Dayton’s newest recruit impressed by UD coaches’ presentation in Philadelphia in 2019

“He made probably one of the greatest plays in Roman Catholic history his sophomore year in front of 10,000 fans at the Palestra,” Griffin said. “There’s no shot clock in Pennsylvania for high school basketball so we held the ball for last minute and 15 seconds. He kept the ball in his hands the entire time. With eight seconds to go, he drove the lane and dumped it off for a layup at the buzzer to win the Catholic League championship.”

Greer III scored 1,392 career points in four seasons at Roman Catholic, averaging 18.2 points per game as a senior in 2019-20. He then chose to spend a post-graduate year at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., because he was 17 when he graduated from Roman Catholic. IMG Academy ranks fourth in the MaxPreps.com top-25 national rankings.

“He wanted to continue to develop his body,” Griffin said. “He wanted make sure that when he got to school he was ready from a development standpoint, and that was the biggest thing: getting an extra year to prepare for college.”

Greer III is a three-star recruit who ranks 222nd in the class of 2021, according to the 247Sports.com composite rankings. Among the other schools recruiting him, he told Rivals.com this week, were: Washington; Seton Hall; San Diego; and Washington State.

Greer III joins Malachi Smith, DaRon Holmes and Kaleb Washington, all of whom signed in November, in Dayton’s 2021 recruiting class. That group moved from No. 23 to No. 18 with the addition of Greer in the 247Sports.com national team rankings.

With Greer III joining the class, Dayton’s 2021 class moved from 16th to 12th, according to Rivals.com. The website includes Mustapha Amzil, who joined the team in December, in the 2021 class.

Greer III is the son of one of Temple’s all-time greats. His dad Lynn Greer II scored 2,099 points between 1997-2002 and ranks second in Temple history in scoring. He scored 31 points — tallying eight on two 4-point plays in the first half — and played all 45 minutes against Dayton in his final appearance at UD Arena: a 75-70 overtime victory in 2002.

Greer II had a long career in Europe and played 41 games for the Milwaukee Bucks in the 2006-07 season. The family’s basketball tradition didn’t start with him, though. Lynn Greer II’s dad, Lynn Sr., had a successful career at Virginia State and was drafted by the Phoenix Suns in 1973. Lynn Sr. is one of Lynn III’s biggest fans and attends many games. The whole family still lives in the Philadelphia area.

Greer II said Monday he remembers the games at Dayton well. Former Flyers Tony Stanley and Sean Finn are the names he remembers best.

“They had a really good team,” Greer II said, “and we had some great A-10 battles back in the day. Dayton was always a tough place to play.”

Many Dayton fans will remember Greer II well, but his son is a different player.

“I was a 6-1 scoring guard,” Greer II said. “Lynn is more of a well-rounded guard. I think one of the things that I had trouble with was being a point guard, a playmaker, getting a lot of people involved. He does that extremely well. He’s 6-3, so he’s taller than me. He’s more athletic than I ever was. He just has a natural knack for getting his teammates involved and making it look kind of easy. He’s super competitive in nature, growing up in our household. He’s just talented. He can do a lot of things: scoring; getting others involved; a little showtime on the fast break. I’m just happy that he’ll be somewhere where he’ll get a chance to display those things.”

Griffin said Dayton head coach Anthony Grant and Ricardo Greer visited Greer III at Roman Catholic in September of 2019.

“They sat in my office,” Griffin said. “They made an amazing presentation about what Dayton was all about, what the program was, and I think from that day forward Lynn always considered that as one of his top schools. I think Lynn enjoyed the high-major experience Dayton basketball offers and just the overall attention Dayton basketball gets, and a chance to compete at the highest level of college basketball is what Lynn has always wanted.”

It also helped Dayton’s chances in a small way that Grant and Greer III have the same birthday, Griffin said. It didn’t hurt that Ricardo and Greer II are also friends. Both played college basketball around the same time — though never against each other — and both had long careers in Europe and crossed paths several times there. They’re not related but often were asked if they were during their playing says, so they were aware of each other before they ever met.

Dayton had the best presentation of any school, Greer II said.

“I was amazed,” he said. “Lynn was amazed. But a 17-year-old kid, it’s hard for them to make that decision. He wanted to see what else was out there, and then in the end it just came down to, ‘Man, these guys are really putting forth the effort, the commitment and just showing a lot of love, that they really could use him and have a plan for him.”

With the commitment of Greer III, Dayton has one scholarship open for the 2021-22 season. Here’s a look at the roster, which doesn’t include the 2021 seniors, all of whom can return if they choose because of the NCAA’s decision to not count this season against anyone’s eligibility. If any do return, they won’t count against the 13-person scholarship limit.

Senior: Elijah Weaver, 6-6, G.

Redshirt junior: Dwayne Cohill, 6-2, G.

Redshirt sophomores: Moulaye Sissoko, 6-9, C; Zimi Nwokeji, 6-7, F.

Sophomores: Mustapha Amzil, 6-10, F; Lukas Frazier, 6-5, G; Koby Brea, 6-6, G; and R.J. Blakney, 6-6, F/G.

Freshmen: Malachi Smith, 6-0, G; DaRon Holmes, 6-8, F; Kaleb Washington, 6-7, F; and Lynn Greer III, 6-3, G.