Grant: Dayton filled needs with three offseason additions

Two of those newcomers have already arrived at UD: Georgia transfer Toumani Camara and East Tennessee State transfer Richard Amaefule. Five more will report to campus in the coming weeks or next month. The seven newcomers join six returning players who all will be in their first or second year on the court for the Flyers.

None of the 13 players has seen action in a regular-season game at a packed UD Arena because attendance was limited by the coronavirus pandemic throughout the 2020-21 season. The return of larger crowds to UD Arena will be one of the storylines when the season begins in November.

The main topics two months into the season revolve around the roster and staff changes, and Grant touched on those topics Tuesday in his first offseason interview.

Q: What stands out about the 13-man roster you have assembled?

A: I don’t know what stands out, but I’m excited about the group we have. We’ve got some guys that we’re really excited to get a chance to develop and get to know. This is different. Some of these guys we’ll meet for the first time in person when they come on campus. This past year, with COVID, we had to recruit a little different, but I think just in terms of who we are and our core in terms of our culture and what we want to be about, these guys all will fit really well. Now it’s a matter of trying to get them together and have them understand how they can all complement each other and help each other and work together toward a common goal.

Q: It’s a roster full of versatile players, and it’s a tall roster with 10 players 6-foot-5 or taller. Was that important to you in recruiting this spring?

A: That wasn’t something that was a priority for us. I think we were more concerned with getting guys that fill needs, guys that fit our identity in terms of character, work ethic and all that stuff that we value here. We felt like we were able to address those things, and if they happen to be over 6-5, great. We’re talking here on May 18. We don’t have our team here, and we haven’t had our team together. I’m looking forward to getting to work with them. I’m excited about the group. I’m excited about what I’ve gotten to know about them through Zoom meetings or FaceTime or phone calls. It’s a good group, a fun group. I think they are looking forward to getting here and getting to know each other and getting to work.

Q: You didn’t get a typical offseason last year because of the pandemic. How crucial will this summer be for the team?

A: We’ve got a lot of new pieces, so I think it will be really critical to get these guys to know each other and to get familiar with each other — not just on the court. Just as important is their bonding off the court and spending time with each other and becoming familiar and becoming a team.

Q: One player you just picked up last week. How important was the addition of DePaul transfer Kobe Elvis?

A: We’re excited about all of them, obviously. Kobe is the latest addition. He announced that he was going to enter the transfer portal ometime back in maybe early April. We were able to build a relationship with him probably a day or two after he got into the portal. He’s another guy who’s just a really good person. I think he fits well with our culture. He got some valuable experience playing as a freshman this year at DePaul, which obviously didn’t have the success as a team that they wanted to have. But I think the experience he got going through a full season will help him and help our team. He comes in with college basketball experience and a pretty versatile skill.

Q: Another transfer, Richard Amaefule, did not play much last season, but are you excited about his potential?

A: That’s why we took him. You look at his numbers at East Tennessee, and they don’t jump off the page at you, but when you consider he basically missed a year and a half, if not more, because of his injury, and where he was projecting prior to his injury, we think that’s probably more true of who he is. Last year for him, after his injury, he went back home and rehabbed at home and didn’t get back to the states until maybe October and went straight to campus. He missed all summer. He missed all preseason. He basically started practice not having any preparation going into that. Just the situation last year for him was probably not indicative of who he is. We’re excited about the potential he has. I’m familiar with some of his high school coaches back in Dallas and some of the people who were around him. We feel his upside is good.

Q: The first transfer you landed this spring, Georgia’s Toumani Camara, brings experience to a young team. How much did you need that going into next season?

A: You look at our roster, and we’ve got a lot of young guys. A guy like Toumani comes in with two years of experience and with what he’s been able to accomplish individually in college basketball, I think he’s got a chance to really be a leader on this team. He can be a guy who from an experience standpoint can help our team grow exponentially. That will be important. We recruited Toumani out of high school. We were disappointed we didn’t get him, to be honest. We felt like this would be a great fit for him. This time around, I think he remembered those relationships and what we talked about, and I think it helped us. We’re excited he chose to join us this time.

Q: One of the other pieces of offseason news was you losing assistant coach Anthony Solomon to Notre Dame and adding James Kane? Was it an easy decision bring back Kane three years after he left for Iowa State?

A: We’re sad to see coach Solomon go but happy for him. He felt this was a good opportunity for him at this stage of his career with his history with coach (Mike) Brey. I certainly supported that. We’re happy to add James. James was was obviously a member of our first staff, an integral part of it. James is someone that I feel very comfortable with. I have a history with him that goes back to the University of Florida when he was an undergrad, and I think he’s been at every stop for me as a a head coach in some capacity. He’s familiar with what we do.