The trophy stands about 3 feet tall. It has a black base with a silver basketball on top. Anyone taking a photo of the ball will see themselves reflected in it.
The Dayton Flyers haven’t hoisted the tournament trophy since 2003. Grant, entering his seventh season, guided the program to the championship game in 2023 but Dayton also has lost its first game in the tournament four times during his tenure, including last season.
Dayton has performed better in the regular-season race than it has in the tournament, winning the championship with an 18-0 mark in 2020 and finishing in the top three the last three seasons, but it hasn’t touched that trophy the last four seasons. Changing that will be a goal for the 2024-25 Flyers, who were picked to finish second in the A-10 preseason poll Monday.
“That’s our goal every season,” said Santos, a senior forward who represented the Flyers at Media Day along with Grant. “I know from last season we’re hungry to get back and achieve those goals.”
Dayton was picked first the last two seasons. It returns three starters, including Santos. The Flyers received six first-place votes this year. The preseason favorite, Virginia Commonwealth, received 14 first-place votes. The Rams return their top three scorers.
“I think for everybody in this day and age there’s so many moving parts to everybody’s roster that it’s a guessing game in the preseason,” Grant said. “I think when you look at the depth of the league, the quality of players, the coaches in the league, I’m excited about the potential of our league in this upcoming season.”
Saint Joseph’s, picked third, received five first-place votes. Saint Louis and Loyola Chicago, picked fourth and fifth, respectively, each received two first-place votes. Defending A-10 tournament champion Duquesne, picked eighth, also received a first-place vote.
Santos, Dayton’s top returning scorer, made the A-10 preseason first team. Fifth-year guard Posh Alexander, a transfer from Butler, was named to the second team. Alexander and Cheeks, a fifth-year guard in his second season with the Flyers, made the all-defensive team.
Grant sees experience as a strength for Dayton. Cheeks, Alexander and Ohio State transfer Zed Key are all fifth-year players. Alexander, Key and Jacob Conner, a junior transfer from Marshall, have all adapted fast to Dayton’s system.
“The fact that they’re really experienced in college basketball, their learning curve has been a lot easier in terms of their adjustment,” Grant said.
Santos was one of those transfers a year ago. He averaged 11.7 points in his first season at Dayton after receiving limited playing time in two seasons at Pittsburgh. He should play an even bigger role in his final season of eligibility.
“I think the biggest difference is that leadership role,” Santos said. “That’s what I’ve been focusing on during the summer — how I can help my teammates and be a better teammate and get better as a player myself.”
Santos underwent hip surgery in the spring and missed the entire summer practice period. He’s been full-go since the preseason practices began. Dayton is now eight practices into the preseason.
Santos said he was “just a little nervous at first being out for a couple months, but that was about it. My teammates really helped me get more comfortable and encouraged me.”
What has stood out to Santos about the 2024-25 roster is the mix of returning players and newcomers.
“We mix well,” he said. “With the new stuff we’re doing — we’re trying to play a little bit differently — that’s going to help us.”
How will Dayton play differently after running its offense through All-American forward DaRon Holmes II last season?
“We have more guards,” Santos said. “We have more depth. It’s up to what (Grant) decides. Without DaRon, obviously there’s going to be a huge difference. Those couple factors play into that.”
A-10 PRESEASON POLL
First-place votes in parentheses
1. VCU (14), 421
2. Dayton (6), 394.
3. Saint Joseph’s (5), 376.
4. Saint Louis (2), 371.
5. Loyola Chicago (2), 368.
6. George Mason, 262.
7. Richmond. 230.
8. Duquesne (1), 222.
9. Massachusetts, 215.
10. St. Bonaventure, 210.
11. Rhode Island, 159.
12. Davidson, 118.
13. George Washington, 111.
14. Fordham, 80.
15. 15. La Salle, 62.
PRESEASON ALL-CONFERENCE FIRST TEAM
Nate Santos, Dayton
Des Watson, Loyola Chicago
Erik Reynolds II, Saint Joseph’s
Robbie Avila, Saint Louis
Gibson Jimerson, Saint Louis
Max Shulga, VCU
SECOND TEAM
Posh Alexander, Dayton
Darrius Maddox, George Mason
Darren Buchanan Jr., George Washington
Xzayvier Brown, Saint Joseph’s
Joe Bamisile, VCU
Zeb Jackson, VCU
THIRD TEAM
Reed Bailey, Davidson
Rahsool Diggins, Massachusetts
Miles Rubin, Loyola Chicago
Jaden House, Rhode Island
Rasheer Fleming, Saint Joseph’s
Isaiah Swope, Saint Louis
ALL-DEFENSIVE TEAM
Posh Alexander, Dayton
Enoch Cheeks, Dayton
Abdou Tsimbila, Fordham
Miles Rubin, Loyola Chicago
Zeb Jackson, VCU
Credit: David Jablonski
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