Atlantic 10 men’s basketball preseason poll released: Where was Davidson picked?
The Davidson Wildcats are past the point of sneaking up on opponents in the Atlantic 10 Conference in men’s basketball. That was driven home last season as Davidson won its first conference tournament title in the Atlantic 10.
With that as a back drop, the Wildcats were picked to finish third here Thursday at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn by a panel of coaches and media members during the annual conference media day. That comes even after Davidson lost Peyton Aldridge, a co-player of the year last season in the conference now playing in Italy.
“I don’t think about (polls). That is energy I will never have again,” Wildcats coach Bob McKillop said here Thursday. “So I focus my energy and what I can control and that is tomorrow’s practice. I don’t look at the polls at all.”
Davidson will be paced this season by sophomore guard Kellan Grady and junior guard Jon Axel Gudmundsson. Grady was picked as a preseason all-conference first-team player after he averaged 18.0 points and 1.9 assists per contest last season.
“Kellan has worked feverishly and passionately in the off-season,” said McKillop, getting ready for his 30th season at Davidson. “He is relentless in his desire to be the best. There is a lot of noise out there about him” as a possible NBA draft pick next spring.
Gudmundsson, who averaged 13.2 points, 6.0 rebounds and 5.1 assists last season, was a third-team all-conference preseason selection and also made the all-defensive team. McKillop said he is the most improved player on the roster from this time a year ago, as he came on strong at the end of last season and spent this summer with the national team of his native Iceland.
“That further pushed him forward,” McKillop said.
McKillop got more good news as Davidson practiced for the first time with all of its players on Wednesday, he said. Redshirt senior forward Nathan Ekwu, redshirt freshman guard Luke Frampton and redshirt junior forward Dusan Kovacevic returned to full drills after various ailments.
“We are absolutely encouraged by that,” McKillop said.
The Wildcats upset second-seeded St. Bonaventure and regular-season champion Rhode Island to win in Washington, D.C. last March for its first-ever Atlantic 10 tournament title. The conference tournament moves back to Brooklyn in March 2019.
Davidson held strong against Kentucky before losing 78-73 in the first round of the NCAA tournament. The Wildcats were 21-12 overall and 13-5 in the conference last season. They have won at least 20 games in four of the past five seasons.
Now they are in their third decade under McKillop.
“I have a lot of sons after 30 years,” said McKillop, noting those relationships go far beyond their eligibility.
Worth mentioning
▪ Davidson has its red-black scrimmage Saturday at 2 p.m., then hosts Division III Washington & Lee in an exhibition on Nov. 1. The regular-season opener is at home Nov. 6 against Cleveland State.
▪ The Wildcats again have a strong international flavor, with players from Nigeria, Iceland, England, Austria, Serbia and Sweden. Davidson begins conference play at home Jan. 5 against Duquesne.
▪ Saint Louis was picked as the preseason favorite, followed by Saint Joseph’s, Davidson, George Mason and Rhode Island. Saint Louis was pegged to finish last in the conference two years ago.
“Being picked first is better than being picked last,” Billikens coach Travis Ford said. “It is all relative this time of year.”
▪ Ingvi Gudmundsson, the brother of the Davidson guard, is freshman guard for Saint Louis.