Malachi Smith, Scoochie Smith team up for Smith Camp at University of Dayton

Scoochie Smith and Malachi Smith, brothers who know the last two Dayton Flyers head coaches well, experienced a bit of what Archie Miller and Anthony Grant do on Saturday — with a few exceptions.

The Smiths coached together at the Smith Camp at the UD Rec Plex and will do so again on Sunday. They had about 35 kids on the first day and will have close to 50 on day two. They ran the kids through drills, put them together for games of 5-on-5 but also dealt with a few tears because there were kids as young as 6 at this camp and there were bumps and bruises as happens on the basketball court.

Scoochie, at one point, put his arm around a kid who had fallen to the ground and started crying and soothed his pain as he led him off the court.

All in all, the Smiths enjoyed the experience together, something that wouldn’t have been possible before the name, image and likeness era began a year ago. Scoochie could have hosted a camp by himself, but Malachi wouldn’t have been involved. It’s a different story now. In fact, Malachi’s teammate, DaRon Holmes II, will host his own camp Sunday at Sinclair Community College.

The players can make a little money but also give back to the kids.

“The kids had fun,” Scoochie said. “They learned a lot.”

“It was definitely fun being around the kids,” Malachi said. “Hopefully, they had fun. We tried to teach them a little bit.”

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Scoochie played for the Flyers from 2013-17 and ranks 28th in school history with 1,289 points. Malachi scored 308 points in his freshman season, laying the foundation for a career that could pass his brother’s accomplishments.

“He’s carrying on the legacy of the family,” Scoochie said.

The brothers are both point guards. They’re both from the Bronx, N.Y. Now they’ll both get some time together in Dayton this summer because Scoochie is playing with the Dayton alumni team, the Red Scare, in The Basketball Tournament, which starts July 24 at UD Arena. That team will hold its first practice Tuesday on the same court where the Smith Camp was held.

Malachi, one of five returning starters on Dayton’s 2022-23 roster, helped run the camp while wearing a protective boot on his left ankle. He said it’s not a serious injury and he expects to be back at practice Monday. The boot was just a precautionary measure.

Three of the Smiths’ family members participated in the camp, two as players and one as a coach. One them scored on a between-the-legs layup during a scrimmage.

“I’ve seen some major talent,” Malachi said. “Maybe the 2030 class, something like that.”

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If Malachi had to compare his coaching style to any of his current coaches, he said it would be associate head coach Ricardo Greer.

“He brings a lot of energy,” Malachi said. “Coach Grant is a wise coach. But I definitely like to bring energy to bring them out of their comfort zone.”

One of the participants’ parents watching the camp was Dan Helm, a former UD student manager graduate assistant during the Oliver Purnell and Brian Gregory years. His son Luke, 6, played in the Smith camp while his daughter Chloe, 16, participated in a UD volleyball camp at the Frericks Center down the street.

“What a great chance for these kids just to be with these players and also a great opportunity for the players to interact with a community and make some money,” Helm said. “This community supports these guys and it’s just another chance for them to really get a chance to show their gratitude back besides a standing ovation leaving the court.”