RealGM

Matt Sylvester, the former Cincinnati Moeller High School basketball player, knows he might hear a boo or two as he makes his return to basketball with the Dayton Air Strikers.

That’s fine with the Air Strikers’ assistant coach, whose last-second tip-in beat Beavercreek in the Division I regional final in 1999.

“I was used to it when I (played in Dayton),” said a smiling Sylvester. “I welcome all boos. As long as they’re in the stands, I’m happy.”

That’s one of the challenges the newest member of the Premier Basketball League faces — filling the James S. Trent Arena for its 10 home games.

The Air Strikers, the first pro basketball team in Dayton since the Jets of the International Basketball League in 2005, plan to make basketball an affordable, family-friendly event with entertaining halftime shows — ranging from comedy acts to dance performances — to go along with quality basketball.