The Atlantic 10 is previewing all 14 men's basketball teams prior to the start of the season on Tuesday, Nov. 5. Today's featured team is Davidson, which was picked No. 2 in the A-10 Preseason Poll.
Davidson enters the 2019-20 season with something no Atlantic 10 team has enjoyed since 2011-12: A returning Conference Player of the Year.
Jon Axel Gudmundsson enjoyed a breakout season last winter, averaging 16.9 points, 7.3 rebounds and 4.8 assists. He ranked in the top 10 in the league in all three categories.
His decision to play his senior season with the Wildcats makes him the first A-10 Player of the Year to remain in school since Xavier guard Tu Holloway. He’ll try to become the first repeat winner since La Salle’s Steven Smith in 2004-05 and 2005-06.
But Gudmundsson has bigger things on his mind than another conference accolade. He wants to go out with an NCAA tournament appearance.
“I think he understands ‘I’m not going out this year to get an individual award. I’m going out to get a collective award,’” coach Bob McKillop said. “That collective award escaped us last year. That’s what’s driving him right now.”
Gudmundsson will have plenty of help. Davidson returns all five starters, including NBA prospect Kellan Grady, and its top six scorers. Developing depth will be a priority after only six players averaged more than 8.8 minutes last season.
Of course, having an all-around talent like Gudmundsson around for his senior year provides a proven go-to option who can do just about anything --- and wants to use those talents to secure a memorable sendoff from the North Carolina school.
“Jon is feverish as a competitor,” McKillop said. “He has a knack for the ball, thus the rebounding. He has a passion to get to the rim. He’s really improved his shooting.”
A look at the Wildcats:
Coach: Bob McKillop, 31st season at Davidson, 578-350 with the Wildcats
Last year: Davidson finished 24-10 overall, including a second-place finish in the Atlantic 10 at 14-4. The Wildcats fell to Saint Louis in the semifinals of the conference championship, then dropped an 89-81 decision to Lipscomb in the first round of the NIT.
They’ll miss: Not much. The Wildcats lost only two players who logged any time last season: forwards Nathan Ekwu (2.1 ppg, 1.9 rpg in 13 games) and Dusan Kovacevic (1.9 ppg, 2.1 rpg). In all, Davidson brings back 96.3 percent of its scoring, 92.3 percent of its rebounding, 94.4 percent of its assists and 94.7 percent of its minutes played from a season ago.
Impact returners: Both senior Jon Axel Gudmundsson and junior Kellan Grady investigated their pro prospects after last season before opting to remain with the Wildcats. Grady averaged 17.3 points despite the lingering effects of a knee injury that cost him four games late in non-conference play. Grady should again be one of the most effective scorers in the A-10.
“He never got to 100 percent as he went through the season, yet not at 100 percent he was First Team All-Conference and 17 points, 4.5 rebounds a game,” McKillop said. “That’s pretty good at not being 100 percent.”
Newbies of note: Redshirt freshman Mike Jones, who averaged 32 points as a senior in high school, returns from a knee injury and should be one of Davidson’s most effective perimeter options. McKillop also continued the Wildcats’ tradition of international recruiting, attracting forward David Kristensen (Denmark) and guard Hyunjung Lee (South Korea) to the program.
Reasons to be optimistic: There’s plenty to like about the Wildcats. Grady was the Atlantic 10’s Rookie of the Year two seasons ago, and Gudmundsson was the Player of the Year in 2018-19.
But there’s reason to believe 6-10 sophomore Luka Brajkovic could be ready to make an even greater impact than last season, when he averaged 11.1 points and 6.0 rebounds.
The Austrian played at 225 pounds as a freshman and is now up to 248 pounds. More importantly for Davidson, he doesn’t plan to defer as much to veteran players as he did in his first season.
“He needs to be a factor in our offense instead of just being a part of our offense,” McKillop said. “Last year, he was a reluctant part of the offense because he wanted to keep everyone happy and he wanted to adjust to America. Now, he understands where he fits.”
X factor: Luke Frampton missed all of 2017-18 due to injury. Once he was back last year, he was 15 pounds heavier and toting a knee brace that limited his mobility. Still he averaged 10.3 points while attempting roughly 90 percent of his shots from 3-point range. Now, the knee brace is gone. He’s also slimmed down from 220 pounds to 203.
“He’s going to the rim now, he’s not just shooting jumpers,” McKillop said.
Circle the date(s): McKillop constructed an impressive non-conference slate, starting with an opener against Auburn in the Veterans Classic in Annapolis, Md., on Nov. 8. The Wildcats also get a shot at in-state foe Wake Forest in Charlotte, N.C., on Nov. 22, and are part of a strong field in the Orlando Invitational. Davidson meets Marquette on Thanksgiving in the opener of that three-day event.
Bottom line: The Wildcats are going to score, and they’re going to take care of the ball. They won’t encounter many teams with a better three-man tandem than Grady, Gudmundsson and Brajkovic, either inside or outside the A-10. It would be surprising if Davidson isn’t in the hunt for its third NCAA bid in six seasons as an A-10 member.
Patrick Stevens is a veteran freelance college basketball writer. A former sports reporter for the Washington Times, he has been a contributor to Atlantic10.com for the past six years. Follow him on Twitter at @D1scourse.