Dayton Flyers in the mix for Hampton transfer

As preparation for the season ahead continues amid the uncertainty created by the coronavirus pandemic, Dayton coaches have kept recruiting, a job that never stops. Dayton has filled 12 of its 13 scholarships for the 2020-21 season. There’s always a chance it could add one more player for next season. Two years ago, Jordy Tshimanga transferred from Nebraska to Dayton on Aug. 2.

One player to keep an eye on is Hampton transfer Ben Stanley, a 6-foot-6 forward from Baltimore who averaged 22 points and 7.2 rebounds last season as a redshirt sophomore. In an Instagram post Thursday, he listed Dayton among the six schools he is considering. Maryland, Illinois, Xavier and Oregon are the others, while returning to Hampton is also a possibility.

Stanley, an All-Big South first-team selection, entered the transfer portal July 7. Dayton has been active all spring and summer in contacting transfers and landed University of Southern California guard Elijah Weaver in May.

In other recruiting news

• Dayton has yet to receive a commitment from the 2021 class, which will be an important one for the program because it loses Tshimanga, Ibi Watson, Rodney Chatman and Jalen Crutcher, assuming he withdraws from the NBA Drafter, after next season.

The most recent 2021 recruit to receive a scholarship offer from Dayton is Ian Schieffelin, a 6-8 forward from Grayson High School in Loganville, Ga.. He also has offers from Virginia Tech and Clemson among others.

Schieffelin played at the On The Radar Hoops Academy in Atlanta in June and averaging 13 points and 10 rebounds in two games. College coaches are restricted from traveling during the coronavirus pandemic but can watch events like this online.

• Dayton also offered a scholarship to another 2021 recruit this month: Alex Fudge, a 6-8 forward from Robert E. Lee High School in Jacksonville, Fla. Fudge is a four-star recruit, according to 247Sports.com, and ranks 47th in the class of 2021, according to the website’s composite rankings.

The Miami Hurricanes, Louisville, Maryland and Mississippi are among the other schools to recently offer him scholarships. Dayton visited Fudge in Jacksonville in February.

• In June, Dayton offered a scholarship to Ramses Melendez, a 6-5 forward from Central Point Christian in Kissimmee, Fla. Melendez is a three-star recruit who ranks 129th in the 247Sports.com composite rankings. He has received offers from Virginia Tech, Nebraska and LSU among others.