In a time filled with bad news, the Dayton Flyers received some outstanding news on Saturday afternoon as 2021 combo guard Malachi Smith announced his commitment to the program. The younger brother of Dayton’s former star point guard Scoochie Smith, Malachi Smith had been on Flyer fans radar for – as the kids would say – a minute. Similar to his older brother, Malachi excels at getting to the basket, finishing through contact, finding his open teammates, and playing tough defense. Smith’s high school coaches at St. Raymond’s in the Bronx, New York, have continually raved about his basketball IQ and ability to make smart decisions on the court. Additionally, Smith’s jumper has been improving rapidly as he continues to add the three point shot to his well-rounded game. Prior to committing to Anthony Grant and the Flyers, Smith held over a dozen offers from the likes of Rutgers, Georgetown, Seton Hall, Wake Forest, and others.
Given Smith’s height (6’0″) and skillset, I would be surprised if he regularly plays any position other than point guard at Dayton. Much like his older brother Scoochie, Malachi seems tailor-made to become Dayton’s next quarterback on the court. Ranked as one of the nation’s top composite three-stars, Smith will come to Dayton highly touted for more than just his last name. While I don’t think it is reasonable to expect him to run the show at point guard as a freshman, I do think Smith will establish himself as a reliable and trustworthy player from day one. I would not be surprised to see Smith become Anthony Grant’s starting point guard by his sophomore season and proceed to thrive in that role throughout his career. Flyer fans have every reason to be excited about Malachi Smith coming to Dayton.
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