by Patrick Stevens
 
After an October intrasquad scrimmage, Josh Scovens’ parents couldn’t help but notice how confidently the Davidson senior was walking, let alone playing.
 
There’s a bit of that going around for the Wildcats.
 
Keeping Scovens—a second-team all-Atlantic 10 preseason pick—was a major development for the Wildcats. But the same could be said for the rotation’s other returnees, including incumbent starters Sam Brown and Ian Platteeuw.
 
“We have five players who played crucial roles for us last year that have returned and odd as it may be to say, returning three starters—Sam Brown, Josh Scovens and Ian Platteeuw—and then Nick Coval and JQ Roberts who were key players for us off the bench, it allowed for this summer to be as impactful and allowed our team to grow as much as it did.”
 
To be clear: Davidson was starting in a decent spot after finishing in the top half of the A10 and going to the NIT. The Wildcats had talent and depth last season and was playing some of its best ball when March arrived.
 
As difficult as it is to use one year as a springboard into another in this era, Davidson has the potential to do so.
 
“I think you could say we have even more experience back and we have even more talent,” McKillop said. “You could debate that. At times, we played 13 guys last year. I don’t think we’re going to be playing with that level of depth. I think the talent that we’ve retained, they’ve really improved and I think we’ve added some talented players who are going make an impact right away.”
 
There should also be a touch of versatility for a program long known for its ability to stretch the floor and confound defenses. These Wildcats are capable of being a more bruising bunch, a boost not only on offense but to a defense that efficiency-wise moved up into the middle of the A10 pack during the conference schedule last season.
 
“We can play a pretty brand of basketball, but I also think we can play a rugged brand of basketball,” McKillop said. “That wasn’t the case last year and I think we can do it this year.”
 
A LOOK AT THE WILDCATS:
Coach: Matt McKillop, fifth season at Davidson, 68-63 with the Wildcats and overall.
 
Last year: After a 7-1 start, the Wildcats never won or lost more than two in a row the rest of the way. They did win seven of 10 starting in early February, eventually pinning down a sixth-place finish in the Atlantic 10. Davidson split a pair of games in the conference tournament and dropped a first-round NIT game at Oklahoma State, finishing the year at 20-14 overall and 10-8 in the A10.
 
They’ll miss: A pair of double-digit scorers. Guard Roberts Blum came off the bench to lead the Wildcats in scoring (12.4 per game) and made 3-pointers (77 for the season on 40.7 percent shooting). Parker Friedrichsen, another perimeter presence, moved on after averaging 10.8 points and shooting 40.5 percent from 3.
 
Impact returners: Scovens came in from Army, where he was the Patriot League Rookie of the Year in 2023-24 and then earned a second-team all-conference nod the following season when he averaged 15.2 points.
 
He deftly made the transition to the A10, averaging 11.1 points a game, and the versatile 6-foot-6 wing could be in for a stellar senior season.
 
“He was great for us last year in his first year at Davidson as a junior, and I’m grateful for the respect that he’s earned to be named to the all-conference team preseason and I know he’s going to live up to those expectations as he shows every day in practice,” McKillop said.
 
Newcomers of note: There is not a shortage of potential first-year contributors, though 6-4 guard Nick Janowski (16.1 ppg at St. Thomas while winning the Summit League’s Freshman of the Year Award) and 6-5 wing Jackson Keith stand out.
 
“Nick has a really special ability to score the basketball,” Scovens said. “He’s something I’ve honestly never seen before in my three, four years of college basketball. He’s just an elite scorer. He’s a physical guy, so he takes pride in the defensive end. And Jackson Keith is just explosive. He didn’t get much of a chance to show his talent at Butler, but he came in and started off great.”
 
The Wildcats also welcome John Carter Jr., who is four years removed from his last college game. The Navy grad averaged 13.3 points and 4.4 rebounds as a senior in 2021-22 and chose to use his Covid-era bonus year at Davidson.
 
“He has fully bought into being a college student, to being a member of the Davidson community,” McKillop said. “A lot of people could be awkward or do their own thing. He has embraced every bit of this experience. I think it’s making him better and I think it’s making everyone in our program better.”
 
Reasons to be optimistic: The biggest difference for Davidson relative to recent seasons is just how brawny the roster is.
 
“This is a very different group in terms of physicality, and I think we’re going to have the ability to rebound differently than we have,” McKillop said. “It’s been a major point of emphasis for us, and we’re seeing the results already in what we’re doing when we’ve been able to compete against other programs.”
 
X factor: Platteeuw started 26 games and averaged 4.1 points last season for the Wildcats, making him a solid contributor.
 
Teammates can see he’s now ready to be even more.
 
“I was just joking with him that he has abs now,” Scovens said. “When he came into college, Ian was a tall 7-footer and 18 years old, but he’s been in the gym non-stop. I’ve watched him grow from last year to this year, and he’s made the jump physically and mentally. He’s definitely ready to prove what he has.”
 
Circle the date: Davidson will have a good barometer of where it stands in the A10 in the first week or so of league play. After visiting Duquesne to open league play on December 30, the Wildcats come home to face Dayton on January 2 before playing at VCU four days later.
 
Bottom line: Fresh off its first 20-win season in four years, Davidson has the experience, toughness and skill to make a run at the A10’s top tier.
 
Patrick Stevens is a veteran college basketball writer who oversees Mid-Atlantic College Hoops. Previously, he worked for The Washington Post, Syracuse Media Group and The Washington Times. Stevens has written selected pieces for the Atlantic 10 Conference since 2013.