Dayton basketball: Jordan Derkack says his brother Aiden Derkack has the ‘relentless gene’

Jordan Derkack admitted his brother Aiden “is a little bit better than me.”

Aiden committed to the Dayton Flyers on Sunday and will join the program as his brother departs.

“He’s got the relentless gene," said Jordan, who is five years older than Aiden, after the game Wednesday. ”He’s a fighter, man. He can hoop. He can score at three levels.“

Jordan’s college career ended with a 61-55 loss to Illinois State in the quarterfinals of the National Invitation Tournament at UD Arena.

Aiden, a 6-foot-7 guard, is the No. 48 recruit in the 2026 class, according to 247Sports.com.

“Derkack is a jack-of-all-trades type of wing,” wrote Jamie Shaw of Rivals.com last summer. “Someone who puts their fingerprints on many aspects of an outcome. For starters, the 6-foot-6 wing plays hard and has a natural feel. He is comfortable attacking from the wing, getting teammates involved, and also defending multiple positions. He will need to work on his shooting consistency, but he limits turnovers and puts the ball in advantageous situations.”

Jordan, a 6-5 guard, was an unranked recruit who started his college career at Merrimack before transferring to Rutgers and later Dayton.

Both brothers attended the SPIRE Institute in Geneva, Ohio, after starting their high school careers at Colonia High School in New Jersey. Jordan graduated from Colonia and spent a post-graduate year in Ohio. Aiden played his senior year at SPIRE after spending three seasons at Colonia.

Jordan said he worked “day and night” to help the Dayton coaches convince his brother to pick Dayton after he decommitted from Providence. He said he’s excited for his brother to feel the love of the Dayton fans and to play with the Flyers returning to the 2026-27 roster.

"I’m happy for him," Jordan said. ”I was happy for him when he committed to Providence. But I’m a little happier now."