For Kris Dunn, there was no epiphany or defining moment that convinced the 21-year-old to pass up declaring for last June's NBA Draft and return to the Providence Friars.

"Really, it was kinda simple," last season's Big East co-Player of the Year told TSN.ca. "The NBA never crossed my mind because I knew I wanted to come back to college and finish up school and get my degree. I knew that I had to improve a lot on my skills because I've only played one (full) year of college basketball due to the injuries that I had. I felt like I needed more experience on the floor at the college level before I go to the NBA."

While Dunn, a redshirt junior, has three seasons under his belt with the Friars, the point guard out of New London, Connecticut has only appeared in 62 games on account of two major shoulder surgeries. Finally healthy a season ago, Dunn was a revelation, shining on a Friars team that went 11-7 in the Big East before bowing out to eventual champions, Villanova, in the Big East Tournament.

Starting all 33 games he played, Dunn averaged 15.6 points a night to go along with 7.5 assists, 2.7 steals, 5.5 boards and a .474 field-goal percentage. On top of claiming a share of the conference player of the year award (becoming the first-ever guard to do so), Dunn was also named the Big East Defensive Player of the Year.

With no injury worries this past offseason, Dunn attended the 2015 Nike Basketball Academy this past June in Los Angeles alongside some of the NCAA's best, including LSU's Ben Simmons, Kyle Wiltjer of Gonzaga and Oklahoma's Buddy Hield. Dunn relished the experience.

"That camp was amazing," said Dunn, expected to be a top-10 pick at this June's NBA Draft. "I think it really helped me improve. Not only did I get to meet and play against some of the great college players in the game today, but I also got to play against some NBA players like James Harden, DeMar DeRozan, DeMarcus Cousins and Paul George and just see how they play and how experienced and how good they are, how hard they work to get there. And I also got to see and talk to Scottie Pippen and Gary Payton."

He was especially appreciative of the time he spent with the Hall of Fame-point guard.

"Gary Payton was my favourite one because he took me under his wing as soon as I got there," said Dunn. "Throughout the whole camp, he was always talking to me, motivating me and giving me pointers on how to be better."

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One area in particular in which Dunn is expects to be better is in ball retention. Dunn averaged 4.2 turnovers a game last season and, despite finishing second in the entire NCAA in assists, his assist-to-turnover ratio was only 1.85-to-1. Dunn doesn't think that will be an issue this season and is taking steps to ensure that it won't.

"Just watching a lot of film – I think that's the main thing," Dunn said of correcting his errors. "And you gotta work harder in practice. Practice is where it all happens to transform (your play) onto the court in a real game. In practice, I try to keep my turnovers down, but I watch a lot of film and I think my experience is going to help me turn the ball over less."

Already the Friars' best player, Dunn returns to a team hit by the departures of many of its upper classmen and, as such, coach Ed Cooley as already cited Dunn as a player he wants to take up the mantle of leadership. For his part, Dunn isn't fazed.

"I think it's expected," Dunn said of his new role. "Last year, I didn't have to be that vocal leader as much because I had (seniors) LeDontae Henton, Carson Desrosiers, Tyler Harris and everybody who played the game with experience. I just had to be a leader on the court and be more of a leader in action. This year, we've got a lot of young guys and having Coach Cooley having faith in me to be a leader and try to teach the stuff the older guys taught me to the new guys, it's truly a blessing. They all listen. They're all willing to work. Really, it isn't that difficult. It's an easy process so far."

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Though Dunn will be the focal point of Providence's attack and the player every opposition will look to shut down, he's quick to praise the other members of the Friars' team and believes that they're capable of taking teams by surprise.

"We've got a lot of great pieces," Dunn said of his teammates. "They're all young. Nobody really knows them, so I think that's the more exciting part. (Montreal native) Junior Lomomba, he's very physical and strong and can attack the rim. Kyron Cartwright, he's got a great IQ and is very fast in the open court. He can shoot it and he's gritty. Then we have Ricky Council, he's an excellent shooter. Once you get him going, he gets hot quick. Ryan Fazekas, he can play the two, three and the four. He's a great shooter – a phenomenal shooter, I should say."

With this younger, inexperienced team, a third straight trip to the NCAA Tournament will be a challenge for the Friars, but one that Dunn and the rest of Providence feels capable of achieving. The last thing Dunn wants, though, is another one-and-done. Two seasons ago, the Friars were edged by North Carolina, while last year, Providence bowed out to Dayton.

"We gotta be more gritty," Dunn said of his team. "We need to know what's at stake and pay attention to detail. I think those are the key things to get past the first round of the Tournament. But our goal this year is just to get there and once we get there, hopefully, we can get past there."

Before the Friars begin their new season, Dunn was the recipient of one more honour. On Monday, he was named to the preseason All-America team. Despite the recognition, Dunn refuses to let something like that go to his head.

"I really love the game and I don't let anything or anybody try to hype me up or look at the type of accolades I've been getting lately," Dunn said. "I just stay true to myself, stay humble and remain working hard. I think that's all you've got to do. People are going to believe that I'm looking at certain things or believing into the hype, but I just have to stay true to myself and I think the coaching staff, my teammates, my friends and family have been keeping me on track."

Kris Dunn and his Providence Friars begin their 2015-16 season on Saturday night when they host the Harvard Crimson.