Dayton Flyers land top-40 recruit in class of 2021

Holmes made the announcement in a video he released on Instagram.

“First off, I want to thank God for giving me the opportunity to play the game I love,” Holmes said in the video. "Next I want to thank my family for always being there for me and close friends for believing in me. For all the past coaches and current coaches I’ve had and grown close with, thank you for being there for me when I needed you, and thank you for the tough coaching, the adversity and teaching me more and more about the game.

"Thank you, past teachers at Millennium and current teachers at Montverde that have helped me stay focused in the classroom. Thank you to the performance and basketball trainers for helping me develop my skills as an athlete and a basketball player.

"Growing up, I always had a passion and sense of urgency for the game. I’ve always been taught to work hard day in and day out. I’m going to continue to learn and grow at a high level so I can fulfill my goals and dreams. I will always continue to strive for great success and great opportunities.

“This was the toughest decision of my life. These were all great schools, but I can only choose one. To further my academic and athletic career, I will be attending the University of Dayton in Dayton, Ohio. Go Flyers.”

Holmes is the highest-ranked recruit to pick the Flyers in the Anthony Grant era and the highest-ranked recruit to pick UD during the age of the online recruiting websites.

Juwan Staten, who played one season at Dayton, ranked 49th in the class of 2012, according to Rivals.com. Chris Wright ranked 49th in the class of 2007, according to Scout.com.

Both of those players were from Dayton. Staten attended Thurgood Marshall before transferring to Oak Hill Academy (Va.) Wright graduated from Trotwood-Madison.

When Wright committed to Dayton, he was considered the program’s most celebrated recruit since Negele Knight, who was the nation’s ninth-ranked point guard when he picked the Flyers in 1984.

Holmes attended Millennium High School in Goodyear, Ariz., his first three years. He announced in May he would transfer to Montverde Academy, which is located near Orlando, Fla., for his final year.

Montverde has one of the nation’s best high school programs and has nine players ranked in the top 50 of ESPN’s rankings this year. Among its alums in the NBA are: Ben Simmons; D’Angelo Russell; and Joel Embiid.

Holmes averaged 23.5 points, 10.5 rebounds, 3.8 blocks and 3.1 assists as a junior and was named the Gatorade Player of the Year in Arizona.

Holmes listed Dayton among his final four college choices on Sept. 24 along with Arizona, Marquette and California.

On Friday, three analysts on 247Sports.com predicted Holmes would choose Marquette. He received a scholarship offer from Dayton in June. The website’s crystal ball prediction changed later in the day as the analysts switched their pick to Dayton.

In an interview with Zack Shumaker on YouTube.com on Saturday, Holmes confirmed Marquette was in the lead at one point, but he got a “certain feeling” about Dayton despite never having visited campus because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Dayton’s development of Obi Toppin, who’s expected to be a NBA lottery pick next month, over the last three years played a part in the decision making of Holmes.

“Being able to see what they did for him was amazing,” Holmes told Shumaker, “and also he put in the work as well. It’s great to be able to see that. It really shows how much they invest and how hard they work for their players and how hard their players work for me. ... I just feel it’s a great place, and I’ve done my research on the school. The coaches are great. They really take care of their players, and the development is insane. It’s a great conference as well. All in all a great school and great atmosphere. The students really come and support.”