GoGamecocks.com

Devan Downey: Unknown star, for now

The USC point guard lacks name recognition nationally. And that’s how it should be, he says, until he starts leading his team to more wins.

Written by SETH EMERSON

semerson@thestate.com
Posted on 11.16.08
email print reprint or license
Comments (0)

He earned a spot on the preseason Wooden Award watch list. He was a first-team All-SEC pick last season. The league’s coaches and media picked him to repeat that feat this season.

And yet, Devan Downey remains a well-kept secret to many.

In a recent column, The Sporting News’ Mike Decourcy ranked the nation’s top 10 point guards: Stephen Curry, Ty Lawson, Darren Collison and ... no Downey.

The South Carolina junior only merited an honorable mention.

But Downey seems to understand why is his in this position. He knows all the honors, the media attention, the big games pale in comparison to the most important thing for any point guard:

Winning.

“I would be lying if I didn’t tell you I thought I was one of the best point guards in the country,” Downey said. “But in another sense, I feel like it’s not fair to compare me to the other point guards who are out there winning. I’ve got to show that I can win basketball games and (raise his team’s performance).”

The Gamecocks went 14-18 last season, Downey’s first as a Gamecock. He sat out the previous season after transferring from Cincinnati.

The 5-foot-9 Downey has done enough to warrant recognition. He spent much of last season leading the nation in steals, finishing second. He finished third in the SEC in scoring and second in assists.

Doing those things while playing for a losing team might have cut short his appearances on “SportsCenter.” But he made quite an impression on opposing players and coaches.

Kentucky coach Billy Gillispie agreed Downey is one of the best point guards in the country. Kentucky beat USC twice by eight points last season, but Downey had a strong performance at Rupp Arena, scoring 24 points to go with seven assists and three steals.

Downey’s combination of speed, shooting and driving ability confounded the Wildcats — and plenty of other opponents.

“He was almost impossible for us to guard,” Gillispie said. “And then the other thing is they (the Gamecocks) shot the ball so well from the perimeter, (if) you try to guard him too close, (Downey is) a great layup maker; he can get to the rim and finish plays. If you try and guard him too close and then come over and help so he doesn’t make a layup, then he pitches it out and they make a 3.”

One of Downey’s highly regarded peers also had good things to say.. Alabama senior Ronald Steele, a preseason second-team All-SEC pick, sat out last season with a knee injury and watched Downey torched his team for 29 points and seven steals in a 67-65 Gamecocks victory.

“He’s one of the best guards I’ve seen. I mean, he dominated our game,” Steele said. “The one guy I watched last year who I was the most impressed with was him. He made so many big shots. He impacted the game defensively. He’s probably the toughest guy to guard in the league.”

Perhaps the highest praise for Downey came before he even laced up his sneakers for the Gamecocks. O.J. Mayo, now a Memphis Grizzlies rookie, said Downey was the toughest player he had ever had to guard before his Southern California team visited South Carolina last season. The two had faced each other previously in amateur ball.

Certainly, Downey’s standing on the national radar is eclipsed by point guards such as Lawson (North Carolina) and Collison (UCLA), who have piloted teams to the Final Four.

When comparing Downey, it also depends on how you categorize players. Davidson’s Curry is one of the nation’s top players, period, and has moved to the point for Davidson. But his best talent is his shooting.

Greivis Vasquez of Maryland, among the nation’s leaders in assists last year, will play the point less this season because of his high rate of turnovers.

Then there is Florida’s Nick Calathes, who is labled by some as a point guard and others as a small forward. Other combo guards who handle the point include Boston College’s Tyrese Rice and Memphis freshman Tyreke Evans.

There are no questions about Downey’s position.

“As I look at it, he is THE best point guard in the country now,” Gamecocks forward Dominique Archie said.

Downey will wait until the victories start piling up before he makes that sort of proclamation.

“I don’t feel like it’s fair to compare me to a Ty Lawson or a Darren Collison right now, because their team’s winning, and I’m not,” Downey said. “So as a point guard, you’ve got to win. So as far as the comparison, I don’t feel I can be compared to those guys until I start winning.”

Reach Emerson at (803) 771-8676.

  • Search
  • GoGamecocks.com
  • Web search powered by YAHOO! SEARCH

Latest Forum posts