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Dayton Basketball: 2021-22 season preview and outlook for Flyers

By Tyler Cronin

Dec 12, 2020; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Dayton Flyers head coach Anthony Grant shows emotion on the bench against the Mississippi State Bulldogs in the first half of a Holiday Hoopsgiving game at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 12, 2020; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Dayton Flyers head coach Anthony Grant shows emotion on the bench against the Mississippi State Bulldogs in the first half of a Holiday Hoopsgiving game at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports /
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Rhode Island Rams guard Fatts Russell Dayton Basketball Zimi Nwokeji Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
Rhode Island Rams guard Fatts Russell Dayton Basketball Zimi Nwokeji Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports /

Key Reserves

Realistically, all eight reserves have a chance to make a serious impact this season but Anthony Grant prefers to keep his rotation at seven to nine players per game so I’ll focus on the four who are most likely to make an impact.

Forward: Zimi Nwokeji, 2nd Year

The ultimate wild card for the Flyers, Nwokeji is an elite athlete with a developing jumper but he hasn’t put things together yet. He gained confidence in taking his jumper as the season went on and his minutes increased, peaking with his 29-point, 9-rebound performance against Rhode Island. Nwokeji will have to scrap for every minute to avoid disappearing amongst a deep forward group but this year’s team will also provide a much clearer paint for his high-flying highlights. He could be a star or at the bottom of the rotation by year-end.

Guard: Kobe Elvis, 2nd Year

Elvis is tough to evaluate following a freshman season filled with wild minutes fluctuations for a dreadful DePaul team.  He reached double-digit points three times, most impressively with 13 points on 6/13 shooting against Seton Hall in February.  The door is open for Elvis to contribute early on if he improved over the summer but in order to fit with Weaver, he will likely have to improve from his current 1.9 assists per game.

Forward: DaRon Holmes, 1st Year

Holmes is a 6’8″ athlete who is Anthony Grant’s first Top 50 recruit in his tenure at Dayton and appears ready to contribute immediately as a rim runner. Holmes is skinny, 180 pounds during the high school season, and will need to put in muscle as the years go along but for now, he gets to use his speed and leaping ability to his advantage.  Until he packs on more weight, Holmes will fit better at power forward but with a glut at that position and a lack of quick centers, he will likely have to start out at the 5.

Guard: Malachi Smith, 1st Year

All it will take is one hesitation crossover for the Dayton crowd to serenade Smith with the “Scoooch” chant that became his brother’s signature.  Outside of family legacy, Smith was a 4-star point guard with multiple Power 5 interests, who averaged a triple nickel in his junior/final year of high school, putting up 19.2 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 8.0 apg on his way to a New York Catholic League championship.  The assists are the important stat, Smith may already be the best passer on the team and that skill is his ticket to minutes this season.