Dayton receives commitment from Merrimack transfer

Bennett shot 44.7% (67 of 150) from 2-point range, 27.9% from 3-point range (46 of 165) and 73.3% (55 of 75) from the free-throw line.

Merrimack, located in North Andover, Mass., won the Northeast Conference tournament but was unable to participate in the NCAA tournament because it was still making the transition to Division I. Farleigh Dickinson, which lost to Merrimack in the NEC tournament, took its place and upset Purdue in the first round.

Bennett is from Orlando, Fla., and attended Trinity Prep School in Winter Park, Fla. He entered the transfer portal on March 22, 15 days after Merrimack’s season ended. He has three seasons of eligibility remaining.

William and Mary, Indiana State, Jacksonville, Charlotte and Iona were among the other schools recruiting Bennett this spring, he told the Recruits Zone Twitter account earlier this month.

This is Dayton’s third commitment since the end of the 2022-23 season. Robert Morris transfer Enoch Cheeks, a 6-3 junior guard from Providence, R.I., committed to Dayton on March 30. Vasilije Erceg, a 6-foot-10 forward from Novi Sad, Serbia, committed to Dayton on March 24.

The 2023 recruiting class also includes Jaiun Simon, a 6-7 forward from Mableton, Ga., who committed to Dayton on Oct. 28 and signed in November.

Dayton now has at least three scholarships to work with on the 2023-24 roster after losing Mustapha Amzil, R.J. Blakney and Richard Amaefule to the transfer portal and seeing Mike Sharavjamts depart to test the NBA waters.

There are six scholarship players from last season remaining on the roster: Toumani Camara; DaRon Holmes II; Malachi Smith; Koby Brea; Kobe Elvis; and Zimi Nwokeji. Camara will participate in the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament this week and would have to petition the NCAA to play in college again if he decided to return to school.

Bennett is the 11th player to transfer to Dayton since Anthony Grant became head coach in 2017. Here are the dates Division I transfers have committed to Dayton in Grant’s tenure:

• Enoch Cheeks, Robert Morris, March 30, 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.