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Dayton Basketball: In-depth look at sophomore forward Obi Toppin

By Bryan Mauro

MEMPHIS, TN - MARCH 27: The Dayton Flyers mascot, Rudy Flyer, performs during a regional semifinal of the 2014 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at the FedExForum on March 27, 2014 in Memphis, Tennessee. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
MEMPHIS, TN - MARCH 27: The Dayton Flyers mascot, Rudy Flyer, performs during a regional semifinal of the 2014 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at the FedExForum on March 27, 2014 in Memphis, Tennessee. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /
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NEW YORK, NEW YORK – MARCH 15: Obadiah Toppin #1 of the Dayton Flyers handles the ball in the second half against D.J. Foreman #1 of the Saint Louis Billikens during the quarterfinals of the 2019 Atlantic 10 men’s basketball tournament at Barclays Center on March 15, 2019 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. (Photo by Mike Lawrie/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – MARCH 15: Obadiah Toppin #1 of the Dayton Flyers handles the ball in the second half against D.J. Foreman #1 of the Saint Louis Billikens during the quarterfinals of the 2019 Atlantic 10 men’s basketball tournament at Barclays Center on March 15, 2019 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. (Photo by Mike Lawrie/Getty Images) /

Why You Should Know Toppin

The sophomore from New York spent his first season at Dayton as a redshirt, learning and running the scout team. When the forward was finally given a chance to see the floor, he rewarded the coach Grant immediately. Toppin emerged as the go to scoring option early in his career.  The forward eventually forced his way into the starting lineup and the rest is history.

Toppin is a pure scorer who showed he is tremendously efficient. In 26 minutes per game a season ago the forward had shooting percentages of 66% from the floor and 52% from three. Those percentages are unsustainable, especially considering his lower total volume of shots. Toppin may be able to get away with a lower volume of shots to keep his efficiency up. The Dayton roster has many scoring options. The Flyers spread the ball, and this should allow Toppin to get open and take open shots or defer the shot for a better shot to his teammate.

The Flyers are best when Toppin has the ball in his hands and is scoring, so his shot volume may naturally increase as a result of the offense. The forward is very offensive-minded, and his decision to return to the Atlantic 10 is the one decision that could sway the balance of power back into Dayton’s favor this season. His move to return to Dayton from the NBA draft process makes the roster much deeper as well. The Flyers have high major transfers from Michigan and Nebraska to compliment an already deep roster.