Davidson Wildcats
2021-2022 Overall Rank: #85
Conference Rank: #5 A-10
Davidson did not survive the transfer mayhem of the offseason. They lost Kellan Grady to Kentucky, Carter Collins to Murray State and Bates Jones to Duke. It is not great for The Wildcats this season, but it does show how respected the program is and how much talent there is sitting on the roster. For now though, Coach Bob McKillop will need some of the younger and less experienced players to step up and start turning into the next stars at Davidson.
2020-21 Record: 13-9, 7-4
2020-21 Postseason: NIT
Coach: Bob McKillop
Coach Record: 607-372 at Davidson, 607-372 overall
Key Departed Players:
Kellan Grady, Guard, 17.1 ppg
Carter Collins, Guard, 10.9 ppg
Bates Jones, Forward, 2.6 ppg
Key Returning Players:
Hyunjung Lee, Junior, Guard/Forward, 13.5 ppg
Luka Brajkovic, Senior, Forward, 10.9 ppg
Sam Mennenga, Sophomore, Forward, 6.0 ppg
Michael Jones, Junior, Guard, 5.1 ppg
Grant Huffman, Sophomore, Guard, 3.4 ppg
Nelson Boachie-Yiadom, Senior, Forward, 1.8 ppg
Emory Lanier, Sophomore, Guard, 1.8 ppg
Key New Players:
Chris Ford, Freshman, Forward
Foster Loyer, Junior, Guard, Transfer from Michigan State
Stymir Thrastarson, Freshman, Guard/Forward
Desmond Watson, Freshman, Guard/Forward
Projection:
Hyunjung Lee had a breakout sophomore season and will get plenty of national attention in 2021-2022. The 6-7 wing averaged 13.5 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists last season and shot 44.2 percent from beyond arc, 50.8 percent from the floor and 90.0 percent from the free-throw line. To say Lee is a great shooter would be an understatement. Luka Brajkovic and Sam Mennenga make this a very talented frontcourt. Brajkovic is an experienced senior who averaged 10.9 points and a team high 6.0 rebounds last season. Mennenga had a very promising freshman campaign and he should be ready to play a larger role this year. The backcourt has some big holes to fill, but they will hope that Michael Jones and Grant Huffman are prepared to pick up the slack. Jones was a regular starter two years ago before coming in off the bench in 2020-2021. Huffman showed some promise as a freshman and should at least add another dangerous shooter off the bench. Foster Loyer heads to Davidson from Michigan State where he averaged 4.2 points and 2.3 assists. And getting solid production from Loyer and the rest of the backcourt will be key for this team. If they can effectively compliment the talented frontcourt, Davidson will be competitive in the A-10 and reached the postseason for the sixth time since joining the conference prior to the 2014-2015 season.
Projected Postseason Tournament: NIT
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 71.8 (154th in nation, 5th in conference)
Scoring Defense: 64.1 (34, 2)
Field-Goal Percentage: 47.2 (37, 3)
Field-Goal Defense: 42.7 (145, 7)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 9.8 (15, 1)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 36.4 (57, 2)
Free-Throw Percentage: 68.7 (237, 9)
Rebound Margin: 4.5 (50, 2)
Assists Per Game: 15,1 (55, 2)
Turnovers Per Game: 10.7 (20, 3)
