This preview is part of the Atlantic 10's 2020-21 Men's Basketball Tipoff, which also includes A-10 media day, the preseason poll and awards and the 2020-21 schedule. The previews, written by Patrick Stevens, began on Nov. 10 and will continue through the week. Once released, each preview can be found here.
DAYTON ESSENTIALS
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As quickly as someone will point out Dayton will miss national player of the year and NBA lottery pick Obi Toppin, those in the Flyers’ program will also point to the absences of long-time mainstays Trey Landers and Ryan Mikesell.
Whichever view one takes, there’s no denying Dayton still enjoys a surplus of experience in its backcourt --- and far fewer questions there than in its post rotation. Returning is Jalen Crutcher (15.1 ppg, 4.9 apg), already on the watch lists for the Naismith and NABC Player of the Year awards, along with Ibi Watson (10.1 ppg, 1.3 apg) and Rodney Chatman (7.7 ppg, 3.2 apg), the Flyers backcourt is still stacked.
There won’t be a dunk maestro the caliber of Toppin roaming the paint, and everyone involved would probably acknowledge that. And replacing players like him and Mikesell --- Dayton’s starting forwards last season --- won’t be a job for just one or two people.
That’s where Chase Johnson (5.1 ppg, 2.8 rpg) and Jordy Tshimanga (3.0 ppg, 2.4 rpg), along with freshmen Moulaye Sissoko and Zimi Nwokeji, come into play.
“Losing guys like Trey, Ryan, Obi, they were guys that did a lot of great things for our team,” guard Ibi Watson said. “We have a lot of confidence in our guys now. With all the bigs we have and everybody in the frontcourt, we feel they have great talent and great ability to help the team win.”
The Flyers did nearly everything well during their masterful 2019-20 season, but their offensive efficiency was especially stout. Dayton was second in the country in KenPom.com’s offensive efficiency metric, and led the country in both 2-point shooting (62.3 percent) and effective field goal percentage (59.7 percent).
While matching those numbers is a stretch, the emergence of former reserves or players who spent last year redshirting will be vital to keep the Flyers in postseason contention.
“I think they’ve come along well,” coach Anthony Grant said. “For Jordy and Chase, they’re a little bit familiar because they were us the previous year and then last year. … For Moulaye, he was in our program last year and redshirted. Then ZImi is another guy who came at the semester break, so he’s a little bit familiar. We’re excited about the possibilities all those guys have.”
A LOOK AT THE FLYERS:
Coach: Anthony Grant, fourth season at Dayton, 64-31 with the Flyers and 257-141 overall in 12 seasons
Last year: It was a magical season for Dayton, maybe the best ever for the Flyers. Considering they have a Final Four appearance and a strong tradition, that’s saying something. Dayton went 29-2 overall (with the losses coming in overtime against Kansas and Colorado) and bulldozed through the A-10 with an 18-0 record. Only seven of Dayton’s conference games were decided by less than 10 points, and just one (an overtime victory at Saint Louis) was a one-possession game.
They’ll miss: Obi Toppin. He was, after all, the national player of the year, and there’s no way the Flyers will simply plug someone else into Toppin’s role and continue along at the same level. While the departure of Toppin (20.0 ppg, 7.5 rpg) generates plenty of attention, Dayton must also replace productive starters Trey Landers (10.5 ppg, 6.9 rpg) and Ryan Mikesell (8.5 ppg, 4.7 rpg).
Impact returners: There are still three players around who averaged more than 20 minutes a season ago. That includes point guard Jalen Crutcher, who pondered turning pro but ultimately remained at Dayton for his senior year. He’ll be the center of attention with Toppin’s departure, and projects as one of the best players in the A-10, if not the country.
“I don’t let anything get to me, on the court or off the court,” Crutcher said.
Also back are Ibi Watson, who will go from his strong play as the Flyers’ sixth man to a likely spot in the starting lineup, and Rodney Chatman, who started every game last season and was a key part of the Dayton defense.
Newbies of note: Minutes were likely to be scarce for the three-man freshman class of R.J. Blakney, Koby Brea and Luke Frazier. Then junior Dwayne Cohill, who was set to take on a larger role after working as a reserve, suffered a torn ACL in the fall and was lost for the season.
Blakney did a postgraduate year coming out of high school, and that probably qualifies as an advantage in a pandemic-influenced season. All three were capable scorers at the prep level, and whoever best makes the adjustment on defense will probably log the most minutes this year.
Reasons to be optimistic: Chatman, Crutcher and Watson together form an incredibly well-tested backcourt. The Flyers will probably go as far as those three seniors can take them.
While Chase Johnson and Jordy Tshimanga haven’t had starring roles in college, both were power conference recruits. Johnson began his career at Florida, while Tshimanga started out at Nebraska. If both can produce consistently while staying healthy, Dayton should at least be solid up front as well.
X factor: Ultimately, Crutcher’s ability, leadership and experience are a potent combination few in college basketball can match. He’s orchestrated a crisp offense throughout his career, and he’d be even more well-known nationally if the Flyers had the chance to make a postseason push last year.
That they didn’t enjoy that opportunity provides Crutcher and his veteran teammates with one more accomplishment to chase. Expect Dayton to be as hungry as anyone in the league.
Circle the dates: The Flyers are set to face a pair of SEC teams prior to conference play. Dayton will meet Mississippi State in Atlanta on Dec. 12, then return home to face Mississippi on Dec. 19.
Bottom line: Dayton probably isn’t going to barrel through the league with an undefeated record again, but no one should discount the Flyers’ chances of contending for another Atlantic 10 regular season title. If Crutcher can make it two consecutive conference players of the year for Dayton, the program will be in fine shape to advance to the NCAA tournament.
Patrick Stevens is a veteran freelance college basketball writer. A former sports reporter for the Washington Times, he has been a contributor to Atlantic10.com for the past seven years. Follow him on Twitter at @D1scourse.