Dayton picks up fourth transfer commitment of spring

Thomas, who’s from Dematha Catholic High School and Mitchellville, Md., just north of Washington, D.C., has four seasons of eligibility remaining. He did not play as a freshman at Villanova. According to PhlSportsNow.com, “Knee soreness prevented Thomas from entering the Wildcats’ lineup early in the season, and as they moved into conference play, the team never found a chance to work him into the lineup.”

Thomas is the son of Etan Thomas, a 6-9 center/forward who played at Syracuse from 1996-2000. Etan was drafted 12th overall in 2000 and then spent nine seasons in the NBA, most of them with the Washington Wizards.

“I get a lot of my game from him,” Malcolm said in 2023. “He’s the one who taught me how to play, so I bring a lot of tenacity. He played with energy and aggression. He taught me how to do the spin move and I kind of adapted it.”

Malcolm ranked 208th in the class of 2024, according to 247Sports.com. He committed to Villanova in October 2023, picking it from a group of final five choices that also included California, Florida State, Vanderbilt and Xavier. He averaged 11.6 points and 4.7 blocked shots per game as a senior.

Of Thomas after he committed, Villanova coach Kyle Neptune said, “Malcolm is a high-energy athletic forward whose game really fits the way we like to play. As the son of an accomplished professional athlete, he is already a high-level defender who can score from mid-range and is becoming a 3-point threat. There is so much upside to Malcolm’s game.”

Pete Strickland, who coached Thomas at DeMatha, told ZagsBlog.com in 2023 that Thomas “has tremendous, tremendous potential defensively. He has a 7-foot wing span, at least. Offensively, he has capable hands, runs extraordinarily well and uses the rim to shield finishes. Shoots it well, but probably has a bit too much of a likeness to jumpers than he ought to right now. That can change. Bright kid. Likable.”

Villanova fired Neptune in March after a 21-15 season. It hired Maryland’s Kevin Willard. Thomas was one of eight Villanova players in the portal.

Thomas announced April 16 he would enter the transfer portal. According to Dushawn London, of 247Sports.com, Dayton was one of many schools that expressed interest in Thomas, along with Maryland, George Mason, Florida State, Howard, Seton Hall and others.

With four transfers committing this spring, Dayton has 10 scholarship players on the 2025-26 roster and four walk-ons, assuming they all return:

• Seniors: Bennett; Derkack; Jacob Conner; and Atticus Schuler (walk-on).

• Juniors: Montgomery; Makai Grant (walk-on); Evan Dickey (walk-on); and Will Maxwell (walk-on).

• Redshirt sophomore: Jaiun Simon.

• Sophomores: Amaël L’Etang; and Njie.

• Redshirt freshmen: Thomas.

• Freshmen: Damon Friery; and Jaron McKie.

Thomas is the 20th Division I transfer who has entered the program since Anthony Grant took over the program in 2017. Here’s the list of the other transfers:

• Adam Njie, Iona: April 18, 2025:

• Jordan Derkack, Rutgers: April 15, 2025.

• De’Shayne Montgomery, Georgia: April 13, 2025.

• Posh Alexander, Butler: May 3, 2024

• Jacob Conner, Marshall: April 27, 2024.

• Zed Key, Ohio State, April 17: 2024.

• Enoch Cheeks, Robert Morris: March 30, 2023.

• Nate Santos, Pittsburgh: June 13, 2023.

• Isaac Jack, Buffalo: April 24, 2023

• Javon Bennett, Merrimack: April 10, 2023.

• Tyrone Baker, Georgia: April 26, 2022.

• Kobe Elvis, DePaul: May 14, 2021.

• Richard Amaefule, East Tennessee State: April 12, 2021.

• Toumani Camara, Georgia: April 8, 2021.

• Elijah Weaver, Southern California: May 25, 2020.

• Chase Johnson, Florida: Jan. 6, 2019.

• Jordy Tshimanga, Nebraska: Aug. 2, 2018.

• Rodney Chatman, Chattanooga: May 7, 2018.

• Ibi Watson, Michigan: April 25, 2018.