Dayton guard, still only 18, much stronger after one year in college basketball

Heard entered the transfer portal on March 25. He was one of 11 N.C. State players in the portal after the school fired coach Kevin Keatts.

Dayton assistant coach Jermaine Henderson contacted Heard on his first day in the portal. That led to a conversation with head coach Anthony Grant and later a visit to campus.

Heard committed to Dayton during his visit, announcing his choice on May 2. Grant gave him a big hug when he told him the news.

Heard was the fifth transfer Dayton picked up in April and May. The Flyers added to that group with the commitment of Cal State Northridge forward Keonte Jones on Thursday.

“Once I stepped on campus, I pretty much knew,” said Heard, who was one of seven Dayton newcomers to sit down for an interview with the Dayton Daily News last week. “This is a place I was very comfortable. It’s not too far from home. Being back in the Midwest with these types of coaches, I just knew this was the right place.”

Heard is the latest Flyer from Chicago. He attended Homewood-Flossmoor High School, south of Chicago, as a junior and helped lead it to a state championship. One of the coaches that season was Kevin Dillard, another former Flyer.

Heard doesn’t know the other recent Flyers from Chicago — Kendall Pollard, Kyle Davis and Josh Cunningham, for example — but knows their names.

“Those are all big-time players,” he said.

Heard was a big enough recruit — No. 143 in the 2025 class, according to 247Sports.com — that he skipped his senior year, switching to the 2024 recruiting class and enrolling at N.C. State last summer.

“Looking back on it, it was a good decision,” he said. “I learned a lot. Obviously, I didn’t play as much as I wished to play and the success wasn’t as big as I wanted it to be, but it was a good experience going through an ACC season and being around a good group of guys.”

Heard received limited playing time. He appeared in 24 games, averaging 1.2 points in 6.3 minutes. He played double-digit minutes three times in the first four games and single-digit minutes the rest of the season.

Heard turned 18 last October. He’ll be 19 when this season starts. He’s about the same age as the two freshmen on Dayton’s 2025-26 roster: Jaron McKie; and Damon Friery.

Heard is better prepared to compete for playing time as a sophomore at Dayton than he was as a freshman at N.C. State, whose top six players were all seniors. He has added almost 25 pounds to his frame, 10 since arriving at UD in June.

“I’m just way more stronger,” Heard said. “My body’s way more physical. The game has slowed down for me.”

Heard wants to bring energy on both sides of the court. He said he can score in various ways and keeps defenders on their toes. He’s strong on defense as well, he said, and he’s excited to show fans what he can do.

Heard’s teammates offered these scouting reports on him.

“I’m excited to hopefully take him under my wing and just help him every day,” said senior guard Jordan Derkack, a transfer from Rutgers. “He’s got some serious talent. He’s young. He can really shoot it. He can shoot it moving. He can shoot off the dribble. He’s versatile. He can play multiple positions offensively. He can handle the ball. He can cut. He can get to the rim. And then defensively, he’s big and strong. You don’t really see that at his age. He’s filled out. He’s doing things every day in the weight room to get more physically imposing. He can make some matchups interesting. He can guard 1, 2, 3 and 4.”

“Bryce brings energy every day,” redshirt freshman forward Malcolm Thomas said. “Bryce can do anything on the court. He was a little bit undervalued. I think he’s going to shock a lot of people.”