What Bob McKillop likes most about his Davidson basketball team thus far
.JPG "Davidson head coach Bob McKillop cheers his team on during their game against Texas in the Maui Invitational in Asheville last week. The Wildcats hots George Washington on Friday night.")
One thing impressed Davidson men’s basketball coach Bob McKillop more than anything else from his team’s appearances in last week’s Maui Invitational.
“Their adaptability,” said McKillop, whose Wildcats (2-2) host Georgia Southern (3-0) at 7 p.m. Friday in Belk Gym.
“I really liked the way they adapted to anything that was thrown at them,” he added.
That quality will serve the Wildcats well in the coming season, which promises COVID-related uncertainty.
Some of that will take place Friday night. McKillop and his staff have spent the past few days preparing for a team loaded with new players and directed by a new head coach. And the Wildcats have little video to work with.
“I can tell you that they’re adapting well to a new style,” McKillop said of the Eagles.
Georgia Southern returned only 21% of its scoring from the 2019-20 season. The roster has nine new players, tied for fourth-most in NCAA Division I. Six of those newcomers are transfers.
They are under the direction of Brian Burg, who is serving as a head coach for the first time. He spent the last four seasons as top assistant to Chris Beard at Texas Tech.
“They’re very well coached,” McKillop said of the Eagles. “But as far as how they play, we don’t have much to go on.”
McKillop said Davidson responded well last week at the Maui Invitational, which took place in Asheville, adapting to three different defenses in their games against Texas, Providence and UNLV. The Wildcats suffered narrow losses to the first two teams before beating the Runnin’ Rebels.
“Everyone on the team took a step forward last week,” McKillop said. “They showed resiliency. After two emotional losses, they came back in the third game. And they got to experience last-minute situations. That will help us down the road.”
There was a time when Davidson and Georgia Southern were familiar foes, before Davidson left the Southern Conference for the Atlantic 10 six years ago. The teams have met 39 times, with Davidson winning 32 of those. McKillop is 29-7 against Georgia Southern, but the teams haven’t met since February 2014.
Davidson is led by senior guard Kellan Grady, averaging 18.3 points a game. Guards Hyunjung Lee (16.8) and Carter Collins (11.8) also are averaging in double figures.
Archie Kaden, a junior transfer from UTEP, leads Georgia Southern with 17.7 points a contest.
Friday’s game launches an important eight-day period for the Wildcats. They host Charlotte on Tuesday in the annual Battle for the Hornets’ Nest Trophy game, then open A-10 conference play next Friday at preseason favorite and nationally ranked Richmond.