UConn lands commitment from Dayton transfer guard Malachi Smith

UConn has secured its second backcourt addition of the off-season via the transfer portal, as fourth-year Dayton point guard Malachi Smith announced his commitment to the Huskies via Instagram on Monday.

Smith – who scored nine points in the Flyers’ win over UConn in November – averaged 10.4 points, 5.3 assists and 2.9 rebounds per game in his fourth season with Dayton in 2024-25.

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The Bronx, NY native missed the 2023-24 season with a torn meniscus in his right knee, per Dayton Athletics, and redshirted his junior season to preserve his final two seasons of eligibility.

Smith entered the transfer portal after leading the Flyers in usage rate (24.4%) across 31 starts, shooting 42.4% from the field and 38.4% from beyond the arc. The redshirt junior also hit on a career-high 81 free throws in 2024, shooting 71% from the charity stripe for a Dayton team that ranked 51st in free throw attempt rate according to KenPom.

Serving as the primary ball handler for the Flyers, Smith put together a solid 27.8 minutes of film per game this past season.

The fourth-year guard excels as a spot-up three point shooter on the perimeter, hitting routinely from the left wing and top of the break in 2024. Smith is not afraid to take a step back and launch from deep, letting go from well behind the arc when options were limited, or the shot clock was winding down.

The fiery redshirt junior has developed a penchant for finishing at the rim – sometimes over multiple defenders – and will fight through the lane to get a look if need be. Smith’s violent acceleration down the line will add another face to the Huskies’ offensive arsenal, which was already boosted by the addition of former Georgia guard Silas Demary Jr. last week.

Perhaps the most developed aspect of Smith’s game, his 5.3 assists per game ranked in the 98th percentile nationally in 2024, in conjunction with a 2.51 assist/turnover ratio, per CBB Analytics.

A proficient interior passer, Smith dished a combined 58 dimes to Dayton frontcourt mates Zed Key and Amael L’Etang this past season, oftentimes the result of the redshirt junior’s decisive drives through the paint that drew double teams down low.

Smith’s role in Connecticut’s restocked backcourt will most likely consist of backup duties to Demary Jr., serving as the team’s sixth or seventh man in a 2023-24 Hassan Diarra-like role.

Smith and Demary are the first two transfer-ins of the off season for Connecticut, which has already seen four players depart via the transfer portal. Ahmad Nowell and Aidan Mahaney jumped in the portal shortly after the Huskies fell to Florida in the NCAA Tournament, leaving a void at the point guard position after Diarra exhausted his eligibility.