Chris Wright must be reading BIAH

Earlier today, the NCAA released the list of the 80 players that had declared early for the NBA Draft. The list wasn't a day old before Dayton's Chris Wright heeded our advice.

This afternoon, Wright announced his intentions to return to Dayton:

I have decided to return to UD for my senior season and have pulled my name out of this year’s NBA draft. When I announced I was investigating the draft, I said my three main goals as a Dayton Flyer were to graduate, to raise the national profile of our program, and to put myself in position to play at the highest level. I'm excited about accomplishing these three goals.

Going through this process was a learning experience for me and I really appreciate the advice I received. I also want to thank my family and coach Gregory for the support and guidance they gave me as I came to this decision. I love the University of Dayton and where our program is headed. I can't wait for next year.

For our thoughts on what a return would mean for Wright as a player, read here.

The bigger question is what it means for the Flyers as a team.

With Wright returning, Dayton now brings back their top two scorers -- Wright and Chris Johnson, a talented wing that averaged 12 and 7 while shooting 35% from three -- as well as their head coach Brian Gregory, who spurned offers form a couple high-major programs.

But the Flyers are not a team that thrives on scoring to win. Their style of play is best described as a street fight -- they are going to fly around defensively, playing tough, physical man-to-man defense. And with the seven seniors that graduate this year (which includes back court players Rob Lowery, London Warren, Mickey Perry, and Marcus Johnson), the Flyers lose much of the depth, and a number of the defenders, that allowed them to play that style.

Its not all bad. Gregory is bringing in five recruits, of which all five can play on the perimeter. Two of those recruits -- Juwan Staten and Brandon Spearlman -- were sought after by a number of high majors. Staten is the best of the bunch. He's a true point guard, a good decision maker that can use the bounce the create and score and is a willing and able defender. He also excels getting out in transition. He should be a good fit for this Dayton team.

Dayton returns quite a bit of size, as Luke Fabrizius, Josh Benson, and Matt Kavanaugh all return. Kavanaugh and Benson were both freshmen this season and saw limited playing time, while Fabrizius was a sophomore that averaged just 9.4 mpg in the 25 games he saw action. While that young and inexperienced front line struggled to see consistent minutes, there is some potential there. Fabrizius is probably the best shooter on the Dayton roster, and Kavanaugh and, to a lesser degree, Benson were both fairly highly-regarded recruits.

But clearly, the biggest piece of news the Flyers got, or will get, this offseason is the return of Chris Wright.

Without him, they are a team that might be looking at their second straight NIT. With him, I wouldn't be surprised to see the Flyers make a run at both an A-10 title and a trip to the NCAA Tournament.