Richard Anderson photo
Wyoming freshman A.J. Davis steals the basketball against Johnson & Wales on Saturday.
By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org
The lights are turning on and A.J. Davis is more and more at home for the Wyoming Cowboys these days.
The freshman guard/wing came in this season as most freshmen do, wide eyed and unsure of himself in a new surrounding.
But based on the early results, Davis is finding his mark with the Cowboys. Through three games, he’s averaging 7.0 points and 4.7 rebounds a game.
Wyoming coach Heath Schroyer said that Davis grew up a bit in the big win over Johnson & Wales last Saturday.
“He’s in the right place probably 70 percent of the time, versus two weeks ago when he was in the right place about 30 percent of the time,” Schroyer said. “He’s getting more comfortable with what we do. He’s getting thrown in the fire. It’s great for him, he plays through a lot of his mistakes. The light bulb is starting to go on with him on both sides of the ball. It’s great to see because obviously we’re going to need A.J. throughout the year.”
Davis said that when he first came to Wyoming, he struggled learning the system.
“Now it is easy,” he said. “I just let the game flow to me. I just go from there.”
Davis got his first start as a Cowboy on Saturday and responded with a big game, scoring 14 points and grabbing seven rebounds. He’ll likely, though, be one of the first players off the bench this season, something that he is enjoying.
“Coming off the bench, it gives you a lot of perspective, seeing what your teammate is doing that you sub in for, so you don’t go in and do the same mistakes that they were doing. It’s pretty nice seeing what I can do, to not mess up when I do go into the game,” Davis said.
Like most sixth men in basketball, the 6-foot-6, `195-pound Davis gives the Cowboys a spark, whether it is offensively with some athletic dunks, or on defense with steals or high-arcing rebounds.
“I’m just playing my part as the energy man. That’s what coach really wants from me coming off the bench, bringing energy, rebounding whatever I can do to help the team win,” Davis said.
Davis describes himself as an aggressive player with athleticism who can slash to the basket. That’s what Schroyer likes about him.
“He is strong, athletic and aggressive and can really get to the basket,” Schroyer said. “He also can play with a high motor and can slash.”
As a freshman, Davis said that he learns every time he goes out on the court as Schroyer has to remind him to be patient with the basketball.
“He says don’t let it get sticky, things like that … don’t go exploring, go through your reads,” he said. “I’m learning the offense more by knowing more things that I can get when I do have the ball.”
The early schedule is good for players like Davis who are getting their feet wet in Division I basketball. Davis said that after some early butterflies, he is getting more comfortable each time out.
“It doesn’t matter who we play, I just go out there and play,” said Davis, who added that he is also bonding with the team as well. “At first it was all individual, so now it is becoming more like a brotherhood. All of us are coming together on and off the court. It’s pretty fun.”
With a couple of highlight-reel dunks to his credit already, Davis said he is enjoying himself out on the court.
“Besides winning, I just love playing the game of basketball,” he said.
About Texas State
Texas State enters their game with the Cowboys with a 2-1 record. Texas State opened the 2008-09 season at the Verizon Wireless Tip-Off Classic in Honolulu, Hawaii, beating Call State Fullerton 76-66, before falling to San Francisco 88-74. Last Wednesday in their home opener, they beat Houston-Tillotson 104-81.
Schroyer said it is the best team that they have played to date.
“They are a really good basketball team,” Schroyer said. “They play 13 guys, they are going to press us for 40 straight minutes. It is definitely something different than what we have seen. They are talented athletically and we’re going to have to be really to play.”
---
WYOMING COWBOYS (3-0)
Probable Starters
F #11 Afam Muojeke 6-7 210 R-Fr. Jamaica, N.Y. 24.0 4.0 1.7
F #21 Tyson Johnson 6-7 245 Sr. Long Island, N.Y. 16.0 7.7 2.3
C #13 Mikhail Linskens 7-0 260 So. Bredene, Belgium 5.3 7.7 1.3*
G # 0 Sean Ogirri 6-3 200 R-Sr. Denver, Colo. 13.7 3.0 2.7
G #23 Brandon Ewing 6-2 190 Sr. Chicago, Ill. 16.0 2.7 7.0
Reserves
PG # 1 JayDee Luster^ 5-9 165 So. San Diego, Calif. Redshirting
G # 2 Arthur Bouëdo 6-2 165 Fr. Aix en Provence, France Hasn't yet played
F # 5 Ryan Dermody 6-9 205 Jr. Loveland, Colo. Hasn't yet played
G #12 Galand Thaxton 6-2 175 Fr. Laramie, Wyo. 1.0 0.5 0.0
C #15 Adam Waddell 6-10 235 R-Fr. Cody, Wyo. 3.7 4.3 1.3*
F #25 Djibril Thiam# 6-10 205 So. Dakar, Senegal Hasn't yet played
F #32 Mahamoud Diakite 6-7 225 Jr. Paris, France 3.3 4.3 1.0*
C #33 Boubacar Sylla^ 7-2 275 So. Paris, France Redshirting
G #51 A.J. Davis 6-6 195 Fr. Columbus, Ohio 7.0 4.7 1.7
TEXAS STATE BOBCATS (2-1)
Probable Starters
F #23 Brandon Bush 6-7 205 Sr. Houston, Texas 10.3 4.7 3.0
F #44 John Rybak 6-5 207 R-Jr. Milwaukee, Wis. 8.3 5.0 0.7
C #24 Ty Gough 6-10 255 So. Pharr, Texas 6.7 6.0 0.0
G #11 Corey Jefferson 6-0 175 Sr. Angleton, Texas 4.3 3.0 6.0
G #22 Brent Benson 6-1 170 Sr. Gainesville, Ga. 17.7 2.3 1.7
Reserves
F # 1 Emmanuel Bidias a Moute 6-7 240 Jr. Yaounde, Cameroon 13.0 5.3 0.3
G # 3 Roshun Jackson 6-6 180 Fr. San Antonio, Texas 2.7 1.0 0.3
G # 5 John Bowman 6-4 220 Fr. Mesquite, Texas 4.0 2.5 0.5
G #10 Tre Nichols 195 Fr. Killeen, Texas 7.0 2.0 0.0
G #21 Gordan Taylor 6-2 175 Jr. Pearland, Texas 3.0 1.3 0.3
F #30 Jonathan Sloan 6-8 230 So Richardson, Texas 0.7 1.3 0.0
G #32 Ryan White 5-11 170 So. Houston, Texas 3.3 2.0 2.7
F #33 Cameron Johnson 6-7 210 So. Richardson, Texas 6.3 3.3 0.0
F #45 Dylan Moseley 6-6 215 Sr. Frisco, Texas 1.0 0.7 0.3
No comments:
Post a Comment