A former Dayton basketball player is just a step away from playing in the NBA, but it is not one of the usual suspects of recently graduated Flyers.

UD fans' minds would most likely wander to Brian Roberts or perhaps Charles Little. The player on the cusp of playing in the best league in the world however, is a Flyer that did not leave a mark at UD quite like those others: Jimmy Binnie.

Binnie played from the 2003-04 season to the 2007-08 season for UD. He came to UD touted as an excellent shooter and scorer and a member of Brian Gregory's first recruiting class.

When Binnie came to UD, his role changed a bit as he played alongside one of the great Flyers in recent memory, Roberts. Playing alongside such a star meant Binnie often flew under the radar and did not receive the accolades like Roberts did.

For Binnie, playing at UD brought a great deal of pride and enjoyment, but it was a change from what he had grown accustomed to before college.

"Just playing with B-Rob, I was more of a role guy," he said. "I was happy to play that role though."

After graduating, Binnie continued to work hard and was able to go play in Europe with the Horsholm 79ers in Denmark. While Denmark is certainly not the ideal destination like Los Angeles or Boston in the NBA, it was a blessing for Binnie, who was able to rejuvenate his basketball career.

Playing on a mid-major team like UD at 6'8'', Binnie often was slotted in the four position on offense, which was not his natural spot on. Going to Europe meant bigger players on average, and therefore a move back down to small forward, a much more comfortable fit to Binnie's style.

"I think it was a great experience for me to go overseas," Binnie said. "Playing the four [at UD] made me feel like I needed to get bigger. Then I went overseas and lost weight and was able to get back to playing the three, which I feel like is more of my natural position. I was able to get my confidence back."

Binnie became a go-to scorer for the 79ers last season. He said he felt lighter on his feet and more ready to score. As a result, he was invited to several different draft camps, including the NBA Development League (NBDL) Draft Camp, where he impressed scouts enough to be drafted by the Dakota Wizards.

Binnie attributes a great deal of his current success to what he learned during his time at UD.

"Coach Gregory, Coach [Billy] Schmidt, they had a huge impact on my success now," he said. "The work ethic and everything they taught me, being a role guy and team member. Also my teammates. You go through something like that for four years with the same guys it creates a great friendship."

The NBDL is similar to minor league baseball or hockey for basketball. It is just a step below playing in the best league in the world, and players can get called up to play for an NBA team mid-season, just like the minor leagues in other sports.

Binnie has enjoyed mild success in playing as more of a role player once again. He says the talent level in the NBDL is the biggest difference in playing there versus overseas. He has been moderately successful in his rookie season with Dakota, playing almost 15 minutes a game and scoring six points per game as a role player.

As his basketball career has continued, Binnie says he has remained a big-time follower and fan of UD and stays in touch with the team.

"I still talk to Coach Gregory and Coach Schmidt quite frequently," he said. "I checked up on every game, wrote some of the guys on Facebook last season, so I like to see what the program is doing."

His season in Denmark was finished by the time Dayton had made the NCAA Tournament, so Binnie could have made it home. However, he had made plans to visit Rome with his wife. Still, he was excited about the Flyers' success.

"I called from Rome after they beat West Virginia and I was going crazy," he said.