It seems like a long time ago that Dayton started off the 2021-2022 season with a 1-3 record, dropping three buy games at UD Arena.

Anthony Grant made the decision to turn the keys over to a freshman that missed some of the preseason, but came with a lot of fanfare as the younger brother of Scoochie Smith.

Malachi Smith turned the Flyers season around immediately. He helped the Flyers shock the college basketball world by drilling Miami (FL), upsetting fourth ranked Kansas, before topping Belmont to win the Orlando Invitational. In the process, the freshman was sensational and won the tournament’s MVP honors.

Despite the three awful losses to begin the season, the Flyers fought back to put themselves in a position to be considered for an at large bid down the stretch.

The Flyers held an eight-point lead just before halftime of the Atlantic 10 semifinal when Malachi Smith turned his ankle. He would stay in the locker room for most of the second half as the Richmond Spiders came all the way back and went on to claim the Atlantic 10’s automatic berth with a tournament title.

“I think it was difficult for him, just to go through an injury his freshman year that ended his season,” Anthony Grant recalled. “That kind of changed the trajectory of where that team could have maybe been in terms of NCAA Tournament aspirations.”

We’d find out on Selection Sunday that Dayton was the first team that was kept out of the NCAA Tournament. Easier decision for the committee with Smith unavailable to dance.

“You know some guys, that could have changed the whole trajectory of how they felt about their career having two surgeries on their ankles,” Grant noted. “Not knowing how your body’s going to respond after getting double ankle surgery, especially in that position and how he plays the game.”

But he worked hard to make sure he was available for his sophomore season. Malachi Smith suffered a knee injury against BYU in the Bahamas and would see action in just 19 games that season.

Another rehab and another year, Mali’s junior season ended just after it began. A non-contact injury just eight minutes into the season opener required surgery to repair a torn lateral meniscus in his knee. Dayton, of course, went on to make the NCAA Tournament finally and Smith had to observe from the sidelines as his team defeated Nevada in the first round.

“I just remember watching my team in the A10 tournament and March Madness,” Smith explained recently. “I just wanted to get back on the court. After that, I just wanted to make sure I did all my rehab so I can never have that feeling again and I could be out there with my teammates.”

So many setbacks. It would have been easy for anyone in his situation to just throw in the towel. But there’s something different about Mali.

“That’s just resiliency and a love of the game,” the Dayton coach said of his point guard. “You guys know my passion for mental health. Understanding how different things can impact people in a negative way. I think he’s shown so much resiliency.”

After all he has been through and the highly-touted addition of Posh Alexander, it’s easy to see how Malachi Smith could be an afterthought on this year’s roster.

But I have a feeling he’s going to be highlighted on scouting reports going forward.

In 19 minutes off the bench against St. Francis, Smith tallied 11 points, dished out six assists, and had zero turnovers.

On Saturday, he was the difference maker we saw when he was handed the keys as a freshman.

The Flyers fell behind by as much as 13 at home to Northwestern before his presence would be felt.

“With about 11 minutes to go, we were down 10,” Mali said. “I told the team we still got time, lets go!”

In biblical terms, Malachi is the messenger. And his team responded to the message he had for them.

The Flyers closed the game on a 30-15 run with Smith being a pest on the defensive end and a true floor general on the other end.

“It felt good,” he said after the win. “I told the team I haven’t felt my blood run like that in a minute. It was fun out there. Getting hyped up, fighting with the team, getting the crowd involved. That’s what I do, I think it’s just natural and it’s fun. It was fun doing it my freshman year and it was a lot of fun today.”

He finished the game with 14 points, six assists, four rebounds, and a steal.

“I’m so proud of him,” his head coach said. “I’m proud of him for staying with it. It’s great on nights like this where it comes together for him, it’s a good feeling.”

Just two games into the season, Malachi Smith resembles the 18 year old freshman that turned Dayton’s season around. There’s still a lot of run left in the 2024-2025 season, but he’s already helped Dayton write a bullet point on their March resume.

“You can see his love for the game, his heart, and his willingness to do the things that need to be done,” Grant added. “At the end of the day, he just wants to help his teammates win.”

His impact has definitely been felt in each of the two wins this week and the trajectory of Dayton’s season is going up because of him, once again.