Role player deluxe

Mike Kelly couldn’t be more proud of his daughter’s solid four-year career playing basketball at Davidson. Make that eight years, as Brynn Kelly started for four years at Ferris before heading to North Carolina.

But every once in a while the father who coached his daughter in youth basketball – and now referees for “atonement” – admits to a little frustration.

“As a coach, as a referee, all those things, I know her role on her team,” he said. “She gets the defensive assignment. In the Great Spokane League she didn’t score 20 points a night. She was a defensive specialist and that’s her role in college. She’s the most unselfish player I’ve ever been around.

“Sometimes I think, ‘Shoot the ball, would you.’ Six assists as a post, that’s above and beyond.”

Among Davidson’s five starters Kelly has taken the fewest shots and averages the fewest points.

And she couldn’t be happier.

“I think this is maybe the best team we’ve had so far,” the 6-foot-1 forward said. “There’s something special about this year. The seniors are a pretty tight-knit group, that’s pretty special.”

That has translated to success on the court. The Wildcats opened the Southern Conference season by beating preseason favorite UNC-Wilmington as Kelly scored a game-high 12 points and followed that with a non-conference win over Charlotte when Kelly only took three shots but led her team with six rebounds and six assists.

After a win over Furman Friday night, Davidson is off to the best start in school history with a 9-2 record. Kelly is scoring 7.8 points with a team-high 5.2 rebounds.

“Brynn is looking to score more this season and that is a welcomed addition,” Davidson coach Annette Watts said. “Her defensive assignment is always the opponent’s dominate post player. Her blue-collar work ethic wears even the best down.”

She gets to put that on display this week because the Wildcats are bringing Kelly home. Monday they play at Eastern Washington and Wednesday at Gonzaga.

“I’m really not nervous,” she said. “I’m so excited. I’ve got tons of family coming to the games – a lot of people that haven’t been able to see me play in college. It’s going to be a great atmosphere.”

Mike Kelly said about 60 Kelly fans could be at EWU with the count reaching 100 for Gonzaga.

“It will be fun, it will be fun to have her home,” he said. “It’s fun to have that experience, she deserves that.”

Having a daughter he coached in her formative years playing in North Carolina has been a mixed blessing.

Mike and Suzanne have been able to spend three weeks a year in Davidson to watch her play and explore the East Coast.

“She was offered a full ride to Montana State,” he said. “Very selfishly I wanted her to go there; she wanted to go to Davidson. It’s been a good thing. The coaches are absolutely wonderful. She’s grown being away.”

That is evident as she talked about potential homecoming nerves.

“My friends and family, everyone in my life, will just appreciate me for what I am no matter how I play,” she said. “I’m not valued how well I play basketball. I’ll just be doing whatever the team needs me to do. If that happens to be a star that night, so be it, if not I’ll just keep playing my role.

“It’s definitely been something I’ve had to learn. Last year was the first year I really grasped the whole concept of who I am as a person doesn’t depend on how well I perform on the basketball court. I always want to do my best, give everything I have. But some nights I’m not going to have a very good performance. I know next time I’ll try harder and continue to give it my all.”

The Wildcats haven’t had a losing record in Kelly’s career and have played a ranked team each season: Michigan State, Duke, North Carolina and Georgia this year. She said the best player was Duke’s Monique Curry and the best team NC.

She’ll graduate with a degree in sociology this spring, but her future is up in the air.

“I might try to get a grad assistant position somewhere next year, see if I want to get into coaching and get my graduate degree,” she said. “I love it here so if I found something in this area, I’d be happy. I’m young, I’m not ready to settle down with a family by my family. So while I’m young I might as well travel.”