Dayton scored an important commitment early Friday evening from 6-foot-3 guard Dayshon Smith (Bronx, N.Y./Putnam Science Academy).
Smith had seen his recruiting skyrocket over the last three months as he proved to be one of the few two-guards who was capable of sliding over to the point without a problem thanks to his instinctive feel for the game and an enhanced driving game to match his 3-point range.
Smith picked up offers from Illinois, Providence, Penn State and the vast majority of the Atlantic 10 after his summer with the New York Lightning and was receiving increasing interest from the likes of Kansas State, Memphis and others.
He had visited Dayton and Duquesne in the last two weeks.
"After those two visits I felt comfortable making my decision," Smith said. "Dayton did a great job recruiting me. They had a good connection with my family and they didn’t miss a game all summer."
At Dayton, Smith expects to slide over to point guard on a permanent basis.
"They said I would come in and play right away," he said. "I would have the ball in my hands and be the focal point."
Smith is a classic late-blooming guard, still in need of filling out his frame but definitely with his best basketball still in front of him. As he gets stronger and adds basketball IQ to his already outstanding natural instincts, he projects as a versatile offensive player who will be a threat to make plays for himself and others in isolations, ball-screens and down-screen action.