Malachi Smith: ‘Flyer nation, I’m back!

Scoochie Smith, the former Dayton guard and Malachi’s older brother, narrated the video, which started with Malachi dribbling in an empty UD Arena.

“Yo, Malachi,” Scoochie said, “things don’t always go as planned. That’s just the game, man. You put everybody on watch last season, bro, but you can’t be just as good this year, you’ve got to be better. Setbacks happen, but you’ve got the right team to get you back — back on the floor, back to being the heart of this team. You’ve got to be smarter. You’ve got to be stronger. So welcome back, Mali. Don’t be just as good as last year, Malachi. Don’t be just as good as me. Be better.”

Smith was in uniform during pregame warmups Saturday as were forwards Toumani Camara and DaRon Holmes II, who both suffered injuries Tuesday in a 60-52 loss at UNLV. Kaleb Washington, who was suspended for the first three games, was also in uniform for the first time. Koby Brea is at the game but not in uniform.

Smith suffered a “lower body injury,” in the words of coach Anthony Grant in October and missed more than a month of practice. He also missed the final two games of last season with an ankle injury. Grant said Thursday Smith was making progress in his return and if he practiced that day it would be his first practice.