Grant after Dayton’s trip to Europe: ‘I like what I see’

The Flyers played on the court of Pôle France on the east side of Paris in the 12th arrondissement. They played on the same court a day earlier.

Dayton elected not to publicize scores or stats from the games, but former Flyer Jack Zimmerman attended the game Friday and said UD won by 27. He also heard it won the two previous games on the 10-day trip.

Grant, speaking to the Dayton Daily News on Sunday night after landing in Dayton, said the results of the games were the least important part of the experience.

“I thought it was a very well-organized trip,” Grant said. “The experience of spending a few days in Barcelona and then Paris and the events we got to participate in as a group, I thought it was really good for our team, just the opportunity to bond around that experience and to get know each other. The guys got a chance to spend a lot of time with each other for 10 days. Most of your meals are together, and the experiences we had a chance to share together were really good. I think it served its purpose in terms of the cultural experience, the bonding experience and getting the chance to play a little bit as well.”

This was Dayton’s first offseason overseas trip since 2016 when it played two games in 10 days in Spain. It was its first visit to France since 2011. The Flyers also played in Toulon in southern France on their first overseas trip in 1997.

Dayton has 12 scholarship players on its 2023-24 roster. Eight of them played during the trip, though not all of them played in each game. Grant said a bug hit the team during the trip, and some players weren’t 100%..

Freshman forward Petras Padegimas, of Lithuania, joined the group in Barcelona on the second day of the trip and did not appear in the games. He flew back with the rest of the team to Dayton.

“It was great because he got a chance to spend some quality time with his new teammates and with the staff as well,” Grant said.

Guards Malachi Smith and Koby Brea, who are recovering from offseason surgeries, said before the trip they wouldn’t play. The other player who was not in uniform was freshman guard Marvel Allen. Grant said he has “been out for a little while with a lower-body issue, but we think he’ll be fine.”

Three walk-ons made the trip and were uniform for the three games: Brady Uhl; Atticus Schuler; and C.J. Napier. The walk-ons who did not travel to Europe are all freshman: Will Maxwell; Evan Dickey; and Makai Grant.

The full coaching staff traveled to Europe, including two new staffers: assistant coach Jermaine Henderson, who was hired in the spring; and graduate assistant Andre Watson, a native of Muskegon, Mich., who was a student manager at DePaul last season.

Judging only by the highlight videos UD shared on social media. the standout newcomer was Pittsburgh transfer Nate Santos. The videos showed him making seven 3-pointers and scoring 25 points in the three games, though obviously the videos did not show all his baskets or any of his misses.

Asked about the play of Santos, Grant said, “For me, it was more about our team than any individual. Everybody played well. I was more interested in how they blended together and seeing different guys in different situations.”

Grant said most of the players will get to spend time in their hometowns this week before returning to campus. Classes start Aug. 22.

Dayton plays its season opener Nov. 6. That means it can start official preseason practices on or near Sept. 25.

The extra playing time it got in Europe should put it ahead of the curve.

“We had the time together in the summer for two months working on skill development and getting the guys acclimated to our terminology,” Grant said. “They got a chance to compete against each other. The biggest thing was them facing somebody other than themselves, facing some outside competition, which was good, and then just seeing different combinations on the floor. Obviously, we didn’t have our full roster, but the guys that were available to play did a good job of sharing the ball and playing within the system. It was a good chance to see some of the new guys interact.”