DAYTON, Ohio - University of Dayton men's basketball coach Brian Gregory and his staff landed their fourth strong recruiting class in his four years at UD, as the Flyers received signed National Letters of Intent today from their 2007 incoming freshman class. The newest official members of the Flyer family are 6-7 forward Chris Wright of Trotwood-Madison (Trotwood, OH) High School, 6-9 forward/center Devin Searcy of Romulus (MI) High School, and 6-1 guard Stephen Thomas of Indianapolis Cathedral High School.

All three had previously committed verbally to UD. Wright had committed exactly one year and one day prior to signing his letter of intent. Searcy made his college choice known in June and Thomas verballed in September. As a group, the newest Flyers chose Dayton after getting scholarship offers from schools that included members of the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, SEC and Atlantic 10. Each player signed with UD today.

"I have to again take my hat off to my staff," Gregory said. "With their tireless work ethic, they have done an unbelievable job in recognizing our needs, evaluating talented players and signing what I believe is a very special class."

"Billy Schmidt, Bob Beyer and Reggie Rankin demonstrated what their tremendous recruiting experience brings to our program by bringing in a class characterized by versatility, athletic ability, strong basketball skills and the highest quality of character."

Wright was Third Team All-Ohio as a junior after leading Trotwood-Madison a 22-6 overall record and the state championship game, where they lost to perennial powerhouse and 28-time state champion Canton McKinley. He averaged 17.5 points, 10.1 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 5.2 blocks a game. As a sophomore, he averaged 15.0 points, 9.1 rebounds and 4.2 assists.

A consensus national top 50 player who has been ranked as high as 29th, Wright first turned heads at the 2005 Nike Camp when his SPARQ (Speed, Power, Agility, Reaction, and Quickness) ranking was second-best in the entire camp. The only player ahead of him was current North Carolina freshman Brandon Wright.

This past summer, at events such as the Nike Skills Academy, the NBA Players Association Top 100 Camp and the Nike All-America Camp, Wright was singled out in published reports not just for his scoring ability and 38-inch vertical leap, but also for his work ethic and defense. But "above all" (if you'll pardon the pun), observers came back to his dunking ability and his knack of finishing the break.

Considered one of the top candidates for Ohio's Mr. Basketball, Wright will be the second member of his family to play at UD. His uncle on his mother's side, J.D. Grigsby, played at UD from 1971 to 1973.

Scout.com has named him the top player in the Atlantic 10 for this recruiting class.

Coach Gregory on Chris Wright: "Signing a local player of Chris' talent level is obviously very big for our program. Bringing in a person of Chris' character may be even bigger for the University as a whole. He is definitely one of the elite athletes in the country but it is his work ethic, discipline, competitiveness and desire to improve that makes him so special. It is refreshing to be around a player with so much talent and yet is so humble. He really raised his game this past summer and put himself in position to earn some incredible honors this year. His mother taught him some very important values and Coach Thornton at Trotwood-Madison High School taught him never to be satisfied - that's a pretty good combination."

Searcy is another recruit who will put the "Fly" in "Flyers." Not only is he an athletic 6-9, he has a 37-inch vertical leap and a seven-foot fingertip-to-fingertip reach. He was a sophomore starter for 2005 Michigan Class A runners-up, and averaged 8.0 points, 8.0 rebounds and 3.0 blocked shots.

Last season, as the only returning starter for Romulus, he averaged 12.5 points, 8.5 rebounds and 2.7 blocked shots and was named honorable mention all-state.

He was the #4-rated post player at last April's Boo Williams AAU Invitational, and was selected as one of the Top 50 players at the Nike All-American Camp. He is the fifth Romulus player in the last four years to earn a Division I scholarship.

Coach Gregory on Devin Searcy: "Devin is a really intelligent kid who I believe will make an impact for us on both sides of the floor. With his length and athletic ability he can really alter offenses with his shot blocking and rebounding. He is explosive in the post and around the basket giving him the ability to score in both the half-court and in transition. In addition, Devin is a player who understands the game, and the value of hard work having been coached by both Nate Oats at Romulus High School and `Speedy' Walker of The Family AAU program. After watching him compete we knew he was a talent, after watching him during his 6:00 a.m. individual workouts, we knew we had to sign him."

Thomas is the #9 prospect in his state of Indiana. A heady player with a classic Hoosier-guard outside shot, Thomas led a young Cathedral team to the Indianapolis City Tournament Championship. The Irish closed the 2005-06 season strong, finishing 17-6. They return all five starters and are expected to be one of the top teams in Indiana this season.

In leading his team to the city title, the Indianapolis Star named Thomas one of its two annual Players of the Year. Thomas was the Indianapolis Player of the Year, and national player of the year Greg Oden was named Marion County Player of the Year.

A three-year starter, Thomas averaged 15.5 points, 5.0 assists and 3.1 rebounds as a junior.

Coach Gregory on Stephen Thomas: "Stephen really brings a great skill package to our perimeter. He has all the tools we were looking for in a guard - he shoots it, handles it, and passes it. He comes from a great program at Cathedral High School coached by Scott Hicks, he knows how to win, and constantly makes big shots in crucial parts of games. We really like his competitiveness, his work ethic and his knowledge of the game. He is a great fit for our program."

Read the experts comments on Dayton's 2007 Men's Basketball Recruits

The Flyers will open the season on Saturday at home against Austin Peay. Game time is 2:00 p.m. EST.