Dayton recruit shines at Top Gun Showcase in Vandalia

The Top Gun Showcase was allowed to have 700 fans, and many of them came to see DaRon Holmes, the highest-ranked recruit this century to sign with Dayton. He didn’t disappoint, scoring 19 points on 8-of-13 shooting with three dunks and tallying 14 rebounds, four assists and three blocks in 25 minutes for AZ Compass Prep, the nation’s second-ranked boys basketball team, in a 76-35 victory against Ypsi Prep.

Holmes toured the UD campus for the first time earlier in the day. It was his first visit to Dayton. He committed without seeing UD because of the COVID-19 situation at that time.

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Holmes, a 6-foot-8 forward, wore a Dayton T-shirt while warming up before the game, and he earned loud applause when he was introduced as a future Flyer.

Holmes committed to Dayton in October and signed in November. He’s part of a four-man recruiting class that also includes Malachi Smith, Kaleb Washington and Lynn Greer. That group ranks 19th in the nation among 2021 recruiting classes, according to 247Sports.com. That website ranks Holmes 40th in the 2021 class. Rivals.com ranks him 36th.