When Jordan visited UD on Sunday and Monday with Gene and his mom Jenny, Gene knew what they were looking for in a program.
“We’ve been through this a few times now,” Gene said Wednesday, “and we’re always trying to find the right fit for him.”
Gene’s familiarity with Dayton coach Anthony Grant helped this time. Gene played at Florida International University for Shakey Rodriguez, who coached Grant at Miami Senior High School. Gene was the first recruit signed by Rodriguez in 1995.
Gene said he didn’t know Grant personally but noted “he’s one of those guys you don’t see this too often in a coaching world.”
Gene said Grant and Jordan spent hours together during the visit talking about Grant’s philosophy and how Jordan would fit into the program.
“Jordan’s goal is to play for a team where he can add tremendous value and get to the (NCAA) tournament,” Gene said, “and I think it’s really aligned with what coach Grant is trying to do there. Then you tack on Jordan’s competitiveness and his intensity and his leadership, and I think it was just a really good fit for us and them.”
Jordan, a 6-foot-5 guard, played last season at Rutgers after two seasons at Merrimack. Gene thinks Jordan can help Dayton on both sides of the ball.
“Being the defensive player of the year two years ago in the Northeast Conference is valuable,” Gene said. “Jordan brings a lot of things. He gets downhill very well. He finishes well. He gets fouled a lot. I think he makes everyone else around him better. He’s a really great passer, especially with his size. He can see over smaller guards. He could post smaller guards. When you throw the 4 or 5 on him, he’s too quick for them. He adds a dimension that Dayton is looking for — a tough, strong, competitive guard that makes people around him better, that will go at anyone and not back down from anyone and bring that older leadership to the team.”
Another connection helped in the recruiting of Jordan. He played with Javon Bennett, who has spent the last two seasons at Dayton, as a freshman at Merrimack in the 2022-23 season.
“I think both of them definitely stayed in touch,” Gene said. “I know they watched each other a lot over the past year. We watched a lot of Dayton basketball just because of Javon. Most of these schools, when they reach out to say they have interest, they ask if you’ve seen them play. And Jordan was like, ‘Yes, I’ve seen you play about 15 times this year.’”
Dayton contacted Jordan soon after he entered the transfer portal in March. Saint Louis was the other top option for Jordan, who visited that campus on Friday and Saturday before traveling to Dayton. Phil Gaetano, an assistant coach on Josh Schertz’s staff at Saint Louis, coached at Merrimack when Jordan played there. Jordan’s mom also is from St. Louis.
“It was a hard decision for Jordan,” Gene said, “but ultimately we went with our gut and went with what felt right, and Dayton just felt right.”
A meeting with Dayton athletic director Neil Sullivan was also part of the visit.
“Neil and the coaches set the tone right away of transparency and honesty,” Gene said. “They’re a real hospitable group. ... We’ve been around this a while, and the Dayton staff, from the AD to the training facility to the strength and conditioning to academics, everything was just top notch. I told Neil I couldn’t have been more appreciative of how they handled not just the visit, but everything leading into it. It felt like a pro-level facility, a pro-level staff. They made Jordan, my wife and I feel at home. Not once did it feel pitchy or salesy. It was just all honesty.”
Gene expects Jordan to leave for the Dayton campus as soon as he can. He’s finishing classes this month at Rutgers, which is 20 miles from the family’s home in Colonia, N.J.
“Knowing Jordan, he’ll want to be there as soon as legally possible,” Gene said. “He finished at Merrimack and was at Rutgers the next day.”
Jordan will be the first Flyer from New Jersey since Jordan Pierce, of Union, N.J. He was a freshman in Grant’s first season in 2017-18. Prior to Pierce, there was Charles Cooke, a Trenton native who played at Dayton in the 2015-16 and 2016-17 seasons. One of the most famous Flyers, Henry Finkel, is from Union City, N.J., 28 miles from Colonia.
Jordan is the third player in the last two years to commit to Dayton with one year of eligibility remaining. Posh Alexander and Zed Key were both fifth-year players on the roster last season after playing four seasons at other schools. Dayton did not add a transfer in that category in Grant’s first six offseasons. The first 13 transfers brought to Dayton by Grant and his staff each had at least two seasons of eligibility remaining.
Jordan was the second transfer to pick Dayton this week. De’Shayne Montgomery, a 6-foot-5 guard, committed to Dayton on Sunday after one season at Mount St. Mary’s and one season at Georgia.
The pursuit of transfers from the 2025-26 roster is far from over. Jordan hopes to help the coaches, his dad said.
“Jordan has a good network of folks that he’s played against and played with,” Gene said, “and hopefully he’ll have some input on building this team around him.”
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