Dayton basketball: Damon Friery, of Cleveland St. Ignatius, commits to Flyers

Damon Friery, a 6-foot-10 forward from Cleveland St. Ignatius, announced his commitment to the Dayton Flyers on Monday.

In a post to X (Twitter), Friery thanked his family for believing in him and his mom and dad for supporting him.

“Lastly, I would like to thank my coaches and friends for always being there for me no matter what,” Friery added. “With that being said, I would like to announce my commitment to the University of Dayton! Thank you to Coach (Anthony) Grant, Coach (Jermaine) Henderson and the rest of the staff for recruiting me and believing in me!”

Damon’s dad Greg Friery said, “Damon picked Dayton to be a part of a winning program and play in the NCAA tournament. He formed a great relationship with the coaching staff over the last year plus. He believes Dayton gives him a great chance to fulfill his dream of playing professionally or even in the NBA. He also feels very comfortable at Dayton. He loves the fan base and how they support the basketball team with such passion. Also, academically, Dayton is a top-notch university to challenge him in the classroom.”

Friery made his decision 10 days after taking an official visit to Dayton He’s the first 2025 recruit to pick the Flyers. Two 2025 recruits visited campus last weekend: Treyvon Maddox, a 6-foot-6 guard from West Columbia, S.C.; and Jaron McKie, a 6-2 guard from St. Joseph’s Prep in Philadelphia.

Friery received a scholarship offer from Dayton in June 2023. He ranks No. 149 in the class of 2025, according to 247Sports.com. He’s No. 155 in the On3.com rankings. He’s the No. 3 Ohio recruit in the Prep Hoops Ohio rankings.

Friery played at UD Arena in March. He had nine points and four rebounds in the Division I state championship game, helping lead St. Ignatius to a 66-56 victory against Centerville. He also had a team-high 16 points in the state semifinals at UD Arena in a 55-54 victory against Delaware Hayes.

Friery averaged 10.6 points and a team-high 4.4 rebounds as a junior.

Friery visited DePaul in June and also has received offers from Creighton and Loyola Chicago this summer. He visited Loyola last weekend.

Friery is the third recruit from Ohio to commit to Dayton out of high school during Grant’s tenure, following Dwayne Cohill (Cleveland, class of 2018) and Lukas Frazier (Painesville, 2021). UD has also added Ohio players who started their college careers elsewhere: Pickerington’s Ibi Watson (Michigan); and Alter grads Brady Uhl (Cumberlands) and Jacob Conner (Marshall).

According to the UD media guide, past Flyers from Ignatius High School include: Sean McNally (1978-82); Garry Roggenburk (1959-62); Norm Schmotzer (1959-60); and Dick Walsh (1954-55)