2020–21 Dayton Flyers men's basketball team

2020–21 Dayton Flyers men's basketball
NIT, first round
ConferenceAtlantic 10 Conference
Record14–10 (9–7 A-10)
Head coach
Associate head coachAnthony Solomon (4th season)
Assistant coaches
Home arenaUD Arena
Seasons
2020–21 Atlantic 10 men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
St. Bonaventure 11 4   .733 16 5   .762
VCU 10 4   .714 19 7   .731
Davidson 7 4   .636 13 9   .591
Saint Louis 6 4   .600 14 7   .667
UMass 6 4   .600 8 7   .533
George Mason 8 6   .571 13 9   .591
Dayton 9 7   .563 14 10   .583
Richmond 6 5   .545 14 9   .609
Duquesne 7 7   .500 9 9   .500
Rhode Island 7 10   .412 10 15   .400
George Washington 3 5   .375 5 12   .294
La Salle 6 11   .353 9 16   .360
Saint Joseph's 3 9   .250 5 15   .250
Fordham 2 11   .154 2 12   .143
2021 A10 Tournament winner

The 2020–21 Dayton Flyers men's basketball team represented the University of Dayton in the 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. Their head coach was Anthony Grant, in his fourth season with the Flyers. The Flyers played their home games at UD Arena in Dayton, Ohio as members of the Atlantic 10 Conference. They finished the season 14-10, 9-7 to finish in 7th place. They defeated Rhode Island in the second round in the A10 Tournament before losing to VCU in the quarterfinals. They were invited to the NIT where they lost in the first round to Memphis.

Previous season

The Flyers finished the season with an overall record of 29–2 and were undefeated regular season champions of the Atlantic 10. Grant was named consensus national coach of the year while sophomore Obi Toppin became Dayton's first consensus first-team All-American and earned the majority of major college player of the year awards, including the Naismith College Player of the Year and the John R. Wooden Award. The season was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic prior to the Flyers’ first game of the Atlantic 10 tournament. They finished ranked third in both major polls, their highest ranking in a major media poll since the Don Donoher era.

Offseason

Departures

Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Reason for departure
Obi Toppin 1 F 6'9" 220 RS Sophomore Ossining, NY Declared for 2020 NBA draft
Trey Landers 3 G 6'5" 221 Senior Huber Heights, OH Graduated
Jared Becker 4 G 6'4" 180 Freshman Milford, OH Walk-on; did not return
Sean Loughran 11 G 6'3" 200 Freshman Pittsburgh, PA Walk-on; did not return
Jheury Matos 31 G 6'5" 196 RS Junior Santo Republic, DR Transferred to Charlotte
Ryan Mikesell 33 F 6'7" 217 Graduate Student St. Henry, OH Graduated

Incoming transfers

Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Previous School
Elijah Weaver 11 G 6'6" 205 Junior Cocoa, FL Transferred from USC. Weaver would sit out for first semester of the 2020–21 season until all transfers Ruled eligible.

2020 recruiting class

College recruiting information
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
R. J. Blakney
#74 SG
Windsor, CT The Loomis Chaffee School 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 174 lb (79 kg) Oct 25, 2019 
Star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN:3/5 stars
Koby Brea
SG
Bronx, NY Monsignor Scanlan High School 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Nov 13, 2019 
Star ratings: ScoutN/A   RivalsN/A   247SportsN/A    ESPN grade: NR
Lukas Frazier
#71 PG
Mentor, OH Lake Catholic 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Jun 11, 2019 
Star ratings: Scout:2/5 stars   Rivals:2/5 stars   247Sports:2/5 stars    ESPN:2/5 stars
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "2020 Team Ranking". Rivals.com.

2021 recruiting class

College recruiting information (2021)
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Mustapha Amzil
#58 PF
Washington, PA First Love Christian Academy 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Nov 16, 2020 
Star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN:3/5 stars
DaRon Holmes II
#10 PF
Montverde, FL Montverde Academy 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 195 lb (88 kg)  
Star ratings: Scout:4/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars
Malachi Smith
#23 CG
Bronx, NY St. Raymond for Boys 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 155 lb (70 kg) Sep 22, 2019 
Star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN:3/5 stars
Kaleb Washington
#26 SF
Mableton, GA Pebblebrook 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Sep 22, 2019 
Star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN:3/5 stars
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

Roster

2020–21 Dayton Flyers men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
G 0 Rodney Chatman 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 180 lb (82 kg) RS Sr Chattanooga Lithonia, GA
G 2 Ibi Watson 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 195 lb (88 kg) RS Sr Michigan Pickerington, OH
G 3 Luke Frazier 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Fr Lake Catholic Mentor, OH
G 4 Koby Brea 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 174 lb (79 kg) Fr Monsignor Scanlan Washington Heights, NY
G 10 Jalen Crutcher 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Sr Ridgeway Memphis, TN
G 11 Elijah Weaver 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Jr USC Cocoa, FL
F 12 Zimi Nwojeki 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 220 lb (100 kg) RS Fr SPIRE Academy Quincy, FL
C 14 Moulaye Sissoko 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 250 lb (113 kg) RS Fr Lincoln Academy Bamako, Mali
G/F 23 R. J. Blakney 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Fr Loomis Caffee School Baltimore, MD
F 30 Mustapha Amzil 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Fr HBA-Marsky Helsinki, Finland
C 32 Jordy Tshimanga 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 278 lb (126 kg) GS Nebraska Montreal, Quebec
G 35 Dwayne Cohill 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Jr Holy Name Cleveland, OH
F 40 Chase Johnson (L) 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 226 lb (103 kg) RS Jr Florida Ripley, WV
G 51 Drew Swerlein (W) 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 175 lb (79 kg) RS So St. Francis De Sales Perrysburg, OH
G 52 Camron Greer (W) 5 ft 7 in (1.7 m) 160 lb (73 kg) Sr Rich Central Country Club Hills, IL
G 53 Christian Wilson (W) 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 160 lb (73 kg) RS Jr Northmont Dayton, OH
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster

Schedule and results

Dayton had to cancel its games against Cedarville, Alcorn State, and Purdue Fort Wayne due to the COVID-19 pandemic. They also postponed their game against George Washington.

Date
time, TV
Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Exhibition
Nov 28, 2020*
Canceled
Cedarville UD Arena 
Dayton, OH
Regular season
Dec 1, 2020*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+
Eastern Illinois W 66–63  1–0
 16  Watson   8  Tshimanga   6  Crutcher  UD Arena (0)
Dayton, OH
Dec 5, 2020*
2:00 p.m., ESPN+
SMU L 64–66  1–1
 23  Watson   12  Tshimanga   7  Crutcher  UD Arena (0)
Dayton, OH
Dec 8, 2020*
7:00 pm, ESPN+
Northern Kentucky W 66–60  2–1
 19  Watson   10  Johnson   8  Crutcher  UD Arena (0)
Dayton, OH
Dec 12, 2020*
3:00 p.m., ESPNU
vs. Mississippi State
Holiday Hoopsgiving
W 85–82 2OT 3–1
 23  Crutcher   7  Johnson   5  Watson  State Farm Arena (0)
Atlanta, GA
Dec 19, 2020*
2:30 p.m., NBCSN
Ole Miss W 65–62  4–1
 23  Crutcher   5  Tshimanga   4  Tied  UD Arena (0)
Dayton, OH
Dec 30, 2020
7:00 p.m., ESPN+
La Salle L 65–67  4–2
(0–1)
 22  Amzil   7  Tied   7  Chatman  UD Arena (0)
Dayton, OH
Jan 2, 2020
4:30 p.m., NBCSN
George Mason W 75–64  5–2
(1–1)
 26  Crutcher   6  Tied   7  Crutcher  UD Arena (0)
Dayton, OH
Jan 5, 2020
6:00 p.m., ESPN+
at Fordham L 54–55  5–3
(1–2)
 14  Crutcher   16  Tshimanga   3  Crutcher  Rose Hill Gym (0)
New York, NY
Jan 8, 2021
9:00 p.m., ESPN2
at Davidson W 89–78 OT 6–3
(2–2)
 29  Crutcher   8  Tshimanga   7  Weaver  John M. Belk Arena (0)
Davidson, NC
Jan 13, 2021
7:00 pm, CBSSN
Duquesne W 72–63  7–3
(3–2)
 19  Watson   9  Tshimanga   6  Weaver  UD Arena (0)
Dayton, OH
Jan 17, 2021
4:30 pm, NBCSN
at George Washington W 67–54  8–3
(4–2)
 23  Crutcher   8  Tshimanga   6  Weaver  Charles E. Smith Center (0)
Washington, D.C.
Jan 23, 2021
3:30 pm, CBSSN
at VCU L 43–66  8–4
(4–3)
 10  Tied   5  Tied   4  Weaver  Siegel Center (250)
Richmond, VA
Jan 26, 2021
8:30 pm, CBSSN
at No. 22 Saint Louis W 76–71  9–4
(5–3)
 27  Crutcher   10  Tshimanga   3  Tied  Chaifetz Arena (0)
St. Louis, MO
Jan 30, 2021
4:00 pm, CBSSN
Rhode Island W 67–56  10–4
(6–3)
 22  Watson   8  Tshimanga   6  Weaver  UD Arena (0)
Dayton, OH
Feb 2, 2021
9:00 pm, ESPN2
at Duquesne L 64–69  10–5
(6–4)
 28  Crutcher   11  Amzil   6  Crutcher  UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse (212)
Pittsburgh, PA
Feb 5, 2021
7:00 pm, ESPN2
George Mason W 74–65  11–5
(7–4)
 21  Crutcher   14  Tshimanga   7  Crutcher  UD Arena (0)
Dayton, OH
Feb 9, 2021
5:00 p.m., CBSSN
VCU L 67–76  11–6
(7–5)
 20  Watson   12  Tshimanga   8  Crutcher  UD Arena (0)
Dayton, OH
Feb 16, 2021
7:00 pm, CBSSN
at Rhode Island L 89–91 2OT 11–7
(7–6)
 29  Nwokeji   9  Nwokeji   5  Crutcher  Ryan Center (0)
Kingston, RI
Feb 19, 2021
7:00 pm, ESPN2
Saint Louis W 76–53  12–7
(8–6)
 19  Crutcher   8  Tshimanga   6  Crutcher  UD Arena (0)
Dayton, OH
Feb 24, 2021
6:00 pm, ESPN+
at Saint Joseph's L 84–97  12–8
(8–7)
 17  Crutcher   9  Amzil   4  Tied  Hagan Arena (0)
Philadelphia, PA
Mar 1, 2021
5:00 pm, ESPNU
at St. Bonaventure W 55–52  13–8
(9–7)
 14  Watson   7  Tshimanga   5  Crutcher  Reilly Center (0)
Olean, NY
A-10 tournament
March 4, 2021
3:30 pm, NBCSN
(7) vs. (10) Rhode Island
Second Round
W 84–72  14–8
 25  Watson   7  Tshimanga   7  Tied  Siegel Center (250)
Richmond, VA
March 5, 2021
3:30 pm, NBCSN
(7) vs. (2) VCU
Quarterfinals
L 68–73  14–9
 21  Crutcher   10  Tshimanga   2  Tied  Siegel Center (250)
Richmond, VA
NIT
March 20, 2021
Noon, ESPN
(4) vs. (1) Memphis
First Round – Memphis bracket
L 60–71  14–10
 16  Weaver   8  Amzil   3  Tied  UNT Coliseum (0)
Denton, TX
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Eastern Time.

Source:[1]

Rankings

Ranking movements
Week
PollPre12345678910111213141516171819Final
APNot released
Coaches

References

  1. ^ "2020–21 Men's Basketball Schedule". Dayton Flyers Athletics.