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Dayton Basketball: Does the loss of Kostas Antetokounmpo effect Flyers?

By Carmine Carcieri

Mar 5, 2016; Dayton, OH, USA; Dayton Flyers head coach Archie Miller reacts from the bench against the Virginia Commonwealth Rams in the first half at the University of Dayton Arena. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 5, 2016; Dayton, OH, USA; Dayton Flyers head coach Archie Miller reacts from the bench against the Virginia Commonwealth Rams in the first half at the University of Dayton Arena. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports /
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Down goes Dayton basketball’s 2016 recruiting class, as they have lost a freshman just as fall practices begin.

With a roster that is filled with veterans, the Dayton Flyers have two players in their 2016 recruiting class: three-star shooting guard Trey Landers and three-star small forward Kostas Antetokounmpo.

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Unfortunately for head coach Archie Miller, Antetokounmpo has been ruled as a partial qualifier for the 2016-17 season. He will have to sit out all games for the entire season and is prohibited from participating in practices during the fall semester.

The Wisconsin native and brother of Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo is ranked as the third best player in the state in 2016 and is the 36th best small forward in the class.

He moved to the United States with his family during his sophomore year of high school. The younger brother of Giannis developed into a force by his senior season, averaging 12.7 points, 7.1 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per game for Dominican High School.

While ESPN has Kostas labeled as a three-star talent, Rivals ranks the small forward as the 89th best player in the country and Scout has him as the 98th best.

Obviously the Flyers would have preferred to have Antetokounmpo as an option off the bench this year, but this is a Dayton team that possesses a ton of depth and experience. It was really unknown as to how many minutes the recruit would’ve received on a team that has expectations of winning the Atlantic 10 and making a long run in the NCAA Tournament.

In fact, this may be a blessing in disguise for Miller and company. Antetokounmpo will keep his four years of eligibility, will be able to work on his game during the “off-time” and is able to get a taste of college basketball during the second semester practices.

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There’s also a lot that Antetokounmpo needs to work on before he can have a true impact at this level.

It all starts with his lack of strength. At 6’11”, 195 pounds, Antetokounmpo would’ve had difficulty battling opposing forwards in the post. He still struggles on the glass, has difficulty finishing through contact and defending opposing Atlantic 10 players wouldn’t have been easily to say the least.

He’s also very raw offensively, as he needs to develop his skills and shooting touch. He has issues with his consistency from both mid-range and beyond the three point line, and could even improve as a ball handler.

Similar to his older brother, Antetokounmpo’s strengths lie with his length, mobility and athleticism. He has long term upside and potential based upon these physical tools and his family genes, but it will likely take a couple of years to mold the recruit into a player who has enough physicality to compete night-in-and-night-out.

So yes, Dayton would have liked to have the option of using Antetokounmpo as a potential defender when they switch to zone – or as a mismatch if an injury or foul trouble arises.

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But this is potentially good news in the long term. The Flyers are able to manage expectations and give Antetokounmpo more time to get a feel for the college lifestyle.