By Dionysis Aravantinos / info@eurohoops.net
Jon Axel Gudmundsson was Davidson’s leader in the NCAA tournament this season, willing his team to a 21-11 record, and winning the Atlantic Conference championship. The second-year man from Iceland averaged 13.2 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 5.1 assists per game, playing under coach Bob McKillop. The Wildcats, however, could not overcome Kentucky’s obstacle in the first round of the 2018 March Madness, despite Gudmundsson’s 21 points.
The 21-year old guard talked to Eurohoops about his next goals and his ambition which include a better season next year and ultimately the NBA.
What’s one thing that stood out, after having great success in your second year with Davidson and winning the Atlantic 10 Conference?
It is hard to pick out one thing, we achieved and did so many things together this season. This season was incredible, it started with a trip to Europe that really brought our team together and made us know each other even better before the season. Then we had a tournament in Hawaii, and I feel like that after that tournament and the Richmond game we decided to start the new year and show what we were capable of doing. Winning the A-10 championship was certainly a feeling I will never forget and making it to the March Madness tournament is something that has always been my dream since I was at a young age.
Are you happy with the way this season turned out?
I’m happy with what we accomplished, but I think that we could’ve made a bigger run in the dance if we would’ve played just a little better. But winning a championship and making it to the dance was something that people didn’t expect from us so that we can be happy about that.
This year with your game, you showed that you can be a perfect all-around guard, who can rebound the basketball, hand out assists but also score. Is this your best quality?
I feel like it’s just how the game goes, sometimes we need a person to step up and score, sometimes my teammates have great games, and I keep feeding the ball. It just really depends on the game situation. Rebounds are just something I’ve always taken as a big part of my game as a tall guard. If I can get the rebound as a guard, we can run the floor right away instead of the big man grabbing it, and needing to find a guard to pass to.
In every statistical category, you have improved a whole lot in the past year. What should we expect moving forward heading into your third year in Davidson?
Improvement. I’m just going to keep working on my game; there is a lot of things that I need to get better at. I’m just going to keep working, and we’ll see what next year will be like. I also need to increase my role as a leader on the team and be more communicative to my teammates.
Stephen Curry led Davidson to the Top-8 back in 2008. Will Jon Gudmundsson lead the Wildcats to the Top-8 in 2019? Is this a goal?
I’m not going to compare myself to Stephen Curry in any way, he is a special player that will always be a big part of Davidson. I feel like it will be a deep squad next year for us and we will have a lot of guys that will be ready to play and work extra to make their dream happen. So I think next year will be interesting to see what we can accomplish.
What’s it like playing under coach Bob Mckillop? Is there any pressure? How does he help you improve your game?
It’s incredible, the work that he puts in to get us better and to make sure that every day we come in and get better makes you want to work extra. You know that he is in his office or at home watching film to get us better and that’s in his free time. So, we want to do the same thing for him, come in and work on our game in our free time.
There isn’t any pressure he will let you know if you do a mistake, but at the same time, he’s the best coach I’ve had that knows how to get your confidence up. I think he’s really just one of a kind coach and nobody works as hard as he does to get his team better at what he wants us to accomplish. He helps us improve our game in so many ways, not just basketball skills but also helps with our IQ. Playing for him doesn’t only make you a good basketball player, it makes you a better person in life which is also one of his goals. When we leave this program, we will leave as a better person than we came in, and hopefully as basketball players as well. .
What’s your ultimate goal with your basketball career?
Making to the NBA and having a great career there.
Even though you participated with the Icelandic National Team during the 2017 Games of the Small States of Europe, you could not compete in the EuroBasket due to injuries. Describe the feeling of playing for your country and secondly will we see you competing in the NT anytime soon?
The feeling is unique, and it’s a blessing having that opportunity. It’s something that not everybody gets to experience, so every time you step on the floor, you’re doing it for your country. The support that the fans in Iceland give their national team is amazing. I’m planning on playing with them this summer in the final window of the group stage.