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Even with Atlantic 10 Conference Co-Player of the Year DaRon Holmes now playing for the Nuggets and sharpshooter Koby Brea now staring at Kentucky, Anthony Grant has adjusted nicely has guided Dayton back, yet again, to being the best team in the A-10.
On offense, Grant’s Dayton teams share the ball well and shoot efficiently while on defense, the Flyers protect the rim well and, rather than hunting for steals, force teams to take tough shots.
A big part of Dayton’s early season success is the return of senior guard Malachi Smith, who is in the midst of his first healthy season since his freshman year. The Bronx native currently boasts the second highest assist rate in the nation and is also capable of creating his own offense to get to the rim.
Smith is surrounded in the backcourt with a trio of aggressive defensive stalwarts: Enoch Cheeks, Javon Bennett and, our old favorite, Posh Alexander. About 3/4ths of Grant’s rotations feature three of these four guards on the floor and all four have the ability to run the offense and play point guard.
Last year, Cheeks (a Providence native) was mostly a low-usage, defensive-first guard, but this year, his offensive production is close to his career highs during his time at Robert Morris. He’s also one of the best rebounding guards in the nation and is one of the many Flyers who can breakdown the defense off the dribble.
It’s still early in the season, but Posh Alexander is currently playing with a career low usage rate, which plays to his strengths as a defender and interior facilitator on offense who can use his physicality to get to the rim and draw fouls. Javon Bennett is another low-usage, defensive-minded combo guard who finished last season with the third highest offensive efficiency rate in the A-10. Off the bench, Qatari freshman Hamad Mousa is a 6’8 wing with a 7’1 wingspan that boasts excellent IQ and offensive potential, but has not yet adjusted to the physical and defensive responsibilities of the NCAA. Before the season, he was getting some NBA Draft hype, but right now, he’s a work in progress.
Like the backcourt, Dayton’s frontcourt is deep, but is currently one player short with 6’10 sharpshooter Jacob Conner out with an ankle injury. Ohio State transfer Zed Key has filled in nicely in place of DaRon Holmes. He doesn’t possess anywhere close to the offensive abilities of Holmes, but he’s a beast under the boards, has good footwork underneath the basket and is an excellent all-around defender that is even more versatile this year after losing thirty pounds over the summer, improving his conditioning and motor. French freshman Amael L'Etang is very skilled, especially for his 7’1 230 frame, as he is an excellent passer and can also stretch the floor, but he is arguably Dayton’s worst defender and lacks physicality despite his size. Rounding out the center rotation is Isaac Jack, a classic, back-to-the-basket, physical veteran big who will probably get minutes matching up defensively against Reed.
With Connor out, senior forward Nate Santos is getting all the minutes he can get at the power forward spot, even though he can also play at the 3. Starting his career at Pittsburgh, Santos had a very good first season at Dayton as he can create his own offense off the dribble, has good vision, is an efficient three-level scorer, and all-in-all is Dayton’s most versatile offensive weapon. He’s also a decent defender, but overall, Santos is still shaking off the rust following hip surgery over the summer, limiting his quickness and explosiveness, so far. Scoring less than ten points in three of the first four games, Santos has scored a total of 50 points across the last three games.
I mean, no one wanted UConn to be playing tonight (this morning?) in the seventh-place game, but Dayton is still a very good, well-coached team…man, this year’s Maui field is something else.
Let’s Go Huskies!
On offense, Grant’s Dayton teams share the ball well and shoot efficiently while on defense, the Flyers protect the rim well and, rather than hunting for steals, force teams to take tough shots.
A big part of Dayton’s early season success is the return of senior guard Malachi Smith, who is in the midst of his first healthy season since his freshman year. The Bronx native currently boasts the second highest assist rate in the nation and is also capable of creating his own offense to get to the rim.
Smith is surrounded in the backcourt with a trio of aggressive defensive stalwarts: Enoch Cheeks, Javon Bennett and, our old favorite, Posh Alexander. About 3/4ths of Grant’s rotations feature three of these four guards on the floor and all four have the ability to run the offense and play point guard.
Last year, Cheeks (a Providence native) was mostly a low-usage, defensive-first guard, but this year, his offensive production is close to his career highs during his time at Robert Morris. He’s also one of the best rebounding guards in the nation and is one of the many Flyers who can breakdown the defense off the dribble.
It’s still early in the season, but Posh Alexander is currently playing with a career low usage rate, which plays to his strengths as a defender and interior facilitator on offense who can use his physicality to get to the rim and draw fouls. Javon Bennett is another low-usage, defensive-minded combo guard who finished last season with the third highest offensive efficiency rate in the A-10. Off the bench, Qatari freshman Hamad Mousa is a 6’8 wing with a 7’1 wingspan that boasts excellent IQ and offensive potential, but has not yet adjusted to the physical and defensive responsibilities of the NCAA. Before the season, he was getting some NBA Draft hype, but right now, he’s a work in progress.
Like the backcourt, Dayton’s frontcourt is deep, but is currently one player short with 6’10 sharpshooter Jacob Conner out with an ankle injury. Ohio State transfer Zed Key has filled in nicely in place of DaRon Holmes. He doesn’t possess anywhere close to the offensive abilities of Holmes, but he’s a beast under the boards, has good footwork underneath the basket and is an excellent all-around defender that is even more versatile this year after losing thirty pounds over the summer, improving his conditioning and motor. French freshman Amael L'Etang is very skilled, especially for his 7’1 230 frame, as he is an excellent passer and can also stretch the floor, but he is arguably Dayton’s worst defender and lacks physicality despite his size. Rounding out the center rotation is Isaac Jack, a classic, back-to-the-basket, physical veteran big who will probably get minutes matching up defensively against Reed.
With Connor out, senior forward Nate Santos is getting all the minutes he can get at the power forward spot, even though he can also play at the 3. Starting his career at Pittsburgh, Santos had a very good first season at Dayton as he can create his own offense off the dribble, has good vision, is an efficient three-level scorer, and all-in-all is Dayton’s most versatile offensive weapon. He’s also a decent defender, but overall, Santos is still shaking off the rust following hip surgery over the summer, limiting his quickness and explosiveness, so far. Scoring less than ten points in three of the first four games, Santos has scored a total of 50 points across the last three games.
I mean, no one wanted UConn to be playing tonight (this morning?) in the seventh-place game, but Dayton is still a very good, well-coached team…man, this year’s Maui field is something else.
Let’s Go Huskies!
