After a 71-66 loss to Northwestern, Grant was asked about the status of freshman forward Jaiun Simon, who did not see any action in the first two games. He said Simon will redshirt this season.
“He’s on board with it,” Grant said. “He understands the opportunity that it presents.”
The first member of Dayton’s 2023 recruiting class to commit, Simon is the latest player UD has decided to redshirt. Grant had a similar announcement about Georgia transfer Tyrone Baker last season, and Baker left the program in December. Prior to Baker, the last Flyer to take a redshirt for non-medical reasons was Moulaye Sissoko, who sat out the 2019-20 season.
Grant also announced freshman guard Marvel Allen will miss four to six weeks with a lower-body injury. Allen has been on the bench in street clothes for the first two games. He played in the two exhibition games.
Credit: David Jablonski
Credit: David Jablonski
Big game for Koby Brea: Dayton’s fourth-year guard played all of last season in pain and had rods inserted into both of his legs in April to address stress fractures he dealt with in his tibias. It was a long road back, and that made his performance Friday mean even more. He made 5 of 8 field-goal attempts, including 4 of 6 3-pointers, and scored 15 points.
“It’s been a long process,” Brea said. “I’m trying to take it one game at a time. I feel like I’ll get better as time goes. I feel like the team in general will do a better job as we keep playing together.”
Feeling for a teammate: Malachi Smith did not travel to Chicago with the team because he had knee surgery Wednesday. He will miss the entire season and has now undergone three surgeries this year.
“We went through that whole process this summer together,” Brea said. “For me to see him have to go through this now, it really hurts. I feel extremely bad, but the best thing we can do for him is just be there for him. He knows that everybody has his back. I just know that when he comes back from this, he is going to be a really big problem.”
Looking ahead: Dayton’s next opponent, LSU, lost 68-66 to Nicholls State on a 3-pointer by Jalen White with 1.2 seconds remaining Friday. Nicholls State ranks 275th in the Ken Pomeroy ratings.
Dayton and LSU (both 1-1) play at 4 p.m. Thursday in the first round of the Charleston Classic in Charleston, S.C.
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