Gem City Jam
{{Short description|American college basketball rivalry}}
{{Notability|Sports|date=November 2022}}
{{Infobox sports rivalry
| wide = yes
| name = Gem City Jam
| image =
| image_size = 200
| caption =
| team1 = Dayton Flyers
| team1logo = Dayton Flyers logo.svg
| team2 = Wright State Raiders
| team2logo = Wright State Raiders logo.png
| sport =
| firstmeeting = March 5, 1988
University of Dayton, 89–71
| mostrecent = December 13, 1997
University of Dayton, 94–63
| nextmeeting = TBD
| total = 8
| largestvictory = Dayton, 94–63 (1997)
| longeststreak = Dayton, 3 (1995–1997)
| currentstreak = Dayton, 3 (1995–1997)
| trophy = Gem City Jam Trophy
| trophy series =
| stadiums =
| map_location =
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| coordinates1 =
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{{OSM Location map
| nolabels = 1
| coord = {{coord|39.74|-84.12}}
| zoom = 10
| width = 295
| height = 250
| caption = Locations of UD and Wright State
| mark1 = Blue pog.svg
| label1 = Dayton
| mark-coord1 = {{coord|39|44|08|N|084|12|0|W}}
| label-pos1 = top
| label-color1 = black
| mark2 = Green pog.svg
| label2 = WSU
| mark-coord2 = {{coord|39|46|55|N|84|3|9|W}}
| label-pos2 = left
| label-color2 = black
}}
The Gem City Jam is a college basketball rivalry between the University of Dayton Flyers and the Wright State University Raiders.
The class-driven cross-town rivalry began in 1988, playing over the years to large raucous crowds packing both school's 10,000 seat arenas. UD has declined to renew the contest each year since the 97-98 season.
Series origins
The Dayton Flyers team is a regional basketball power with a long tradition of excellence going back to the early 20th century. UD is proud to represent the leaders and elite of Dayton. Few fan bases in the country rival Dayton's for passion and ticket sales.{{cite web| url=https://www.ncaa.org/sports/2013/11/27/ncaa-men-s-basketball-attendance.aspx|title=NCAA Men's Basketball Attendance|access-date=November 8, 2022|publisher=NCAA}}
Wright State basketball is a much younger program, playing its first basketball in the 1970s. Wright State built a scrappy fan following at the Division II level with fast, aggressive teams and its 1983 National Championship.
The coaches and administrations for both schools enjoyed close relationships leading to UD making a verbal agreement to play the suburban school once they moved to Division I.{{cite journal|url=https://corescholar.libraries.wright.edu/archives_retirees/36/|title=Jim Brown Interview|journal=Wright State University Retirees Association Oral History Project|date=26 January 2018|publisher=Wright State Libraries|access-date=November 8, 2022|last1=Abrahamowicz|first1=Dan|last2=Brown|first2=Jim}}{{cite news |first1=Bucky |last1=Albers |date=December 8, 1995 |title=Jam rivalry in its infancy |url=https://daytondailynews.newspapers.com/image/408340208/
|volume=119 |issue=92 |page= 4D|work=Dayton Daily News|publisher=Cox Media}}
Series suspension
Despite having a winning record in the series, UD has declined to renew the contest each year since the 1997–98 season. This change in posture resulted from new administration coming to power at UD that did not think as highly of the cross-town institution. Without an official reason for the suspension in the series, many theories have been offered in the press and around town. Due to the dramatic social gulf between the elite private school student body and the working class state school, a considerable amount of resentment has grown around this decision.
The Dayton Daily News and other local media have called annually for a renewal of the contest as a Dayton civic asset.{{cite news |first1=Sean|last1=McClelland|date=October 26, 2000| title= So why won't UD play WSU in basketball?|url=https://daytondailynews.newspapers.com/image/409530217/|volume=124|issue=27|page= 2D| work=Dayton Daily News|publisher=Cox Media}}{{cite news |first1=Sean|last1=McClelland|date=March 10, 2002| title= Cyber Jam|url=https://daytondailynews.newspapers.com/image/410289085/|volume=125|issue=161|page= D1| work=Dayton Daily News|publisher=Cox Media}}{{cite web|url=https://wsuguardian.com/gem-city-jam-the-forgotten-rivalry/|title=Gem City Jam, the forgotten rivalry|date=11 September 2017|publisher=WSU Guardian|access-date=November 8, 2022}}{{cite web|url=https://www.daytondailynews.com/sports/sports-daily-make-dayton-great-again-revive-gem-city-jam/ALU2lj10mySTJDiln8f9YL/|title=SPORTS DAILY: Make Dayton great again, revive Gem City Jam|date=16 March 2016|publisher=Dayton Daily News|access-date=November 8, 2022}}{{cite web|url=https://www.daytondailynews.com/sports/what-there-were-gem-city-jam-this-year/xEMaspvLaJSxjKgiFTOXFL/|title=What if UD and Wright State played this year in a Gem City Jam?|date=19 January 2018|publisher=Dayton Daily News|access-date=November 8, 2022}}{{cite web|url=https://www.jefflouderback.com/the-ball-is-in-uds-court-for-reviving-the-gem-city-jam-with-wright-state-will-the-flyers-accept-the-challenge/|title=The ball is in UD's court for reviving the Gem City Jam with Wright State. Will the Flyers accept the challenge?|date=8 April 2019|publisher=Jeff Louderback|access-date=November 8, 2022}}{{cite web|url=https://www.dayton.com/ideas-voices/voices-its-time-to-bring-back-the-gem-city-jam/33ZYWZCFNBAJLFSSMIFQQJHGUQ/|title=VOICES: It's time to bring back the Gem City Jam|date=23 March 2022|publisher=dayton.com}}{{cite web|url=https://www.wingam.com/kinners-latest-espn-30-for-30-gem-city-jam-parody/|title=Kinner's latest ESPN 30 for 30 – "Gem City Jam"|date=17 November 2020|access-date=November 8, 2022|publisher=wingam.com}}
Wright State remains optimistic that the series will continue.{{cite web|url=https://webapp2.wright.edu/web1/newsroom/2018/03/05/the-history-of-raider-basketball-the-gem-city-jam/|title=History of Raider basketball — the Gem City Jam|date=8 March 2018 |publisher=Wright State University}}
Game results
{{Sports rivalry series table
| format = compact | series_summary = yes | cols = 2
| team1 = Dayton
| team1style = {{NCAA secondary color cell|Dayton Flyers}}
| team2 = Wright State
| team2style = {{NCAA color cell|Wright State Raiders}}
| March 5, 1988 | UD Arena | Dayton | 89 | Wright State | 71
| January 6, 1990 |UD Arena| Wright State | 101 | Dayton | 99
| December 11, 1993 |UD Arena| Dayton | 83 | Wright State | 56
| January 8, 1994 | Nutter Center | Wright State | 77 | Dayton | 65
| December 10, 1994 |Nutter Center | Wright State | 74 | Dayton | 53
| December 9, 1995 |UD Arena| Dayton | 98 | Wright State | 80
| January 9, 1997 |Nutter Center | Dayton | 72 | Wright State | 63
| December 13, 1997 |UD Arena| Dayton | 94 | Wright State | 63
| footnote = {{Cite web|url=https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/schools/dayton/
|title=UD basketball history|website=sports-reference.com}}
}}
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Dayton Flyers men's basketball navbox}}
{{Wright State Raiders men's basketball navbox}}
{{Atlantic 10 Conference rivalry navbox}}
Category:College basketball rivalry trophies in the United States
Category:College basketball rivalries in the United States
Category:Basketball in Dayton, Ohio