Dayton announces two additions to men's basketball staff

May 14—James Kane will replace Ricardo Greer as associate head coach on Anthony Grant's staff with the Dayton Flyers, the University of Dayton announced on Thursday, May 14.

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."

Dayton also announced the addition of two assistant coaches: Nick Irvin, a Chicago native who worked on Bobby Hurley's staff at Arizona State the past four seasons; and Jordan Talley, who worked on Dru Joyce III's staff at Duquesne last season after spending three seasons as a player development assistant with the University of Florida.

The coaching changes come three weeks after Greer, who had been part of Grant's staff since Grant's first season in 2017-18, left to become the associate head coach on Jeff Capel's staff at Pittsburgh.

Kane moves into the associate head coach role after six seasons as an assistant coach. He was a part of Grant's first staff but left after one season and spent the next three years at Iowa State. Kane returned to Dayton in 2021.

"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 in a press release. "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."

In the last two seasons, Dayton had one fewer assistant coach than the rules allow. It did not replace Darren Hertz when he left Grant's staff in 2024 to become the head coach at Wittenberg.

Now Grant has Kane plus four assistant coaches: Jermaine Henderson; Sean Damaska; Irvin; and Talley.

Irvin was an assistant coach at Western Illinois for two seasons before moving to Arizona State in 2022. Arizona State fired head coach Bobby Hurley after the 2025-26 season.

Earlier in his career, he was the head coach at Morgan Park High School in Chicago. He won four state championships (2013, 2014, 2017 and 2018).

One of his players was Kyle Davis, a key player for Dayton when the Flyers made four straight NCAA tournament appearances from 2014-17. He later coached another future Flyer, Josh Cunningham.

Irvin's dad, Mac Irvin, founded a famous AAU team, the Mac Irvin Fire.

"Nick brings a wealth of coaching experiences, strong regional connections, and a commitment to player development that make him a tremendous fit for our staff," Grant said in a press release. "He is deeply connected throughout the Midwest and is legendary as a former Chicago ball player, high school, and AAU coach. His ability to identify and develop elite talent is well known and Flyer fans are personally familiar with his work having coached former Flyer standouts Kyle Davis and Josh Cunningham during their state championship high school runs. Nick's energy and passion will positively impact every facet of our program and community."

"I'm incredibly blessed and thankful for the opportunity Coach Grant has given me — this is truly a dream come true," Irvin said in a press release. "I'm thrilled to be joining him and this outstanding staff to build something special together. Dayton is a phenomenal place to be, with a basketball tradition that speaks for itself. I've been following Dayton basketball for years, so to now be a part of it means the world to me. I have such fond memories of watching my former players Kyle Davis and Josh Cunningham compete at UD Arena — the fan support and passion at the Arena is truly something special. I cannot wait to get to work and contribute to the continued success of this program!"

Talley, like Grant and Kane, is a Florida native. He's from Lake City. He played college basketball for a NAIA program, Southeastern University in Lakeland, Fla., and graduated in 2015.

Talley started his coaching career at the high school level as an assistant at Columbia High School in his hometown. He then worked at three Florida colleges: Santa Fe College; Polk State College; and Tallahassee Community College. He also had a stint as the head coach at Lake Gibson High School in Lakeland in the 2018-19 season.

From 2020-22, Talley worked as a graduate assistant at James Madison University.

In the last of Talley's three-season stint on Todd Golden's staff at Florida, the Gators won the national championship in 2025.

"Jordan brings a proven track record of elite player development, highlighted by his experiences with the University of Florida during their championship run," Grant said in a press release. "His energy, communication skills, and passion for mentoring young men, align perfectly with the values of our program. Jordan is a high-character leader who will positively impact our players, coaches, and staff on and off the court."

"Dayton embodies everything that makes college basketball special — tradition, toughness, pride, and community," Talley said in a press release. "I'm grateful to Coach Grant and the staff, the administration, and everyone at the University of Dayton for this incredible opportunity and trust. I'm excited to get to work and help continue the standard that has been built here.