Ryan Mikesell will sit out the season and earn a medical redshirt after undergoing two hip surgeries. He'll return to action next year with two seasons of eligibility remaining.
Sam Miller will miss at least the first semester after being suspended for an off-court incident and won't get his scholarship back this academic year. His status with the program after that is uncertain.
The latest news broke Tuesday when Anthony Grant revealed one of the team's five freshman, 6-foot-9 forward Obadiah Toppin, was declared academically ineligible by the NCAA Clearinghouse and will not play this season.
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That means Dayton will have 10 players for the first semester and possibly the whole season, depending on whether Miller returns to the team. Here’s a quick glance at the 10:
Potential starters
Darrell Davis, 6-5, Sr., G: Davis made tremendous strides as a defender this season. He also regained his outside shooting touch. He shot 29.1 percent from 3-point range as a sophomore and 38.5 percent as a junior. He struggled to finish shots at the rim, however, shooting 23.8 percent from 2-point range.
John Crosby, 6-2, Jr., PG: Crosby averaged 13.3 minutes as a sophomore. He appeared in all 32 games and averaged 2.8 points and 1.2 assists. His turnover average jumped from 0.8 as a freshman to 1.1 as a sophomore. However, he had only one turnover in his final six games (32 total minutes). He initially decided to transfer but changed his mind and was allowed to return.
OFFSEASON FEATURES: Josh Cunningham;Xeyrius Williams;Ryan Mikesell;John Crosby
Josh Cunningham, 6-7, R-Jr., F: Cunningham spent most of the season working hard to get back on the court after tearing a ligament in his ankle in the second game. He wasn't the same player when he returned as he was at the start, but without him, the Flyers likely would have fallen short of winning their first Atlantic 10 outright championship. With a full offseason of work, he should develop into a solid starter.
Xeyrius Williams, 6-8, Jr., F: The Wayne grad was Dayton's most improved player and one of most improved players in the A-10. His scoring average jumped from 2.0 to 8.2. He shot 41.5 percent from 3-point range.
Matej Svoboda, 6-7, Fr, F: He'll be the ninth foreign-born player to play at UD, the fourth from Europe and the first from the Czech Republic. Svoboda averaged 19.0 points at the FIBA U-20 European Championships in Helsinki, Finland.
Other returners
Trey Landers, 6-4, So., G: The Wayne grad never got a chance to show what he can do as a freshman. He saw brief action in nine games, none after Feb. 14. He has the physical tools to contribute and should get a chance to play as a sophomore.
Newcomers
Kostas Antetokounmpo, 6-10, R-Fr., F: Antetokounmpo's debut will be one of the most anticipated in recent UD history, assuming he's healthy at the start of the season. He suffered a bone bruise in his knee in the summer and was expected to beging practicing with the team sometime this month. He sat out last season as a NCAA partial qualifier. Former assistant coach Tom Ostrom said he made major strides after starting to practice with the team in the second semester.
Jordan Davis, 6-4, Fr., G: The first player in the class of 2017 to commit to the Flyers, Davis was the Class 5A Player of the Year in South Carolina. He averaged 19 points and six rebounds for Dutch Fork High School in Irmo, S.C. He was also the first player to announce he was sticking with Dayton after the hiring of Grant.
Jordan Pierce, 7-0, Fr., C: The center from Union Catholic High School in Scotch Plains, N.J., will bring size to a team that lacked it last season. He averaged 11.2 points in 23 games. Grant announced Monday Pierce told him he was staying with Dayton. Pierce confirmed the same on Tuesday but said he has not announced anything publicly.
Jalen Crutcher, 6-3, Fr., PG: Grant's first recruit originally signed with Chattanooga. He had some big games at an AAU event in Atlanta in April. He averaged 19.3 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.5 assists in five games.
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