The Dayton Flyers have made major moves to strengthen their bench, announcing two key additions to head coach Anthony Grant's staff on Thursday, May 14. James Kane steps into the associate head coach role, replacing Ricardo Greer, while Nick Irvin and Jordan Talley join as assistant coaches—giving the program a fresh look as it eyes another championship run.
"I'm grateful and want to thank Coach Grant for this opportunity," Kane said in a press release. "Dayton and the UD community are a special place, and I'm excited to continue competing for championships with our program."
The shakeup comes three weeks after Greer, a fixture on Grant's staff since the 2017-18 season, departed to become associate head coach under Jeff Capel at Pittsburgh. Kane, who has been with the Flyers for six seasons as an assistant, is no stranger to the program's culture. He was part of Grant's original staff before a three-year stint at Iowa State, returning to Dayton in 2021. Now, he takes on a more prominent role, and Grant couldn't be more confident in the transition.
"James has been an integral part of my staff throughout every stop of my head coaching journey and has been instrumental to our program's success throughout his tenure at Dayton," Grant said. "He is a relentless worker, a passionate teacher of the game, and a great mentor to our student-athletes. His basketball intelligence, recruiting acumen, and dedication to our culture make him the perfect fit for this elevated role."
Joining Kane on the sidelines are two fresh faces with impressive pedigrees. Nick Irvin, a Chicago native, spent the last four seasons on Bobby Hurley's staff at Arizona State, following a two-year stint as an assistant at Western Illinois. Before his college career, Irvin was a high school coaching legend, winning four state championships (2013, 2014, 2017, and 2018) at Morgan Park High School in Chicago. His deep ties to the Windy City include coaching future Flyers Kyle Davis and Josh Cunningham, and his father, Mac Irvin, founded the iconic Mac Irvin Fire AAU program. Jordan Talley, meanwhile, comes to Dayton after a season as an assistant at Duquesne under Dru Joyce III, and previously spent three years as a player development assistant at the University of Florida.
These additions fill a gap that's been lingering for two seasons. Since Darren Hertz left Grant's staff in 2024 to become head coach at Wittenberg, the Flyers have operated with one fewer assistant than NCAA rules allow. Now, Grant has a full roster of support: Kane, plus assistants Jermaine Henderson, Sean Damaska, Irvin, and Talley.
For Flyers fans, this revamped staff signals a commitment to building on the program's recent momentum—and a clear message that Dayton is ready to compete at the highest level. Whether it's Kane's veteran leadership, Irvin's recruiting pipeline, or Talley's player development chops, this coaching lineup has the tools to keep the Flyers soaring.