Three thoughts for now

1. Davidson lost 15 games this year, including this one, not only because of the loss of the kid who’ll play across town tomorrow night for the Golden State Warriors but also the loss of the coach who spent this afternoon coaching his ass off down on the other end of the court.

2. Speaking of No. 30: So no appearance for him to watch his former teammates and classmates and roommates here in the conference quarters. That’s too bad. Would’ve been a cool moment for the school. Would’ve been a cool moment for him.

3. Steve Rossiter, Bryant Barr, Will Archambault, Dan Nelms: Steve was a captain, Will was a 1,000-point scorer, Bryant hit those threes in Detroit. Steve and Bryant were on the court when Jason took the shot. That happened. They were a part of it.

Posters for sale

In the bookstore on campus and at Cats on Main.

Thinking

Deadline for The Davidson Project is Jan. 1.

At the half at Carolina First

1. They’re shooting 18.8 percent from the floor, 16.7 percent from three and 60 percent from the line -- and they’re down by 11. I guess it depends on whether you’re more half-empty or more half-full.

2. They’ve missed some bad shots -- Charleston’s had a bunch to do with that -- but they’ve also missed some good shots. Some rushes. Also just some unlucky rim-outs. Everything looks better when the ball’s going in (Thursday night), and everything looks worse when it’s not (so far today) -- it’s never that good, and it’s never that bad.

3. That’s one half. Now comes another.

Davidson 74, The Citadel 63

That felt like the beginning of something.

JP and Jake

Starting.

Game notes

Tomorrow night at Belk: They’ve won 17 home openers in a row and have scored 100-plus points in seven of the last eight.

Gary Parrish

On CBSSports.com:

I wrote a column last April explaining how I was less concerned about Stephen Curry’s future than Davidson's because history suggests programs typically return to their rightful place when a transcendent player departs. I cited what happened when Hank Gathers and Bo Kimble left Loyola-Marymount, what happened when Doug Christie left Pepperdine, what happened when Keith “Mister” Jennings left East Tennessee State, etc. The point was that though North Carolina, Kansas and other power-league programs can endure losses and simply reload, it’s much more difficult to maintain success outside of the BCS for pretty much everybody except Gonzaga, Memphis and Xavier.

Which is why I’m not surprised Davidson is 0-4.

I mean, I’m a little surprised, I guess.

But the moment Curry announced he was turning pro is the moment Bob McKillop’s rebuilding job began, and rebuilding jobs at places like Davidson take time, way longer than just one offseason. Remember, before Curry enrolled, Davidson was the type of program that made the NCAA tournament once every four or five years, and when the Wildcats did it, they did it with little-to-no national recognition. So even though McKillop is tremendous and one of the gems of college basketball, it’ll be tough for him to get Davidson back to where it spent the past three seasons, i.e., as a borderline Top 25 team serving as the darling of college hoops.

I look forward to following the effort.

I hope it happens.

But right now, Davidson just needs a win.

Sunday morning at Carolina First

No more see to be seen. Just us now.

A thought here

Either they’ll figure this out, and it’ll be interesting, or they won’t, and that’ll be interesting, too. Numbers.

Someone was paying attention

Rush the Court:

On the other side and typical of most Bob McKillop teams, Davidson played hard, generally shot the ball well (47% for the game), and rarely seemed to get rattled in the difficult environs of Butler’s home arena. Well worth the price of admission for the packed house today, the fans were treated to a couple of hours of intense basketball from two teams who aren’t very familiar with the meaning of the word half-assed. Once Butler gets situated to the new season, the Bulldogs will certainly be a force to be reckoned with on the national level, and for those in the SoCon who are assuming that Davidson will simply fade away now that Curry is playing for the Warriors, they should definitely think again ...

McKillop: “It’s like having a Broadway show and actors are now being challenged with playing different roles. Our leading singer, our leading dancer, our leading dramatic presenter is gone.”

My favorite board past from yesterday

Came from 4thWatts: This is the first time I’ve really truly enjoyed Davidson basketball since 2008. Last season wasn’t fun. This one already is.

Thoughts from Lefty’s Legacy

Here:

This year, I don’t know what to expect, but I do know that I will try to watch and follow this team the way I did prior to 2008. At the risk of sounding tacky and dramatic, there is something about this program, about being part of this story, that makes my allegiance to this team feel oddly important to my life.

The Observer drops in

Scott:

But don’t forget that coach McKillop got the Wildcats to the NCAA tournament twice before Curry ever arrived on campus. Although the Wildcats will have far less flash this season -- it’s doubtful that Dick Vitale will show up this season for a Davidson game, as he did last season -- you can bet Davidson will still have some moments.

Three times actually.

Familiar system in a new place

Burlington:

So while the short-term tasks center on establishing an identity and foundation for the future, there’s a greater objective ahead that comes into focus as Matheny applies the proven winning formula of the Davidson blueprint to an Elon program starving for success.

Forward Adam Constantine: “What Coach Matheny has experienced is necessary for a winning program. He’s been around wins, a lot of wins.”

More of this

Uch in Chattanooga: Southern Conference basketball begins a new era this year. Call it 1 A.C. -- After Curry.

‘Rebuilding,’ but …

Andy Katz: ... don’t be surprised to see Bob McKillop’s team find a way into the title race with the College of Charleston and Appalachian State.

The latest in ‘Life After Stephen’

Mike Cranston:

Davidson coach Bob McKillop, upset with his team’s defense, halted practice and brought his players together. He then reeled off the names of the three starters from last season no longer on the roster -- mentioning Stephen Curry last.

“We’ve got to be perfect,” McKillop yelled, “We’ve got to be a team.”

Above him was the banner proclaiming “NCAA Tournament Elite 8 2008,” the dominant symbol of a storybook three-year run that ended steps away in a conference room in April when the dynamic Curry announced he was leaving for the
NBA.

Stephen on The Stephen Effect: “In the future when coach goes out recruiting he doesn’t have to go through, ‘Oh, we’re a small school outside of Charlotte, we’re pretty competitive,’ and all that.”

Talk with Bryant

We’re supposed to chat on the phone tomorrow afternoon. What do y’all want to know?

SoCon preseason media poll

Here. Picked second in the South. Charleston.