NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – Davidson’s Kellan Grady has been selected preseason all-conference first-team for the second straight year, while the Wildcats are predicted to finish seventh in the Atlantic 10, announced by the league office Tuesday prior to its first of three virtual media day sessions.
The preseason awards/poll were voted on by the league’s 14 head coaches and media members.
A native of Boston, Mass., Grady was joined on the six-player first team by Jalen Crutcher (Dayton), Tre Mitchell (UMass), Fatts Russell (Rhode Island), Jacob Gilyard (Richmond) and Jordan Goodwin (Saint Louis).
Grady, a three-time all-conference performer, finished the 2019-20 regular season ranked fifth in the Atlantic 10 in scoring at 17.2 points per game and fourth in minutes played (35.8).
Over his last 11 games, the 2018 A-10 Rookie of the Year averaged 20.6 points, while shooting 51.7 percent from the floor, including 25-of-51 from 3-point range. In all, Grady hit double figures a team-best 25 times last year, including 12 outings with 20 points or more.
A three-year starter for the ‘Cats, Grady enters the 2020-21 campaign 13th on Davidson’s all-time scoring list with 1,626 career points.
Preseason Poll
Richmond garnered 19 of a possible 28 first-place votes and was tabbed the favorite ahead of Saint Louis, which received seven first-place nods and 364 points.
Coming off a 29-2 (18-0 A-10) regular season and No. 3 ranking in the final AP and Coaches Polls, Dayton is picked third just in front of St. Bonaventure and Duquesne.
Rhode Island and Davidson finished sixth and seventh in the prognostication, respectively, while Massachusetts, VCU and George Mason rounded out the Top-10.
Mason was followed by George Washington, Saint Joseph’s, La Salle and Fordham.
The Atlantic 10 Conference will release its 2020-21 men’s basketball slate in the very near future.
