#30 STAN KING, 6-4 205LB, FR, DENVER, CO

After getting commitments from Lamar Hill, Sean Finn, Jason Osborne, and Ramod Marshall, most recruiting observers thought the Flyers were finished recruiting unless they were able to obtain a letter-of-intent from junior college center Ermal Kuqo, or the on-off-on-off relationship with Nucleus Smith turned on again. When Smith indicated he would sign a letter of intent with Dayton those observers were certain Dayton had completed its recruiting class.

Then came the surprising news that Oliver Purnell had received a commitment from Stan King, a 6’4″ guard from Denver, Colorado. It wasn’t surprising that Purnell had interest in the athletic King. After all, he made Bob Gibbons list of the Top-100 seniors in the summer prior to his senior season. What was surprising was that the Flyers appeared to be all out of scholarships. King appeared to be deciding between Wright State and UMass, and he had used up his allotment of official visits. But King’s guardians paid for an unofficial visit to UD, Nucleus Smith ended up with Billy Tubbs at TCU, and King is now a Flyer.King is a versatile athlete. Playing in an up-tempo system he averaged 17 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists, and 4 steals a game while leading Denver East to the large-school state semifinals. In April of this year, King scored 24 points as the Colorado All-Stars defeated the USA All Stars. As a junior, King averaged 19 points and 10 rebounds, leading Denver East to the state championship.

Upon signing King, Oliver Purnell said, “We’re excited that Stan has joined the Flyers. He’s a quality player, and comes from an outstanding basketball program. His flexibility and athletic ability will enable him to compete for significant playing time at the wing and at the point.”

A physical specimen at 205 pounds, King has been described as a slasher with a developing jump shot. If King plays that style at UD, it will be in contrast to other recent UD wing players, most of whom have tended to look for the trey rather than take the ball to the glass. The ability to mix and match style of play should give Coach Purnell greater flexibility when going to his bench.

In the most recent public scrimmage however, King nailed 4 treys from well beyond the arc, but did not consistently attempt to take his man to the hole. Like most freshmen — particularly those without a year of prep school — Stan is adjusting to the faster pace and better athletes at the higher levels of Division I while learning the Flyer offense and defense. If he masters the system, look for King to provide depth off the bench at both wing positions. While King might get a few looks at the point, it looks like Marshall will be the primary back-up at that position, with King and Sammy Smith looking for their time behind Tony Stanley and Brooks Hall. Marshall may also see some time at shooting guard.