavanaugh shot .451 (23-of-51) from the field and snagged 44 offensive rebounds. He placed fifth on the team in offensive rebounds and his seven blocks ranked fourth on the team.
Kavanaugh opened the season against Mount St. Mary’s with two points and five rebounds in 14 minutes of action. At Ole Miss, he netted two points and hauled in three rebounds.
Kavanaugh played his best game in a Flyer uniform in the victory at Seton Hall. He was instrumental in rallying the Flyers from a 14 point halftime deficit with nine second half points. In that game, Kavanaugh recorded career-highs of 15 points, seven rebounds and 19 minutes played. Five of his seven rebounds came on the offensive glass, and Kavanaugh shot a stellar 5-of-7 from the field and 5-of-6 from the foul line.
In the double overtime victory against New Mexico, Kavanaugh scored three points and snagged five rebounds, four of which were offensive rebounds. At Xavier, Kavanaugh netted five points and hauled in six rebounds. Against Saint Bonaventure, he scored six points and tied a career-best with seven rebounds.
At La Salle, Kavanaugh netted four points and pulled down four rebounds. At Rhode Island, he scored six points and hauled in six rebounds, including four offensive rebounds. In the A-10 tournament quarterfinal victory against Xavier, Kavanaugh scored five points and snagged two rebounds.
2009-10
Matt Kavanaugh played in 14 games for the Flyers while averaging 0.8 points and 0.8 rebounds per game. Kava¬naugh shot 5-of-12 from the field and played 43 minutes during the 2009-2010 season. Kavanaugh’s first career collegiate game came against #19 Georgia Tech where he recorded four minutes and had the task of defending future NBA players, Derrick Favors and Gani Lawal. Matt recorded two rebounds and swatted his first career block against Lehigh. Matt tallied his first career point on a free throw and hauled in two rebounds against Presbyterian. Matt scored two points against Ball State and chipped in two points and three rebounds at Saint Louis.
Kavanaugh netted two points and grabbed a rebound in the victory over UMass. In the NIT second round at Cincinnati, Kavanaugh tallied two points in four minutes of action.
High School
Kavanaugh was a rare sophomore starter for coach Jim Staley’s Centerville High School program, and with Kavanaugh in the paint, the Elks went 19-4 overall in 2006-07 and won their third consecutive Greater West¬ern Ohio Conference championship. He averaged 13 points, 9.9 rebounds and three blocks as a sophomore. He was first team all-conference and Second Team All- Southwest Ohio.
As a junior, Kavanaugh blossomed from being one of the best players in the Dayton area to one of the best in the state. He was the only underclassman on the 2008 First and Second Team Division I All-Ohio teams after averaging 20.8 points, 10.0 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 2.4 blocks per game.
In his senior season, Kavanaugh averaged 17.7 points, 8.9 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game for Centerville. Kavanaugh was named to the All-Ohio Team as well.
Personal Data
Full Name: Matthew Kevin Kavanaugh
Nickname: Big Kav
Son of: John and Susan Kavanaugh
Siblings: Alan (21) Kelly (16)
Birthday: March 9, 1991
Major: Entrepreneurship
High School Coach: Jim Staley
AAU Team: All-Ohio
Career Goal: Play professional basketball
Why I Chose UD: I chose UD because it is a great team to be a part of where everyone gets along. Also, the school and entire community is a fun place to live, and I like being closer to home so family can see my games.
Dayton Career Highs
Points: 23, La Salle (1/14/12)
Rebounds: 13, vs Wake Forest (11/24/11)
Assists: 3, W. Illinois (11/12/11), vs Wake Forest (11/24/11), Murray State (12/4/11), at Xavier (2/18/12)
Steals: 2, Four Times
Blocks: 2, Four Times
FGs Made: 8, Xavier (1/21/12)
FT Made: 13, La Salle (1/14/12)
Minutes: 32, at Fordham (2/11/12); at Xavier (2/18/12); at Duquesne (2/22/12)
Flyer 35's...
Razor Campbell (1950-51), Pete Boyle (1951-52), Gordon Dodane (1953-54), Rick Walsh (1954-55), George Janky (1967-70), Noland Robinson (1986-90), Sean Scrutchins (1990-92), Rodney Horton (1994-97)
