Grant pleased with Flyers’ offseason work

Koby Elvis dribbled at Malachi Smith but stopped short of putting up a shot. This was more about Smith on the defensive end. Then they switched it up. Tyrone Baker guarded DaRon Holmes II and vice versa. Kaleb Washington and R.J. Blakney guarded each other, as did Zimi Nwokeji and Mustapha Amzil. Mike Sharavjamts was paired with walk-on Brady Uhl.

Koby Brea and Toumani Camara were not full participants in the practice, though neither had a visible injury. Richard Amaefule has not been cleared for full practices after breaking his foot in May.

The practice Monday was the second-to-last of the summer session for the Flyers, who will practice again on Wednesday and then take a break before returning to school for the fall semester later in the month.

Grant also spoke to the media for the first time this offseason, giving an update on how the summer has gone for a 2022-23 group that returns all five starters and seven of its top eight scorers and could be ranked in the top 25 when the season begins.

“I think it’s gone pretty well,” Grant said. “The guys have done a really good job of taking the things myself and the coaches tell them. I think the one thing we have is an experienced group, not necessarily in years, but just in terms of having been together. They know each other. I’ve been pleased with their willingness to try to help each other — even the new guys.”

The Flyers finished 24-11 last season in Grant’s fifth season. They were the first team left out of the NCAA tournament after losing to Richmond in the Atlantic 10 Conference tournament semifinals. The expectations will be higher this season than at any point in Grant’s tenure.

Even the 2019-20 team that won 29 games didn’t have this type of hype because there was more of a mystery surrounding that team with four transfers joining the rotation. The potential of this team is known.

Grant is not yet thinking about what the outsiders think of his team.

“That’s about the least meaningful thing in July and August there ever could be,” Grant said. “I think these guys understand with the experience they got last year, especially with the way we started, what they’ve got to be able to do.”

Grant’s interview touched on his approach to recruiting in the spring. Dayton had two scholarships open after Elijah Weaver transferred to Chicago State and Moulaye Sissoko transferred to North Texas. Baker, a transfer from Georgia, filled one. The last scholarship remains open.

Grant was asked specifically if he believes the team has enough depth at point guard with the starter Smith returning as well as Elvis, who took over the spot when Smith sprained his ankle against Richmond.

“I think so,” Grant said. “Obviously, a lot of that depends on our ability to stay healthy and have guys available, but yeah, I’m comfortable with what we have.”

Asked for his first impression of the two newcomers on the 12-man roster — Baker and the Mongolia native Sharavjamts, the team’s lone freshman — Grant said the most important this summer for both is gettin acclimated to their new teammates and new campus as well as the terminology the coaches use in practice.

“They’re just kind of getting ready for what we’ll see once we get to the fall,” Grant said.

Sharavjamts, a 6-foot-8 guard/forward, also gave his first interview since joining the team. He’s listed at 180 pounds on the roster. He said he lost some weight when he returned home to Mongolia in May but has put on 16 pounds since arriving at UD.

Sharavjamts watched practice during his first week with the team but soon started seeing action.

“As soon as he stepped into practice, he definitely made some improvements,” Smith said. “I think he’s going to be a major piece. We needed some more depth. I think he’ll have a major impact.”

All of the players watched the Dayton alumni team, the Red Scare, in The Basketball Tournament at UD Arena last week. The team played five games in seven days, losing 74-69 to a Buffalo alumni team, Blue Collar U, on Saturday in the semifinals of the $1 million tournament.

Grant enjoyed seeing so many former Flyers show up at practice — not only the seven former Flyers on the Red Scare roster but others such as Obi Toppin, Jalen Crutcher and Ibi Watson who came to cheer on the team.

“As an alum myself, it’s great to see the former players come back and be around the current guys and for our current guys to get to know those guys to get a different view of the fan base here. Instead of them focusing on the game itself, they got to see the other side of it. I think they enjoyed it, and it was great to see them bond and connect with the former players.

Holmes said he got to play pickup basketball with Toppin, the former Dayton star entering his third season with the New York Knicks.

“I did pretty well,” Holmes said. “Obviously, Obi’s Obi, so he did his thing. It was just great to be able to play against him.”