Even after graduating highly ranked recruit Bernard Sullivan (Clemson) and Furman-bound Keith Belfield last season, the Patriots return forwards Dorian Albritton and Richard Brown and guard Rashun Davis, all who will play at the major college level.
And while the Patriots will be returning a host of experienced players, the leadership roles will primarily fall to the three college-bound seniors.
"It's been instilled into us since the beginning, since we got here, that by the time we're done, we're going to have to be the leaders of this team," says Albritton. "We know the way to lead is by example, so we give everything we have to show what it takes to get to the next level."
Davis, who will play at Radford University next year, led the Patriots in scoring last season with 13 points per game. The 6-foot shooting guard also contributed five assists and four rebounds on average.
The pair of 6-foot-5 forwards in Albritton and Brown will largely control the Patriot frontcourt. Albritton, who contributed 8.8 points and 4.4 rebounds per game last season, will join Virginia Military Institute next year while Brown will head to West Point to play for Army.
While all three await exciting new challenges in 2012, Patriots' coach Ron Johnson has the group focused on the present and finishing their Davidson Day careers with a strong team effort.
"Whether they're going to Division I, II or III, or not playing in college at all, that's not going to help our team this year," he says. "But they're a good group of guys. They work hard, so I feel good about them and their leadership."
And with the Patriots aiming to win their conference tournament for the first time and better last year's second-round NCISAA playoff appearance, the three seniors are already demonstrating that leadership quality by playing an integral role in creating the team's goals for the season.
"We were the ones who set them," says Davis. "So that's what we should be working to accomplish, day by day."
Familiarity a key
Playing at the next level isn't the only thing the three Patriot seniors have in common. In addition to playing together throughout their careers at Davidson Day, all three spend their offseason together, playing for the Charlotte Storm AAU team.
Johnson believes the relationship growing within the group, thanks to the added time spent together, will benefit the Patriots this season.
"The team chemistry part of basketball, I think, is sometimes understated," says Johnson. "Guys have to not only play well on the court, but there also has to be some chemistry off the court, and they have to actually enjoy hanging around with each other. Having these guys together during the summer has helped us here as a team because they're close."
While the development of the group's relationship on the court is hitting its peak, for Brown, it reaches a level much higher than basketball.
"It's like talking with your brothers," he says. "We're all so close now that it just comes naturally."
