Former Flyer praises Grant, staff for taking UD to new heights

Grant has given former Flyers extra reason to root for the program. He’s a 1987 UD graduate. He’s one of them. Last season, he took Dayton to new heights.

Conrad gets at least a tiny share of the credit because he gave Grant a tour of campus when he was a senior in 1983. Grant picked the Flyers, enjoyed a memorable career, stayed close to his coach, Don Donoher, and returned to Dayton in 2017.

Grant enters his fourth season at the helm with an All-American candidate, Jalen Crutcher, leading the team and a top-25 recruiting class ready to help next season.

“I always tell people Dayton has so much to offer players as far as the arena, the incredible fan base and the practice facility,” Conrad said. “But the absolute biggest selling point and the reason they’re having so much success recruiting wise is because of Anthony. Guys want to go to Dayton and play for him as well as his staff.”

Conrad, a 6-foot-1 guard, played for Dayton from 1979-83, averaging more than 30 minutes per game in his last three seasons. He averaged 13.1 points per game as a senior and finished his career with 983 points.

Conrad’s name is all over the Dayton record book. He recorded 14 assists in a game three times. That was a school record when he graduated and wasn’t broken until 1990 when Negele Knight had 15 assists in a game against Xavier.

Conrad had seven steals in a game against La Salle in 1983. That’s tie dfor the third-most in school history.

Conrad ranks 52nd in school history with 983 points. He ranked 50th until Jalen Crutcher and Obi Toppin passed him last season. He’s one of 61 UD men’s basketball players in the UD Hall of Fame. He was inducted in 2009.

Conrad’s Dayton experience prepared him for a life after basketball. He has enjoyed a long career in investment banking and has six grown kids (aged 24-35). He has plenty of connections to UD still, including the fact that his girlfriend Kate O’Brien-Berry’s daughter Bridget is a 2019 UD grad.

Conrad is a proud Chicagoan who attended Benet Academy, where another former Flyer, Bobby Wehrli played. One of the biggest reasons Conrad ended up at Dayton was Donoher.

“I had three coaches in my life: my dad, my high school coach and coach Donoher,” Conrad said. “All three played a very important role in my life. Coach Donoher, to this day, is still very involved in my life. I try to stay in touch with him once a month or so.”