Dayton guard working his way back after foot surgery in June

In July 2014, four months after Dayton’s Elite Eight run, the program’s top returning scorer, senior Jordan Sibert, talked about then coach Archie Miller’s “True Team” motto.

“We didn’t win last year with one player scoring 30,” Sibert said. “We won together. We’re going to continue to win together.”

Three years later, in July 2016, as he prepared for his senior year, Scoochie Smith talked about the goal of setting a school record for wins by a senior class.

“It’ll be tough to get,” Smith said, “but with the team we have, we should definitely get it.”

In July 2019, Obi Toppin previewed what would be the greatest Dayton season in this century.

“We talk about competing at the highest stage,” Toppin said. “We have all the tools. We have the starters, the bench. We’re really deep.”

The story of a season lasts 12 months, even if the season itself spans November through March, and the offseason interviews start to paint a picture of what type of team Dayton will have in the season ahead.

The 2025-26 season, like every season before it, will include adversity, and one of the seven newcomers is already dealing with some. Jordan Derkack, a transfer from Rutgers with one season of eligibility remaining, wore a protective boot on his right foot as he spoke to a reporter Monday.

The first question, of course, was about the boot. Derkack said he underwent surgery in June. He has missed most of the summer practices and won’t return to action before the summer period ends next week. He’s working with the trainers and doctors to get back as quickly as possible.

Derkack started experiencing foot pain in early June. He was off the foot for a couple of weeks. Now he can walk with the boot.

“I’m on track to get back,” he said. “I’m working every day with Mike (Mulcahey) and Shelby (Davis).”

Derkack didn’t say what the exact nature of the injury was and doesn’t have a timetable for return. It’s too early to tell if he’ll be ready when preseason practices begin in late September.

“In basketball, you’ve got to learn to deal with small injuries here and there,” Derkack said, “but definitely I want to be out there on the court. That’s where I have the most fun. But I make my impact known off the court. I like to be a leader.”

Offseason injuries are the norm for the Flyers.

• Nate Santos missed summer practices last season after undergoing hip surgery in the spring. Marvel Allen also missed summer practices after undergoing knee surgery in June.

• Two years ago, Koby Brea and Malachi Smith missed the summer practice period after undergoing surgeries in the spring.

• Richard Amaefule was sidelined during the summer of 2022.

Even as a newcomer, Derkack can be a leader on this team because of his experience. He’s one of three seniors along with Javon Bennett and Jacob Conner.

“I like to lead by example and with my voice,” Derkack said. “I think leadership is very important to teams. You want to have a leader that sets the example every day. I believe I do that. I’m an older guy, so I’ve been around the block a little bit, playing on college courts and playing with some interesting guys. Your leaders are very important, but the followers are just as important. Your first follower, you should nurture that. Because if I’m doing something and I’m doing it by myself and nobody’s following me, there’s nothing you’ve got there, but if you can get some people to follow you, every team needs that. I think I’ve stepped into that role, just being an old guy.”

Derkack, a 6-foot-5 guard, committed to Dayton on April 15. He averaged 5.7 points last season for Rutgers. He played a bigger role as a sophomore at Merrimack, averaging 17.0 points.

Derkack played for winning teams at Merrimack but was part of a disappointing 15-17 team at Rutgers.

At Dayton, when he gets healthy, Derkack will try to help lead a group that includes four returning players, five transfers and two freshmen.

“We’ve got some talent,” Derkack said. “It’s on-paper talent, but I think that we have a bunch of hard-working guys that are coming in every day and giving maximum effort. I think we’re using our minds to really see what coach (Anthony) Grant is trying to give us and just trying to do our best to get those things done every day.”

Like his six teammates who spoke Monday, Derkack didn’t want to make predictions about what kind of success Dayton will have.

“I’ve been on a couple different teams now,” he said, “and at this point in the summer, you really don’t know. You try to figure it out, but with a lot of new guys and some returners that are stepping into new roles, it’s tough to tell you. I wish I could tell you we’re going to win a national championship right now, but we’re just doing our best day in and day out and getting better.”

Derkack’s teammates didn’t get to play with him long before he was sidelined in June but saw enough to give a scouting report on what kind of player he is.

“Jordan is a great playmaker,” said forward Malcolm Thomas, a transfer from Villanova. “He’s a great guy, first of all, a great leader, and he is a willing passer. He does the little things that you need on the team. He’s a great defender. He’s really tough.”

“I kind of compare him to Luka (Dončić) in a way,” said guard Bryce Heard, a transfer from North Carolina State. “He made some passes right before his injury, and it was like, ‘Dang!’ He has a sneaky athleticism to him. He’s going to be really fun to play with. He sees the floor really well.”