Busting Brackets
Fansided

Dayton Basketball: In-depth look at sophomore center Daron Holmes II

By Bryan Mauro

Nov 26, 2021; Orlando, FL, USA; Dayton Flyers forward Daron Holmes II (15) passes the ball against Kansas Jayhawks in the first half at HP Fieldhouse Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Reper-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 26, 2021; Orlando, FL, USA; Dayton Flyers forward Daron Holmes II (15) passes the ball against Kansas Jayhawks in the first half at HP Fieldhouse Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Reper-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 3
Next
Dayton Flyers forward DaRon Holmes II Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
Dayton Flyers forward DaRon Holmes II Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports /

Why you should know DaRon Holmes

Anyone who follows recruiting services is already going to know about Holmes considering he was the highest-ranked recruit to ever sign with Dayton. The big man was a top 50 overall recruit and more than lived up to the hype in his first season with the Flyers.

Luckily for Dayton fans, they don’t have to go back very far to find a player who dominated as Holmes did. Two seasons ago Obi Toppin took the college basketball world by storm and was going to lead Dayton to 1 seed in the NCAA tournament and secured the Naismith Player of the Year award.

It would be quite a jump to compare Toppin and Holmes as players but their impacts may be the same for Dayton. We all know how good Obi was while at Dayton and the massive leaps he took from year one to year two. Holmes II doesn’t have to take as big of a leap and he is already on pace to break a ton on offensive and defensive records at Dayton.

The big man already had a huge season last year and a lot of college basketball fans don’t realize the dominance that he played with. He led the team in scoring with 13 per game and shot a very high efficiency from the floor. His 65% field goal mark was one of the best overall in the country and was second overall among players who averaged over 30 minutes per game. He also has the single-season block record at Dayton with 81. That number was top 3 overall in the Atlantic 10 and top 3 overall for freshmen in the country.

Holmes also has the fourth most rebounds by a freshman in school history, was the Atlantic 10 rookie of the week five times, and started every game while leading the team in minutes. Holmes II has already accomplished in one season, what most players strive for over an entire career. The Atlantic 10 already did recognize him with the Freshman of the year, as well as second-team all Atlantic 10, and all defense.

Holmes is already very good, but head coach Anthony Grant and his staff are good with player development and if Holmes can make Toppin-like strides in year 2 then watch out. He is going to have a breakout season and if the big man has the season, he is capable of, Dayton is going to be very good again.