DRC..Davis doing his part despite scoring slump

OldTimer · December 7, 2002

Despite shooting slump, Davis still doing his part

12/07/2002

By TIM MacMAHON / Denton Record-Chronicle

ROCK HILL, S.C. - North Texas senior swingman Chris Davis' shooting slump continued Friday night against Weber State.

That doesn't mean Davis didn't have a lot to do with the Mean Green's 76-72 victory in the first round of the Brothers Air and Heat Shootout at Winthrop Coliseum.

Davis made only five of 15 shots from the floor, misfiring miserably enough to miss the rim on a few occasions. He found other ways to contribute, however, such as leading all players with 10 rebounds and five assists.

"My jumper was going almost everywhere but the right way," Davis said with a smile and shake of his head. "If my jumper's not falling, I've got to be able led tto do something else."

After a particularly horrid exhibition of shooting by Davis - consecutive airballs on open jumpers near the end of the first half - UNT didn't shy away from getting its star the ball. Quite the opposite, actually.

Instead, coach Johnny Jones instructed Davis to switch positions with forward Jermaine Green on the offensive end. That allowed the 6-5 Davis to use his size advantage and post up on the block. He responded with an old-fashioned 3-point play for UNTÕs final bucket of the first half.

Davis also keyed a critical 16-7 run in the second half with his play in the paint. He had six points - hitting a running hook, fadeaway jumper and layup - during the spurt. He also had three assists in the span.

"For my teammates and my coaches to still believe in me and try to get me the ball, that helped me a whole lot," said Davis, the nation's ninth-leading scorer last season.

"I just kept being aggressive and tried to get everybody else involved."

Added Jones: "His presence on the floor allows for other guys to score, because they pay a lot of attention to him. Our guys are really benefiting from Chris' play and his reputation."

Briefly -

Forward Jermaine Green recorded a career high in a category for the second consecutive game with five assists. He had six steals against Indiana, the third-most in a game in school history. - UNT's 55-percent shooting equaled the best effort under coach Johnny Jones. The Mean Green also shot 55 percent from the floor in a win over Middle Tennessee last season.

TIM MACMAHON can be reached at 940-381-9572. His e-mail address is tmacmahon@dentonrc.com.