UNT vs. smu

[UNTLifer]

UNT’s Davis, SMU’s Ross set for reunion

11/29/2002

By Tim MacMahon / Staff Writer

Chris Davis strongly considered SMU and a few other schools before deciding to play his college ball at North Texas.

The 6-5 senior swingman still might deserve a smidgen of credit for the Mustangs’ winning seasons the last two years. According to Davis, he helped develop the game of Quinton Ross, his 6-6 SMU counterpart and former Kimball teammate.

"Since I was a little bit older, I had to have him under my wing a little bit and teach him the ropes," said Davis, who will face his former understudy Friday night at Moody Coliseum when the Mustangs and Mean Green meet. "But he done grew up now."

The pair played together for just one season at Kimball. Davis, who transferred from Irving, was a senior and the team’s star. He played the point forward-type position previously filled by his cousins, Jason and Jeryl Sasser, among others who went from Kimball to college stardom. Ross was a junior, a role player on a team that went to the Class 5A regionals.

Ross, who had a two-inch growth spurt between his junior and senior years in high school, filled Davis’ shoes the following season, leading Kimball to the state championship game.

"They are as similar as you can get," said Kimball coach Royce Johnson, who was an assistant under his father, Goree, before taking the helm prior to Ross’ senior season.

Johnson moved Kimball’s game with Carter to a 1 p.m. tip Friday just so he could see the two all-around threats compete against each other.

Both players hope to better their performances from SMU’s 74-66 win over UNT at the Super Pit last season.

Davis, who was the nation’s ninth-leading scorer with an average of 22.5 points per game, shot a dismal 5-of-24 from the field and was held to 15 points. Ross, an All-WAC defensive selection whose primary concern was slowing Davis, scored just five points on 1-of-9 shooting.

"I really didn’t relax during the game," said Ross, who has scored a career-high 28 points in both of SMU’s games this season. "But this year should be different because we’ve played against each other."

Added Davis, who redshirted his first season at UNT: "I was just so into it and so energetic. I didn’t let the game come to me. But they came out with the victory, so he got the best of me.

"This one is for the bragging rights. Q gave me a little heat this summer, talking about how they beat us."

When he isn’t ribbing Davis about the Mustangs’ victory, Ross speaks reverently about the UNT star.

"He can do it all," Ross said. "He can shoot, rebound. He’s big. He can defend, push the ball on the break. He was really the same player at Kimball, he just improved his skills and got a lot stronger."

The spindly SMU senior could just as easily be describing himself.