This season, redshirt freshman forward Malcolm Thomas, a transfer from Villanova in his first season at Dayton, showed flashes of potential in November and December. He scored eight points in 11 minutes in a 77-71 overtime victory against Marquette, for example.
After missing five games with an injury, Thomas returned to appear in six straight games. Then there was a six-game stretch in which he scored two points in nine minutes. He did not play in four of those games.
Asked after the George Washington game if Thomas was injured or if this was a simple coaching decision to not play him, coach Anthony Grant confirmed the latter without providing any reasoning behind that decision.
Then after three straight DNPs (Did Not Play), Thomas got another chance Friday. He scored five points in 12 minutes in a 68-62 loss to Virginia Commonwealth at UD Arena.
“I’m so proud of him,“ Grant said, ”because it’s been hard. He fell out of the rotation, and the group that was playing was having success. It’s really hard when you’re young and you’re talented to be able to keep your head. And the thing we talk about is it’s better to be prepared for an opportunity and not have one than to have an opportunity and not be prepared. He was prepared today. And I’m proud of him for making sure when the opportunity presented itself, he was ready despite the frustration and everything else that comes with not being in that rotation.“
Dayton needed minutes from Thomas because Amaël L’Etang picked up his second foul with 11 minutes, 53 seconds left in the first half. Knowing how physical the game was, Grant decided to keep L’Etang on the bench for the rest of the half.
Thomas entered the game two minutes after L’Etang’s second foul, replacing Jaiun Simon, and dunked after an assist from Javon Bennett on his first possession. He added a layup and made 1 of 2 free throws later in the first half.
Thomas played another five-minute stretch in the second half. On the season, he’s averaging 4.6 points in 9.7 minutes per game. He has the second-highest points per 40 minutes average (18.8) on the team for players who have appeared in at least 20 games.
Grant said the performance by Thomas in the regular-season finale is good news for Dayton entering the postseason. The No. 4 seed Flyers will play No. 12 seed La Salle (9-22, 5-13), No. 13 seed St. Bonaventure or No. 5 seed George Mason (23-8, 11-7) in the quarterfinals of the Atlantic 10 Conference tournament at 2 p.m. Friday at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh.
“As we move forward, I think that’s only going to help our team,“ Grant said of the play of Thomas, ”and I think that was a confidence builder for him and for us to see that he was ready for that opportunity."
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