Former Flyers Toppin, Crutcher cross paths in NBA for first time

The UD coaches who were on staff when Toppin and Crutcher played together at Dayton attended the game and posed for a photo with the players after the game: head coach Anthony Grant; associate head coach Ricardo Greer; and assistant coaches Darren Hertz and James Kane.

Toppin and Crutcher exchanged jerseys after the game.

“So amazing to see these Dayton Flyers on an NBA court together,” Hertz wrote on X (Twitter). “Awesome night!”

Dayton coach Anthony Grant was asked Tuesday after an 80-66 victory against Davidson at UD Arena about Crutcher making it to the NBA on a 10-day contract after three seasons in the NBA G League.

“I talked to him when he got the news,” Grant said. “He was really excited. I’m really happy for him. He’s played really well. He’s worked his tail off, and it’s great to see him be rewarded for his patience, for his ability to stick to it. Hopefully, he’ll have a good experience.”

Credit: David Jablonski

Credit: David Jablonski

Toppin and Crutcher were the first two recruits Grant landed in the spring of 2017 and arrived on campus within weeks of each other that June. They played two seasons (2018-20) on the court together.

Toppin, a 6-foot-9 forward from Ossining, N.Y., sat out his freshman season as an academic redshirt and left for the NBA after the 2019-20 season when he was the consensus national player of the year. He ranks 41st in UD history with 1,096 points. He’s averaging a career-best 10.6 points per game in his first season with the Pacers after three seasons with the New York Knicks.

Crutcher played four seasons at Dayton. He ranks 17th in Dayton history in scoring with 1,593 points.

Toppin and Crutcher’s bond extends beyond the court. When Toppin was drafted in 2020, Crutcher traveled to New York City with Grant and Greer to be at his side. When both attended The Basketball Tournament at UD Arena in 2022, they sat together behind the Red Scare bench. When Toppin hosted a camp for kids in Dayton last summer, Crutcher came to help.

Another former teammate, Ryan Mikesell, described them as “an old married couple” in a Tom Archdeacon story in 2020.

“Those two are inseparable,” Mikesell said. “When you see Obi, there’s Jalen. And when you see Jalen, Obi’s always there, too.”