Dayton Basketball: 2022-23 season preview for the Flyers

There won’t be much mystery in the starting five

With nearly everyone returning for Grant, the flyers should boast a starting lineup consisting of four sophomores and a junior. They also return one of the better starting frontcourts in the country led by DaRon Holmes II and Toumani Camara. The duo accounted for 23 points and 13 rebounds worth of production last season.

Filling out the frontcourt should be sophomore R.J. Blakney who returns as a redshirt sophomore who shot 35% from beyond the arc in 2022. If Blakeney can become a little more assertive offensively, expect his efficiency to improve.

The backcourt will be manned by a pair of sophomores in burgeoning star Malachi Smith and Kobe Elvis. Smith averaged nine points, and four rebounds, and distributed a team-high five assists for the flyers. His running mate, Elvis netted just under nine points per game but showed the ability to dominate any start on any given night, registering a season-high in both rebounds (7) and assists (8) in the team’s NIT win over Toledo. He also finished the year with a 20-point effort in the season-ending loss to Vanderbilt.

The experienced youth of Dayton looks poised to make some noise beyond the Atlantic 10 this season and should be a top-25 team and one of the favorites to win the A10 title.