Enoch Cheeks watched on TV as his former Dayton Flyers teammate, DaRon Holmes II, made his NBA Summer League debut on July 12. Late in the game, Cheeks saw Holmes go down and feared he had injured his ankle.
He didn’t catch the late-night update from NBA insider Shams Charania and instead received the devastating news the next morning directly from Holmes. In a group text, Holmes informed Cheeks and the rest of the Flyers that he had torn his right Achilles tendon, prematurely ending his rookie season. He described the injury as feeling like he had been kicked in the back of the foot.
“He sounded upbeat,” said Dayton forward Jaiun Simon. “It’s DaRon. He’s always in good spirits.”
“Once you’re back on the court, just remember to show them who you are,” Cheeks advised Holmes.
No one knows Holmes’s on-court capabilities better than the player who backed him up last season and often guarded him in practice—6-foot-11, 250-pound forward Isaac Jack, the only teammate taller than the 6-foot-10, 235-pound Holmes.
Jack recently sat down with the Dayton Daily News for an offseason conversation at the Frericks Center. Entering his second year at Dayton and third overall in college basketball, Jack is poised to take on a new role now that Holmes has moved on to the NBA.
“It changes a lot,” Jack said. “Last year, I came in knowing DaRon was likely coming back, and I would work alongside him and we would push each other. This year, seeing everything he accomplished and how he achieved it excites me.”
Jack played a role similar to that of Jordy Tshimanga during the 2019-20 season when Obi Toppin was a national standout. Tshimanga averaged 9.8 minutes as the backup big man, while Jack averaged 8.5 minutes, supporting Holmes in delivering an exceptional performance.
When asked what he learned from Holmes, Jack replied, “Just his consistency, work ethic every day, and his diverse leadership ability. Guarding him in practice was always a challenge, and it has helped me improve tremendously.”
As a sophomore at Dayton, Jack had a smaller role than he did as a freshman at Buffalo because Holmes rarely came off the court, and they didn’t often play together. Jack averaged 5.6 points and 4.2 rebounds in 16.3 minutes per game at Buffalo, compared to 3.1 points and 1.6 rebounds in just 8.1 minutes at Dayton. Despite the reduced playing time, he improved his shooting percentage from 66.1% to 71.7% and his free-throw percentage from 59.5% to 71.4%.
His playing time varied throughout the season. He logged double-digit minutes in five of the first eight games but only managed to do so six times in the final 25 games.
“I went into games not really knowing what to expect,” he said. “Sometimes I would play a lot, and other times not at all.”
However, every time Jack took the court, he focused on how he could contribute to the team. He would ask himself, “How can I help if we’re down? Or how can I maintain the lead if we’re ahead?”
Jack noted that his goal was to do “whatever I could to help the team win that game,” depending on the circumstances.
In the first round of the NCAA tournament against Nevada, Jack helped by scoring four points in a four-minute span early in the second half. When he entered the game, Dayton was down by 14 points, and it widened to 17 before they staged a comeback for a 63-60 victory. Every point mattered at that moment when the team was struggling.
Jack prioritized being ready for such opportunities. He might have received more playing time if Holmes had faced more foul trouble, but that was rare. Holmes never fouled out and only committed four fouls six times in 33 games.
“I don’t know how he does it,” Jack reflected. “He was hardly ever in foul trouble, and I mention that a lot.”
With the summer practice period wrapping up, Jack will return to his home in Port Alberni, B.C., for a week and a half. He made a shorter visit in the spring, and when the players come back to campus in late August, they’ll begin preparations for the 2024-25 season.
Jack is eager for a chance to compete for a larger role, but that’s not guaranteed. Dayton has three returning starters (Nate Santos, Cheeks, and Javon Bennett) along with three new transfers (Zed Key, Posh Alexander, and Jacob Conner) who were starters at their previous schools. The 13-man roster also includes three players who sat out last season (Malachi Smith, Jaiun Simon, and Marvel Allen) and two freshmen (Hamad Mousa and Amaël L’Etang).
Jack is enthusiastic about the team’s potential, aiming to build on last season’s 25-8 record that ended a seven-year NCAA tournament drought.
“I think we have a lot of weapons,” he stated. “We’ve got older players bringing leadership and skill; they come from strong conferences. Zed was at Ohio State, and Posh was at St. John’s and Butler. They know what to expect and how to lead. I believe we’re going to be a sleeper team for sure.”
Similar to his experience with Holmes last season, Jack often finds himself guarding Key in practice.
“I think he can be an incredible defender,” Jack said. “His shot-blocking ability is impressive. He jumps high and can be a key defender for us, especially against bigger players. He brings energy, can dunk, and shoot the three.”
In the last few weeks of summer practices, Jack got to see what the 7-1 L’Etang is capable of.
“He’s definitely skilled,” Jack said. “He can shoot really well and is an excellent passer. But he’s still young and will improve with time. His potential is really high, and I’m excited to see what he can achieve.”
Dayton’s five newcomers filled the spots of four players who transferred: Zimi Nwokeji, Kobe Elvis, Petras Padegimas, and Koby Brea.
“You develop a connection with everyone throughout the season, going through all sorts of experiences together,” Jack shared. “You genuinely want the best for each other and to see them succeed. It’s bittersweet; you wish them well and want to be around them. But at the end of the day, it’s a business decision.”
Jack didn’t think about entering the transfer portal himself. This past season marked his fourth consecutive year at a new school. He was at Alberni District Secondary School in his hometown during the 2020-21 season, then played at Fort Erie International Academy in 2021-22, followed by a season at Buffalo, and most recently, Dayton.
“I was really happy to know I’m staying put,” Jack said. “I won’t have to move everything again, so I can feel settled. I already have some understanding of what we need to do, and I won’t have to start from scratch. I was definitely looking forward to that.”
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