As usual, it has been a busy spring for the Flyers. They lost three players (Lukas Frazier, Rodney Chatman and Dwayne Cohill) to the transfer portal and added three players (Toumani Camara, Richard Amaeufule and Kobe Elvis) from the portal. That means seven of the 13 scholarship players on the 2021-22 roster have never played for Dayton.
Grant expects all the newcomers to be on campus in June when Dayton will start an eight-week summer practice period.
“I’m excited about the group we have,” Grant said. “We’ve got some guys that we’re really excited to get a chance to develop and get to know. This is different. Some of these guys we’ll meet for the first time in person when they come on campus. This past year, with COVID, we had to recruit a little different, but I think just in terms of who we are and our core in terms of our culture and what we want to be about, these guys all will fit really well. Now it’s a matter of trying to get them together and have them understand how they can all complement each other and help each other and work together toward a common goal.”
» SEASON IN REVIEW: Best photos from 2021-22 season
All of Dayton’s returning players went home when classes ended, even center Moulaye Sissoko, who returned his home country of Mali for the first time in several years. The homecomings meant even more after a season in which the players were largely isolated from even their fellow students as they tried to avoid a COVID-19 outbreak.
“A lot of people were just trying to keep their family safe and stayed away from interacting with grandparents and sometimes parents and extended family,” Grant said. “That was challenging for not only our guys but for everybody across the country so you appreciate it a little differently. I’m sure those guys appreciate having the chance to spend some time with their loved ones as well.”
Sissoko underwent season-ending knee surgery in February, and Grant said he’s on scheduled to return. The same goes for guard R.J. Blakney, who battled a calf injury last season and underwent a procedure to address it after the season.
“We feel like he’s on on on path as well,” Grant said. “Since those guys finished school, everybody went their separate ways. Everybody went home. We’ll see when they get back here where they’re at exactly, but based on the projections, we expect them to make a full recovery and be ready to go.”
Check back on Wednesday morning for the full interview with Grant on DaytonDailyNews.com.
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