Dayton Flyers sign 6-10 recruit from Finland

“He’s a great kid,” First Love coach Khayree Wilson said. “Very high level. He can shoot it. He can score on all three levels. He has a high basketball IQ. He has all the makeup to be Dayton’s next big star.”

Amzil is a three-star recruit who ranks 306th in the class of 2021, according to Rivals.com. He’s the fourth recruit to pick Dayton since August. Malachi Smith, DaRon Holmes and Kaleb Washington all signed with the Flyers last week. Like Smith and Holmes, Amzil did not get to visit the UD campus during the recruiting process. He only visited Pittsburgh.

With Amzil joining the group, Dayton’s 2021 recruiting class climbed from No. 21 to No. 15 in the national team rankings, according to Rivals.com.

While Amzil received a scholarship offer from Dayton in October, not long after he arrived at First Love, Wilson said Dayton started recruiting him when he was still in Europe. Interest in Amzil skyrocketed in recent weeks with Indiana offering him a scholarship last week, joining the likes of Illinois, Maryland, Southern Methodist, Pittsburgh and others.

“It’s definitely been crazy,” Wilson said. “In the first 12 days, he had 11 offers.”

Dayton often leaves one scholarship open to allow for flexibility in recruiting. That’s why it had room to add Chase Johnson, a transfer from Florida to the roster, in January of 2019, and it’s why it was able to add Zimi Nwokeji, a 2019 high school graduate who was spending a post-graduate year at the SPIRE Institute, to the roster last January.

While Johnson and Nwokeji joined the team for practice, neither played in games. Each redshirted. Johnson made his Dayton debut last November, and Nwokeji will make his college debut when he plays this season.

It could be a different story for Amzil. Because of the many uncertainties created by the coronavirus pandemic, the NCAA is not counting this season against anyone’s eligibility, so there’s no reason to redshirt anyone. That doesn’t mean Amzil will play right away, but it means he might have the chance to do so.

“I believe he definitely has the basketball IQ to contribute,” Wilson said. “He’s going to need some time in the weight room, but what high school player doesn’t. He definitely has the skillset.”

Dayton has recruited players from First Love Academy in the past, and Wilson said he knows UD assistant coach Ricardo Greer well. Greer played at the University of Pittsburgh, which is 31 miles north of First Love Christian.

Wilson said Amzil chose Dayton in part because of the success it had last season when it rose to No. 3 in the country and produced the national player of the year, Obi Toppin. Amzil now will join a roster that could use help in the front court. Center Jordy Tshimanga and Johnson are the only players taller than 6-5 who have played in college. Moulaye Sissoko and Nwokeji will also play key roles this season.

Amzil described himself as a player who can play multiple positions and score at all levels in an interview with Jake Weingarten, of Stockerisers.com, in October.

“I like to get my teammates involved and I think my court-vision is good and I have a high-IQ," Amzil said. "Rebounding is also one of my strengths. I need to improve on staying solid on the defensive end so I’m able to guard all positions and I’m constantly improving. I also need to keep my shot consistent.”