Dayton Flyers lands a game-changing pickup transfer late in 2025 offseason

Like many teams in the Atlantic 10 Conference, Dayton lost a ton of production from last season. That includes leading scorer and starting forward, Nate Santos (14.3 ppg and 5.6 rpg). Other frontcourt players who departed included Zed Key, Isaac Jack, and Hamad Mousa.

Among the key forwards for the 2025-26 Flyers roster included sophomore breakout candidate forward Amael L E’tang, reserve forward Jacob Conner, and Malcolm Thomas, a former four-star prospect and transfer from Villanova. Yet there wasn’t much depth in the frontcourt and a potential weak spot. 

However, Dayton managed to land one more piece to the roster, one of the last available players from the portal.

Keonte Jones is a 6’6 versatile forward who started the past two years at Cal State Northridge. Last season, Jones averaged 13.1 ppg, 9.0 rpg, and 4.1 apg, along with 3.1 combined steals/blocks per game on 51% shooting from the field. Among his most notable performances were 13 points, 20 rebounds, and six assists against UC Davis and 20 points and 11 rebounds versus UC San Diego.

Jones entered the portal early in the offseason and at one point, reportedly committed to Alabama. But they parted ways, and his recruitment went quiet, due to alleged legal situations that needed to be cleared up. Once that happened, the former All-Big West forward picked to join Dayton for next season.

Jones is now very likely to start at the four-spot, creating a nice frontcourt duo with L’Etang. Dayton is expected to be led by starting guard Javon Bennett, while transfers Jordan Derkack (Rutgers), De’Shayne Montgomery (Georgia), and Adam Njie Jr. (Iona) form what should be a quality backcourt.

The Atlantic 10 looks to be wide open next season, with teams such as Saint Louis, VCU, Loyola-Chicago, and George Washington having formidable rosters. And thanks to Keonte Jones joining late, the Dayton Flyers should also be part of the potential top tier.