Dayton’s path back to being an elite defensive team is reuniting one of the best freshman backcourts anywhere in Division I in recent memory.
Back in 2022-23, Javon Bennett and Jordan Derkack arrived together at Merrimack. Bennett had 99 steals, and parlayed a Northeast Conference Rookie of the Year nod into a jump to the Atlantic 10 with the Flyers. He’s since become a mainstay in Dayton’s backcourt.
Derkack had 70 steals as a freshman, then stayed and picked up the NEC’s Player of the Year trophy as a sophomore before moving on to Rutgers. He went back into the portal this spring, and Bennett played a prominent role in getting him and the Flyers connected.
“I think I played the biggest part of him coming over to Dayton,” Bennett said. “When I heard he was leaving Rutgers, I kind of put it in the coaches’ ear that if we could get this guy that I’d played with, I know what to expect from him. When he came on a visit, I showed him around and I feel like it was an instant connection not only with me but the whole coaching staff.”
In an era when roster turnover is so prevalent, having two guards with experience playing alongside each other --- even if it was a few years ago --- is even more of an advantage than it was in the past.
And while Derkack underwent foot surgery over the summer and played in neither of Dayton’s exhibition games, his ethos still stood out to coach Anthony Grant.
“Those guys, first and foremost, are the best of friends, so they get along really well,” Grant said. “I think they’re both about winning.”
Both were part of an NEC tournament title team in 2023, and Dayton has gone 48-19 in two seasons with Bennett on the roster. The 5-foot-10, 155-pounder already has played a part in helping the Flyers to an NCAA tournament, and a reunion with an old teammate makes it even more likely Bennett will close out his career making an encore appearance in the field of 68.
“He’s going to be asked to be more in that leadership role for us this year,” Grant said. “Being a guy that’s played three years of college basketball and two years in this system, I think we’re looking forward to him embracing that role.”
A look at the Flyers
Coach: Anthony Grant, ninth season at Dayton, 172-83 with the Flyers and 365-193 in 17 seasons overall.
Last year: The Flyers built an impressive nonconference resume with defeats of Connecticut, Marquette and Northwestern, but a 1-3 start to Atlantic 10 play created an early hole in the league race they couldn’t overcome. Dayton did take a four-game winning streak --- including a victory at VCU --- into the A-10 Championship, but fell to Saint Joseph’s in the quarterfinals. The Flyers bowed out of the NIT in the second round, closing the year 23-11 overall and 12-6 in the conference.
They’ll miss: A pair of All-Conference selections from last season. Forward Nate Santos (14.3 ppg, 5.6 rpg) was a Second Team All-Atlantic 10 pick, and guard Enoch Cheeks (13.2 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 1.8 spg) was a third teamer overall and also an All-Defensive team honoree. Dayton must also replace point guard Malachi Smith, who averaged 10.4 points and 5.3 assists last winter.
Impact returners: Grant brings back a pair of starters who should be cornerstones of this Flyers team.
Senior guard Javon Bennett averaged 11.6 points and 2.1 rebounds while shooting 39.0 percent from 3-point range in his second season in the program. He’s a member of the Atlantic 10’s Preseason All-Defensive Team.
Sophomore Amaël L’Etang settled in well by the second half last season, averaging 8.4 points and 4.6 rebounds during conference play to earn a spot on the A-10’s All-Rookie Team. The 7-foot-1 L’Etang also proved to be a capable floor-stretching option, giving Dayton one of the more intriguing frontcourt players in the league.
Newcomers of note: Jordan Derkack has a history of being a defensive asset from his time at both Merrimack and Rutgers, which makes him an ideal fit for the Flyers.
De’Shayne Montgomery started both of Dayton’s exhibition games and scored 16 points against Bowling Green. He was a steal for Mount St. Mary’s two years ago, going on to average 13.2 points and shoot 41.2 percent from 3-point range while earning MAAC rookie of the year honors. Last year, he managed 6.5 points a night at Georgia, and is well-positioned to make an impact this season.
Reasons to be optimistic: This is a team with a lot of guys seeking larger opportunities. Derkack and Montgomery should log more minutes than in their last stops. Jacob Conner, a 6-foot-10 senior forward, got starting nods in both exhibition games after managing 2.7 points, 1.1 rebounds and 12.1 minutes per game with Dayton last year.
Meanwhile, former N.C. State forward Bryce Heard (1.2 ppg, 0.8 rpg) was a back-of-the-rotation guy in his one season in the ACC after rushing to the Division I level.
“Bryce actually should really be entering college right now,” Grant said. “He left high school early to enroll early at N.C. State, and I think really benefited from a year of college in terms of the structure, the routine, going through those practices and then the experience of having to be prepared day in and day out.”
X factor: Keonte Jones was a late but vital addition for the Flyers. The former Cal State Northridge forward averaged 13.1 points and 9.0 rebounds last season en route to first team all-Big West honors.
Grant describes Jones, who also averaged 4.1 assists, 1.8 steals and 1.3 blocks for the Matadors, as a “winning player,” and he earned a Preseason Third Team All-Atlantic 10 nod this fall.
“He’s fit in really well from a personality standpoint with our guys,” Grant said. “I think he’s blended really well. He’s a guy with his skillset, I think he fits really well with the way we want to play. I call it a multiplying effect with what he brings on both sides of the ball. He makes everybody else better.”
Circle the date: The Flyers remain committed to an aggressive non-conference schedule, and this year’s features trips to Cincinnati (Nov. 11) and Marquette (Nov. 19), neutral-site games against Georgetown (Nov. 27), BYU or Miami (Nov. 28) and Virginia (Dec. 6) and home encounters with Florida State (Dec. 16) and Liberty (Dec. 20).
Bottom line: Grant knows it’s just a matter of the Flyers generating some continuity, particularly at the defensive end. Dayton has averaged 13 victories in Atlantic 10 play over the last four seasons, and it is likely to end up in that neighborhood again (if not a tick better) this winter.
Patrick Stevens is a veteran college basketball writer that has worked for The Washington Post, Syracuse Media Group and The Washington Times. He has written selected pieces for the Atlantic 10 since 2013.