Davidson Basketball: 2019-20 season preview for Wildcats

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MARCH 16: Kellan Grady #31 of the Davidson Wildcats celebrates a basket against Saint Louis Billikens during their Atlantic 10 basketball tournament Semi Final game at Barclays Center on March 16, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images) /

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BOISE, ID – MARCH 15: The Davidson Wildcats bench reacts in the second half against the Kentucky Wildcats during the first round of the 2018 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Taco Bell Arena on March 15, 2018 in Boise, Idaho. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /

Everyone returns for McKillop’s Wildcats

As I mentioned, a big reason expectations are so high for Davidson is that they quite literally return their entire 2018 roster except for forward, Nathan Ekwu who played in just 13 games averaging just over six minutes per game. The other 12 players all return, led by arguably the conference’s best backcourt duo, senior Jon Axel Gudmundsson and junior Kellan Grady. The pair averaged 34 points, for a team that averaged just over 70 on the year, while grabbing 11.8 rebounds, and 6.7 assists.

But Davidson’s strength is in their depth at the guard position, which it needs to be given the Wildcats’ four-out philosophy on offense. KiShawn Pritchett enters his senior season as the No. 2 three-point shooter in the conference, making 43.9% of his long-distance shots in 2018. Carter Collins and Luke Frampton also return, Frampton is the team’s sharpshooter, having only taken 32 shots inside the three-point line last season, shooting over 37%. McKillop will have another backcourt piece this season as 6’3 Mike Jones from a medical redshirt season, he averaged 32 points per game as a senior in Minnesota.

Last season Davidson was thin when it comes to the frontcourt, but the offensive philosophy allows him to play bigger guards, like the 6’6 Pritchett in a traditional forward spot. Sophomore Luka Brajkovic will return as the Wildcats big man, but the only other forward that saw consequential minutes is the 6’8 Bates Jones who saw seven minutes per game in 25 contests as a sophomore.

The lone newcomers for Davidson are forwards, but 6’7 Hyunjung Lee comes from South Korea by way of Australia. He competed in South Korea on their Under-16, 17, and 18 national teams and had a 33-point, 10-rebound, six assist game against China last summer in a tournament in which he shot nearly 40% from beyond the arc. The other freshman is David Kristensen who is a 6’10 210lb. forward from Denmark, who while playing for the Danish national team, is seen as a prospect who might be further away from contributing than Lee.

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