Drc Article On Kendrick Davis

[OldTimer]

mark in UNT in two years

Guard among best two-year players in recent UNT history

12:03 AM CST on Thursday, February 22, 2007

By Brett Vito/Staff Writer

When Kendrick Davis arrived at North Texas in 2004, he joined a long list of players who have started anew as members of the Mean Green after transferring from other schools for the final two years of their career.

What he has accomplished since has set him apart.

The former Arkansas standout has developed into a leader on a team that is 18-9 and in the midst of its best season in more than 25 years, while building a legacy as one of the best two-year players in the last 20 years of Mean Green basketball.

Davis was named the Newcomer of the Year in the Sun Belt Conference last season and enters his final regular season home game today against Arkansas State with a shot at becoming one of the top 30 scorers in school history during the last two weeks of the season.

"Kendrick has been a great addition because he came in with a great deal of status in terms of his high school career and his time at Arkansas," UNT head coach Johnny Jones said of the former Class 5A all-state selection. "He didn't disappoint. He has been a major contributor and has been a big reason we have had a great deal of success the last two years."

Davis led UNT with an average of 16.8 points a game last season and has continued to thrive this year while playing in a more balanced offense. Davis is averaging 13.3 points a game and has willingly shared the lead offensive role with fellow senior Calvin Watson, who leads the team with an average of 15.6 points.

Davis has not taken as many shots, but has made the most of his opportunities while hitting game-winners against Louisiana-Lafayette and Western Kentucky.

"The rest of us look to him," senior guard Rich Young said. "His confidence is contagious. You need a guy like Kendrick you can count on in the clutch."

Each clutch shot Davis has hit this season has elevated his profile in UNT history. With two games left in the regular season, Davis needs just 103 points to pass Deginald Erskin and become the 30th leading scorer in school history. Davis has scored 709 points in his career.

Erskin, who left UNT to transfer to Texas, is one of 12 two-year players among the top 30 scorers in Mean Green history. Jim Mudd, a UNT Hall of Famer who played for the Mean Green from 1958-60, set the standard for two-year players with 1,119 points.

Erskin and Adam Smith, who scored 860 points from 1993-95, are the only two-year players in the last 20 years among the top 30 UNT career scoring leaders.

Davis could soon join them, but is more interested in extending what has been a great season for the Mean Green. He was named a second-team all-conference pick last season after transferring from Arkansas, where his playing time dwindled after a solid freshman season when he averaged 10.3 points a game.

"It's great to be among the best two-year players, but I want to be known as the guy who came here and helped get the team to the NCAA Tournament," Davis said. "Special players can help a team win, not just score a lot of points."

Davis has helped the Mean Green win despite suffering a wrist injury that kept him out of nine games this season. Jones credited Davis for helping to set the tone for a successful year by taking fewer shots and spreading the ball around.

UNT has four players averaging double figures this season, doubling last season's total.

"If we needed Kendrick to, he could go get us 18-20 points a game," Jones said. "We don't need him to because we are more balanced. It's a credit to him that he has been a team player and winning is more important to him than any individual accolades."

The Mean Green has won at a rate unseen since it finished 22-6 in the 1977-78 season. That’s due in large part to Davis, who is hoping to help UNT exceed the 20-win mark and advance to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since the 1987-88 season.

"If we win 20 games and get to the tournament, it will be a great season," Davis said. "We have the talent. We need to get hot and do it now."

Even if UNT does not reach that goal, those who know the program best believe Davis has staked his claim as one of the elite two-year players of the last two decades.

"Kendrick averages 30 minutes a game, hits tough shots and has been a consistent scorer," said Hank Dickenson, UNT's associate athletic director and radio voice of Mean Green basketball for the last 12 years. "I would put him among the best two-year players I have seen here."

BRETT VITO can be reached at 940-566-6870. His e-mail address is bvito@dentonrc.com.