Here are some highlights from their comments and associate head coach Ricardo Greer’s comments on each player:
Greer on Simon: “Jaiun was 17 years old the whole summer. He was the age of my son. To be 17 years old and to come to a college campus and have to go through all the stuff that all the other guys are going through ... Jaiun has a really bright future. I think he’s a great young man. I think that he continues to get better every day I see him. I’m not sure, but I think he’s getting taller. I saw Jaiun in high school a couple of times and said, ‘This is a guy that we definitely need to look at and recruit.’ I think the sky’s the limit for this young man, and I’m super excited he’s here.”
Simon on what sparked his interest in UD: “I’m not going to lie. It was Obi. ... I saw he was a lottery pick. I used to watch Dayton games, but I didn’t realize it was Dayton. Then they offered me, and I was like, ‘Oh snap, Obi did go here.’ ... It was crazy. I like how the crowd was engaged with him and how everything he did they went crazy. He just had a different swagger when he played here, and I really liked it.”
Simon on his visit: “It was really chill. We went to a nice restaurant. I met a few of the guys. I met Toumani (Camara) and DaRon (Holmes II). They seemed really chill and all about business and seemed like guys I wanted to be around.
Simon on himself as a player: “I feel like I can do everything on the basketball court. Shoot the 3 ball. I can dribble. I can shoot the mid-range. I can finish. Come in and play hard. Be an energy guy. Be able to knock down open shots and finish at the basket. Just do a little bit everything. Do whatever is needed of me. But definitely energy and defense first.”
Greer on Allen: “He’s a pitbull. He’s a bull in the china shop, a talented kid. We got on Marvel late after he decommitted from from Georgetown. Marvel’s one of those kids that you could bring anywhere in the country and he’s going to compete and play hard. He has a great smile, great charisma. We’re also super excited about him.”
Allen on picking Dayton: “The recruiting process, it was a lot. I had probably over 20 schools from all conferences. When I first made my decision, I committed to LSU. Coach (Will) Wade was there, but due to unfortunate circumstances, he got fired. So I decommitted and explored my options again, and it kind of led me to Georgetown, and the same situation happened. The coach got removed. So now I really had to sit down and think about what would be the best option for me. When I came on my Dayton visit, what really stood out was how much the coaches care about you and the family atmosphere and the fans and that support.
“When I decommitted from Georgetown, coach (James) Kane came down to Montverde (Academy) that first day, and then he drove two and a half hours to go see my dad, so that really showed me they wanted me and they cared a lot about me. ... I would say what really made me decide is on my visit after my last breakfast with the coaches, I had a one-on-one talk with coach AG (Anthony Grant) and he expressed that I can trust him. He knows that I’ve been through a lot. The conversation we had, it kind of touched me and made me feel emotional. No coach made me feel emotional. This made me think this is where I want to go.”
Greer on Pedigamas: “Petras is interesting because he was committed to the University of Central Florida the whole year, so he wasn’t some guy that we were recruiting from from the beginning. This was a guy that decided late to decommit from UCF. When we saw that, we made some phone calls, and the people that he deals with in Lithuania called and said, ‘Would you guys be interested in Petras?’ We looked at him and said, ‘This guy’s pretty good. He can shoot it. He’s an athlete. He’s a guy that we feel that can help us.’ He’s also young. He had only turned just turned 18. ... It was quick because it was late. We were competing with a couple of schools, but his mom came here, who is a delight. She’s amazing. And she just fell in love with with coach Grant and the rest of the staff, and I think that helped us dramatically.”
Pedigmas on his background: “I‘ve been playing basketball since sixth grade, so about six or seven years now. I grew taller than everyone my age, and it’s only natural that I got into basketball. I would describe my style of play as athletic, fast and electric. I love getting out in transition. I love getting out in the fast break as well as just sitting down on defense and just stealing the ball from somebody, getting a block, hyping the crowd up, hyping my teammates up. That’s what I love to do most.”
Pedigmas on why he picked Dayton: “The first time Dayton reached out to me was actually a week and a half after I reopened my recruitment, and everything moved super quick. From the time Dayton first reached out to me until my visit took only about a week and a half. The main thing that put Dayton over the other schools was the people. I just had such a great time over the course of the visit, and I felt like I fit right in with the teammates with the coaches with everything about Dayton.
Pedigmas on his early impressions of the school: “I honestly didn’t expect Dayton to be such a lively place. I expected it to be a small school in the Midwest, but it’s such a lively place and such a unique place. It’s been way more fun and way more exciting than I thought it was going to be. I absolutely love it here. Now I see what the attraction to Dayton is and why people come here.”
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