Newest recruit focused on the Flyers all along

By Doug Harris, Staff Writer Updated 3:21 AM Thursday, July 2, 2009

I interviewed Van Coleman, a recruiting analyst for Hoopmasters.com, about Jesse Berry last week. And he said if the Dayton Flyers could persuade the high-scoring guard to commit soon, they’d be getting a steal because the top-tier programs from the power conferences would be all over him by the end of July.

Because a new NCAA rule wiped out the April evaluation period, college coaches will be getting their first offseason looks at prospects at AAU tournaments and summer camps this month.

Well, the Flyers did get the  6-foot-1 senior to commit Tuesday, June 30. And here’s a nice twist: Berry’s high school coach at Lafayette (Ind.) Jefferson, Scot Bunnell, said his star isn’t the type who would have been easily impressed by more renowned programs.

“I think he feels like Dayton was the right pick no matter who came in,” Bunnell said. “We talked about that. He’s doing this right before the July period. This is a confident kid. He’s a terrific player. I don’t think that matters to him.

“If we were talking in August or September, it would have still come down to Dayton. That’s the way he felt, and that’s why he went ahead and pulled the trigger. He wanted to show them, ‘Hey, you guys have been committed to me, I’m ready to commit to you. Let’s get this over with and move on.’ I don’t think it matters who would have come into the picture later on. I think he wanted to be a Dayton Flyer.”

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2125 or dharris@DaytonDailyNews.com.

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