The next time Dayton might have a four-year or five-year player honored on Senior Night who spent his entire career in Dayton will be 2028 when Jaiun Simon and Amaël L’Etang would be in their final seasons of eligibility, though that’s a long way away and it’s far too early to predict whether either will stay at UD that long.
In June 2024, Dayton coach Anthony Grant emphasized the need for veteran transfers in today’s game.
“For the most part,” Grant said, “I think those days are done in terms of seeing a group of freshmen come in and say, ‘OK, we’re going to grow as freshmen and sophomores, and then by the time we’re juniors, we can compete with anybody in the country because we got all this experience.’ I don’t know that you’ll ever see that again.’”
Dayton has added four transfers this spring from three different recruiting classes: Jordan Derkack (2022); De’Shayne Montgomery (2023); Adam Njie Jr. (2024); and Malcolm Thomas (2024). All four will be expected to have starting jobs or prominent places in the rotation. How they mesh with the four returning players from the 2024-25 roster, the two incoming freshmen (Damon Friery and Jaron McKie) and whoever else Dayton coaches land in the weeks ahead is anyone’s guess.
Predicting the fortunes of any team these days is a fruitless task, but Dayton is no different than any program in the Atlantic 10 Conference. The portal has taken some of the league’s top talent but also brought in new stars.
Here’s a glance at the biggest losses and gains in the A-10. The list does not include players who entered the portal with the hope of gaining an extra year of eligibility from the NCAA, which is considering a five-year eligibility rule. Players like Isaiah Swope, of Saint Louis, Sebastian Thomas, of Rhode Island, and Rahsool Diggins, of Massachusetts, entered the portal despite having exhausted their eligibility.
Credit: David Jablonski
Credit: David Jablonski
Top 10 departures
Reed Bailey, Davidson: The 6-foot-11 forward, the second-leading scorer in the A-10 (18.8), will play his final season at Indiana.
Xzayvier Brown, Saint Joseph’s: After averaging 15.0 points in two seasons with the Hawks, the 6-2 guard will play at Oklahoma next season.
Jalen Haynes, George Mason: Like Bailey and Brown, he was an A-10 first-team selection this past season. A 6-8 forward, Haynes committed to Cincinnati on April 12.
Jayden Dawson, Loyola Chicago: The 6-4 guard averaged 13.9 points as a junior and made the A-10 second team. He’ll play his final season at Kansas.
Melvin Council Jr., St. Bonaventure: The 6-4 guard will join Dawson at Kansas after leading St. Bonaventure in scoring (14.6). He made the A-10 second team in his one season with the Bonnies.
Malachi Smith, Dayton: One of four Flyers to enter the portal, the 6-0 guard will play his final season at Connecticut.
Deuce Jones, La Salle: A member of the All-Rookie team in 2025, the 6-2 guard was one of 13 players from La Salle to enter the portal after a coaching change. He’ll stay in the A-10 and in Philadelphia as he’s transferring to Saint Joseph’s.
Bobby Durkin, Davidson: The Wildcats’ third-leading scorer, the 6-7 forward will play his junior season at Minnesota.
Chance Moore, St. Bonaventure: After averaging 13.0 points in one season with the Bonnies, the 6-5 guard will play his final season at West Virginia.
Darren Buchanan Jr., George Washington: The 6-7 forward averaged 13.0 points in two seasons with the Revolutionaries and will play his junior season at Rutgers.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Top 10 additions
Barry Evans, VCU: The 6-8 forward was the third-leading scorer (13.3) at Bryant last season as a junior.
Dejour Reaves, Fordham: The 6-0 guard led Iona in scoring (17.3).
Darryl Simmons II, St. Bonaventure: The 5-11 guard averaged 17.4 points as a sophomore at Gardner-Webb.
Jordan Derkack, Dayton: The 6-5 guard averaged 17.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 3.9 assists as a sophomore at Merrimack and was named the Northeast Conference Player of the Year. He played a smaller role last season at Rutgers, averaging 5.7 points.
Marcus Banks, Jr., UMass: The 6-3 guard averaged 16.3 points as a junior at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.
Jermahri Hill, George Mason: The 6-5 guard averaged 15.8 points as a junior at Ball State.
Josh Scovens, Davidson: The 6-6 forward averaged 15.2 points as a sophomore at Army.
Quentin Jones, Saint Louis: The 6-5 guard averaged 16.5 points as a sophomore at Northern Illinois.
Deywilk Tavarez, Loyola Chicago: The 6-2 guard averaged 12.9 points as a sophomore at Charleston.
Tyrell Ward, VCU: The 6-6 guard averaged 9.1 points two seasons ago at LSU but did not play last season. He was the 41st-ranked recruit in the class of 2022, according to 247Sports.com.
About the Author
