GETTING INSIDE

Now, everyone gets the chance to see if Davidson basketball is more than only Stephen Curry.

The All-Everything guard departed the Wildcats after his junior season to pursue his life in the NBA, leaving Davidson without arguably the best player the Southern Conference has ever known.

For coach Bob McKillop, making due won’t be easy.

The Wildcats lost a scorer, a leader and the type of player who made others better.

Now, there is a lot of slack expected to be picked up by three seniors—guards Bryant Barr and Will Archambault and forward Steve Rossiter—and junior guard Brendan McKillop, who in the past two seasons was used primarily to spell Curry.

McKillop will give the Wildcats something they didn’t have last season, even with Curry. The 6-foot-1 guard is a true point guard who had nearly as many assists (50) as he did field goals (54). When he did shoot, he was primarily a three-point threat, finishing fourth on the team in long-range shots and makes.

Obviously Curry’s absence is huge; another is that of F Andrew Lovedale. He established himself as a modicum of consistency, playing and starting in all 35 games last season. He averaged 12.5 points and was tops in the league in rebounding at 8.7 boards per game.

Lovedale is expected to be replaced by sophomore forward Frank Ben-Eze, who at times showed flashes of his future. Defense probably will be his greatest impact. Ben Allison, another regularly used player from a year ago, will push Ben-Eze not only for playing time but also starting status.

Regardless, this Davidson team will be one that is centered around the guard play. McKillop, Archambault and Barr will likely be the deciding factors if the Wildcats sink or swim without Curry.

NOTES, QUOTES

• The Wildcats were the top-scoring team in the Southern Conference last season, averaging 77.8 points per game. Defense was a strong point as well, as the Wildcats were third in the league, allowing only 65.9 points per game.

• Forward Steve Rossiter is the only returning player from a year ago who started every game. He averaged 6.1 points and 5.9 rebounds a game.

• Senior forward Will Archambault started only nine games as a junior, but he started seven of the team’s last eight, maybe in preparation for this season. It also was a direct correlation to his play during a strong 12-game stretch during the crux of conference play when he averaged 12.2 points per game.

Last Year:   27-8, 18-2, first place in Southern Conference South Division; lost to St. Mary’s in second round of the NIT.

Head Coach:   Bob McKillop (overall 367-232); 21st year at Davidson.

Quote To Note:   “The last few years, our schedule has put us in a position to receive exposure on a national stage, and the competition has given us the opportunity to become a better program.”—Davidson coach Bob McKillop, on what appears to be another season with a handful high-profile, nationally televised games.

STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL

Scouting The Newcomers:   Two of fresh faces have Davidson fans eager for the season to start. G J.P. Kuhlman and F Jake Cohen enter the Wildcat program with impressive high school resumes. Cohen averaged a double-double and five blocked shots per game, and he also connected on 40 percent of his three-point shots. Kuhlman was the spark that led the Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., Providence School to a top-50 national ranking. Kuhlman averaged more than 18 points, six assists and six rebounds per game as a senior.

Key Early-season Games:   Davidson won’t be shying away from early season big games again this year. The Wildcats will be playing Butler on Nov. 14 in a rematch of last year’s ESPNU BracketBusters contest. Additionally, Davidson will face Gonzaga on Dec. 12, either Hofstra or St. John’s on Dec. 21 and UMass on Dec. 30. That’s not to mention a Dec. 3-5 conference home slate against The Citadel and College of Charleston.

Program Direction:   The Wildcats were successful before Stephen Curry, and all signs point to them being that way again now that the star is gone. Coach Bob McKillop probably will move back toward a more team-oriented approach for the time being. That means fundamentals, fundamentals and more fundamentals. With that sort of game plan, the Wildcats should again be near the top of the conference.

Probable Starting Lineup:   G Brendan McKillop, G Bryant Barr, G/F Will Archambault, F Steve Rossiter, F Frank Ben-Eze.

Roster Report:  

• North Carolina prep standout Jordan Downing gave a verbal commitment to Davidson for 2010-2011, the Charlotte Observer reported. The 6-foot-5, 180-pound guard is one of four players from Hopewell High who has accepted a Division-I scholarship.

• Freshman guard Nik Cochran is the third player in recent years coach Bob McKillop has plucked out of Montreal’s Champlain St. Lambert school. Teammate Will Archambault and the now-departed Max Paulhus Gosselin preceded Cochran.

• Davidson lost top assistant Matt Matheny, who took the head coaching job at Elon. Matheny was with the Wildcats for 16 seasons, the last six as associate head coach.

• Sophomore transfer Clint Mann will sit out the season per NCAA rules after transferring in from Iowa State. The Kansas-born Mann played in 18 games with the Cyclones before heading to Davidson. He has three years of eligibility left.