The men’s basketball offseason has taken on a new sense of anticipation since the announcement of the Curry-Berman Fund in March. The eight-figure fund, dedicated entirely to men and women’s basketball, allows Davidson to compete with the Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) spending of other NCAA Division I schools.

“One thing I tell folks is that [the Curry-Berman Fund] is almost like the cost of doing business in order to just be competitive. That’s what it takes,” Davidson College Vice President and Director of Athletics Chris Clunie ‘06 said. “That still doesn’t guarantee success.”

Before Clunie returned to Davidson as a staff member, he worked for the National Basketball Association (NBA) and was around professional basketball systems, which were focused on contract signing over commitment signing. Now, the College is shifting toward what he calls a “pro-type model” of managing student-athletes. This system includes the new addition of a manager dedicated solely to overseeing basketball operations for Davidson, a role filled by Austin Buntz, the new assistant athletic director for basketball development and general manager.

“Austin oversees the revenue share for both programs, and I work closely with him to establish what our roster looks like from a financial perspective,” Clunie said. “He’s in it every day. He works very closely with the men’s and women’s basketball teams and he does a great job.”

While the financial construction of the roster is in the hands of Clunie and Buntz, the responsibility of building the on-court roster rests in the hands of the men’s basketball coaching staff, led by Head Coach Matt McKillop ‘06, who is heading into his fourth season at the helm. This offseason has already proven to be more difficult than those in the past, thanks to the transfer portal, a challenge that is not lost on the Davidson athletics staff. 

According to McKillop, the transfer game begins long before the offseason. 

“Transferring is more prevalent in college basketball. At some point in the year, players are getting contacted by agents, by coaches from other teams, by third parties, by their former high school or [Amateur Athletic Union] AAU coaches. It’s happening everywhere, and the seed is being planted for the idea of not remaining where you are. I don’t know how to navigate that, and I know a lot of coaches in the country are struggling with that. It impacts performance and it impacts the team’s ability to win,” McKillop said. 

When asked if he had ever seen the portal this pertinent at Davidson, Clunie’s answer was simple: “Absolutely not. It’s just different. We never had to worry about it before. Rules were different when I was playing, and three or four years ago, [a player] could transfer once, and they still had to sit out a year. And then [the rule changed] and a player could transfer one time and be immediately eligible. Now players can transfer as many times as they want, as long as they’re eligible. The amount of transfers, and the frequency with which kids do transfer, is unlike anything we’ve ever seen. This is brand new territory.”

Davidson men’s basketball lost four players to the portal this offseason: junior Reed Bailey, the Atlantic 10 scoring leader and most improved player, along with Riccardo Ghedini ‘25, and sophomores Bobby Durkin and Mike Loughnane. While much of the focus has been on the players shipping out, the ‘Cats have been quietly building with new additions. 

“​A month ago, we didn’t have any idea what our team would look like next year,” McKillop said. “Once we got through some of the tough waters, we found ourselves pretty excited about what we believe our team will look like next year.” 

Per NCAA recruiting regulations, Davidson is not allowed to confirm nor speak about any players who have committed to the basketball team—whether via transfer portal or out of high school—until those players have officially signed. 

According to verbalcommits.com, six players have verbally committed to play for Davidson. High school senior guards Devin Brown, out of Olentangy Orange High School in Lewis Center, Ohio, and R.J. Greer, out of Springboro High School in Springboro, Ohio, make up the incoming freshman class. The remaining four additions are all sophomores, acquired via the transfer portal: guard Sam Brown from the University of Pennsylvania, guard Parker Freidrichsen from Wake Forest University, forward JaQualon Roberts from Vanderbilt University and forward Josh Scovens from Army West Point.

“A different season begins the second the last season ends. It’s tough to think that way, but I have to find ways to remind myself that this is a very fun job,” McKillop said, addressing the fluctuation of college basketball. “This is as good as it gets. Among all the head coaches in the country, I have a different outlook on [recruitment] because of my sense of pride in Davidson and my belief in how we do things, and my belief in how this community revolves around so many values that shape who people are once they move on from Davidson. We hope that [the student-athletes] have the experiences that I had as a player and that our staff had as players and students here at Davidson.”