University of Dayton men's basketball coach Anthony Grant has announced that three prospects (listed in the order of their commitment date) – Malachi Smith, DaRon Holmes and Kaleb Washington -- have signed a letter of intent to become a student-athlete at Dayton.

“We’re excited to announce the signing of DaRon, Malachi and Kaleb and to officially welcome them to the Flyer Family,” Grant said. “During these unprecedented times, we are grateful to these young men and their families for trusting the University of Dayton, our staff and the Dayton community with the next chapters of the Academic and athletic careers.

“We believe their character, talent and work ethic will enhance our vision of a championship program.”

Malachi Smith – 6-foot-0, 165 pound Guard from The Bronx, N.Y.

A three/four-star recruit, Smith led St. Raymond High School For Boys to the 2020 New York Catholic High School Athletic Association AA regular season championship. St. Raymond ranked first in New York City and fourth in the state of New York.

Smith was named AA First Team All-CHSAA and Third Team All-New York after averaging 19.2 points, 8.0 assists and 5.2 rebounds in his first varsity season. He is the third-ranked player in New York City (and the top point guard), and the sixth-ranked player in the state.

An AAU teammate on the famed New York Gauchos with current Flyer freshman Koby Brea, Smith’s connection with the UD basketball program goes back much farther than that. His brother Scoochie was an All-Atlantic 10 guard in 2017.

This fall he was named the regular season MVP of the Gauchos Roundball Classic, and first team all-tournament.

DaRon Holmes – 6-foot-8, 185 pound Forward from Goodyear, Ariz.

DaRon Holmes is the highest-ranked high school recruit to ever sign with the Flyers. A four-star recruit, he is ranked 36th nationally. Holmes played his first three high school seasons at Millennium High School in Goodyear, Ariz.

Last year, he was the Arizona Gatorade High School Player of the Year after averaging 23.7 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.8 blocks and 3.1 assists per game for the AIA Conference 5A state finalists. Millennium finished 24-6 in 2019-20 in reaching the Arizona 5A championship game for the second consecutive year.

This season, Holmes is playing for one of the strongest teams in the country, Montverde Academy in Montverde, Fla. Montverde has four players on its roster ranked in the top 100 top of the 2021 class, and four ranked in the top 50 in the class of 2022.

Kaleb Washington – 6-foot-8, 190 pound Forward from Mableton, Ga.

Kaleb Washington is another four-star and Top 100 recruit for the Flyers. Hailing from Mableton, Ga., he was a varsity player for Pebblebrook High School since his freshman season. He saw limited action as a rookie, and played through injuries as a sophomore, averaging 8.0 points and 5.1 rebounds a game.

He broke out last year, averaging 15.8 points and 6.0 rebounds per contest. He was All-Cobb County and First Team All-Region.

Pebblebrook was regional champion in 2019, and regional runner-up in 2020.

Washington is playing his senior season at Georgia powerhouse Wheeler High School in Marietta, Ga.