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Devon Downey helps Kings beat Lakers

July 14, 2010 By

Former USC star point guard Devon Downey scored 11 points for the Kings in an NBA summer league game against the Lakers last night in Las Vegas.  The Kings won the game 80-84.

Downey, who signed with Sacramento as a free agent, made four of seven shots from the floor and was three of six from the free throw line.  He also had five assist and three steals.  He finished the game with two rebounds and had three turnovers.  He played 22 minutes in the win.

Former Kentucky standout DeMarcus Cousins stole the show.  He finished with 19 points and 12 rebounds.  You can check out all of the highlights here.

Downey made his debut with the Kings on Monday night and didn’t score in just four minutes of action.  He has to be pleased with the extended playing time and production in his second outing.

The Kings will play against the Timberwolves tonight.

Filed Under: NBA, USC Gamecocks Tagged With:

Booker and Downey await tonight’s NBA draft

June 24, 2010 By
Trevor Booker

Trevor Booker

The NBA draft is tonight in New York.  Clemson forward Trevor Booker is probably the only player with state ties that has a legitimate shot of hearing his name called tonight.  Booker will more than likely be selected in the second round, although some people think he has a shot to slip into the first round.

None of the draft projections I have seen have listed Booker in the first round.  Then again, not many people expected Renaldo Balkman to go in the first round a few years ago either.

Devon Downey

Devon Downey

Former USC point guard Devon Downey would like to hear his name called tonight too.  Chances are he won’t be selected and that may not be a bad thing. 

With only two rounds in the NBA draft, players selected in the latter part of the second round often have a hard time making the team.  Only first rounders are locks to get the coveted three year contract.  Early second rounders usually do O.K., but the middle to late second rounders often end up in the NBDL.

Rather than be selected late by a team that may not want him around long term  it may suit Downey better to find a good fit via free agency.  Certainly there will be teams willing to give him a shot.

Tonight’s draft is in New York and starts at 7:00.

Filed Under: Clemson Tigers, NBA, USC Gamecocks Tagged With: ,

Devon Downey makes first team All-SEC

March 9, 2010 By
Third straight All-SEC honor for Downey

Third straight All-SEC honor for Downey

The Southeastern Conference announced its 2010 coaches postseason awards on Tuesday where senior Devan Downey and junior Sam Muldrow garnered postseason honors.

Downey was selected to the first team, the third consecutive season the Gamecock standout was selected to the squad, while Downey and Muldrow were both selected to the All-Defensive Team.

Downey’s selection marks his third-consecutive selection to the coaches All-SEC FirstTeam, marking the first time a South Carolina player has been named to the first team in three consecutive seasons. It is his second-straight unanimous selection to the squad and his second-consecutive selection to the All-Defensive Team. Downey leads the SEC in points (22.6 ppg) entering tournament action this week. His 2.8 steals also lead the league, while he ranks among conference leaders in assists (3.6 apg), free throw percentage (.833), 3-point field goals made (2.3 pg) and minutes played (34.0 mpg).

Muldrow, one of the top shot blockers in South Carolina history, earns his first-career All-SEC honor with selection to the All-Defensive Team. Muldrow ranks second in the league and 12th in the nation with 3.1 blocks per game. He also provides 10.3 points per game, a team-best 6.3 rebounds per contest and 0.9 steals per outing.

South Carolina, the No. 5 seed from the East, will face Alabama, the No. 4 seed from the West, in the SEC Tournament’s opening round on Thursday at 1 p.m. ET. The contest will be televised on the SEC Network.

The complete list of 2010 coaches All-SEC honors is below:

First Team All-SEC

  • *Trey Thompkins, Georgia – F, 6-10, 247, So., Lithonia, Ga.
  • *DeMarcus Cousins, Kentucky – F 6-11, 270, Fr., Mobile, Ala.
  • Patrick Patterson, Kentucky – F 6-9, 235, Jr., Huntington, W.Va.
  • *John Wall, Kentucky – G 6-4, 195, Fr., Raleigh, N.C.
  • Jarvis Varnado, Mississippi State – F, 6-9, 230, Sr., Brownsville, Tenn.
  • *Devan Downey, South Carolina – G, 5-9, 170, Sr., Chester, S.C.
  • Wayne Chism, Tennessee – C, 6-9, 246, Sr., Jackson, Tenn.
  • *Jermaine Beal, Vanderbilt – G, 6-3, Sr., 205, DeSoto, Texas

Second Team All-SEC

  • Mikhail Torrance, Alabama – G, 6-5, 210, Sr., Eight Mile, Ala.
  • Courtney Fortson, Arkansas – G, 5-11, 180, So., Montgomery, Ala.
  • Erving Walker, Florida – G, 5-10, 171, So., Brooklyn, N.Y.
  • Tasmin Mitchell, LSU – F, 6-7, 238, Sr., Denham Springs, La.
  • Chris Warren, Ole Miss – G, 5-10, 168, Jr., Orlando, Fla.
  • Dee Bost, Mississippi State – G, 6-2, 170, So., Concord, N.C.
  • A.J. Ogilvy, Vanderbilt – C, 6-11, Jr., 255, Sydney, Australia
  • Jeffery Taylor, Vanderbilt – F, 6-7, So., 210, Norrkoping, Sweden

SEC All-Freshman Team

  • Tony Mitchell, Alabama – F, 6-6, 185, Fr., Swainsboro, Ga.
  • *Marshawn Powell, Arkansas – F, 6-7, 220, Fr., Newport News, Va.
  • Kenny Boynton, Florida – G, 6-2, 183, Fr., Pompano Beach, Fla.
  • *Eric Bledsoe, Kentucky – G, 6-1, 190, Fr., Birmingham, Ala.
  • *DeMarcus Cousins, Kentucky – F 6-11, 270, Fr., Mobile, Ala.
  • *John Wall, Kentucky – G 6-4, 195, Fr., Raleigh, N.C.
  • Reginald Buckner, Ole Miss – F, 6-8, 233, Fr., Memphis, Tenn.
  • *John Jenkins, Vanderbilt – G, 6-4, 215, Hendersonville, Tenn.

SEC All-Defensive Team

  • Patrick Patterson, Kentucky – F 6-9, 235, Jr., Huntington, W.Va.
  • *Jarvis Varnado, Mississippi State – F, 6-9, 230, Sr., Brownsville, Tenn.
  • Devan Downey, South Carolina – G, 5-9, 170, Sr., Chester, S.C.
  • Sam Muldrow, South Carolina – F, 6-9, 220, Jr., Florence, S.C.
  • Jeffery Taylor, Vanderbilt – F, 6-7, So., 210, Norrkoping, Sweden

SEC Coach of the Year: Kevin Stallings, Vanderbilt

SEC Player of the Year: John Wall, Kentucky

SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year: Ray Shipman, Florida

SEC Freshman of the Year: DeMarcus Cousins, Kentucky

SEC Sixth-Man of the Year: John Jenkins, Vanderbilt

SEC Defensive Player of the Year: Jarvis Varnado, Mississippi State*

Filed Under: USC Gamecocks Tagged With: ,

USC drops 5th straight, loses to MSU 76-63

February 27, 2010 By
Bulldogs cruise past Gamecocks

Bulldogs cruise past Gamecocks

Darrin Horn may not want to admit it, but his USC basketball team is running on fumes. It was evident the Gamecocks are running out of gas in Saturday night’s 76-63 loss to Mississippi State at the Colonial Life Arena. That’s five straight losses and just like that Carolina is tied for last place in the SEC East with Georgia. The Bulldogs have the tiebreaker so technically the Gamecocks are holding down the basement in the Eastern division.

Darrin Horn postgame audio

Horn post MSU

Further evidence the Gamecocks are worn down is the play of senior point guard Devon Downey. He was held to just 12 points against the Bulldogs. That is his second lowest output of the year and his lowest in league play. He only made 5 of his 14 shots and was 0-7 from three point land. Horn will never admit it, and neither will Downey, but we all know what happens to your jump shot when you get mentally and physically fatigued. You can see it in Downey’s face and hear it in his voice. He knows his final season of college basketball is coming to a disappointing end and its taking a toll.

Devon Downey postgame audio

Downey post MSU

On the bright side, freshman Lakeem Jackson continues to show signs of improvement. He scored 10 points, led the team with seven rebounds, had two assist and two steals. His progress is very encouraging for Horn and the Gamecocks. Also, fellow freshman Ramon Galloway led the Gamecocks in scoring with 14 points. He made 6-15 from the floor and although he was just two of 11 from 3, his confidence and play is clearly on the rise.

Ramon Galloway postgame audio

Galloway post MSU

The loss drops the Gamecocks to 14-14 and 5-9 in the conference. They will play their final home game Wednesday night against Alabama. They close out the season on the road at Vanderbilt and then it is on to the SEC Tournament in Nashville.

USC better find a win  a game or two in that stretch or they could end up finishing last in the SEC East and missing out on even an NIT bid. Even with the losses of Dominique Archie and Mike Holmes that would be a tough pill for a lot of Gamecock fans to swallow.

Filed Under: USC Gamecocks Tagged With: , ,

#18 Tennessee too much for USC

February 20, 2010 By
USC drops its third straight SEC game

USC drops its third straight SEC game

USC kept it close for 35 minutes against 18th ranked Tennessee, but they couldn’t find the plays they needed down the stretch in a 63-55 loss Saturday afternoon at the Colonial Life Arena in Columbia.

The Vols were vulnerable for sure. Carolina has been tough to beat at home this season and for a while it looked like they were going to pull another upset against a top 25 team at the CLA. Tennessee played a sloppy game, committing 19 turnovers. A lot of those turnovers were unforced mental mistakes. Carolina had a 28-24 lead at the half and with under five minutes left to play it was a two possession ball game. You would have to say USC had the Vols right where they wanted them. All you can ask for is a chance to win the game down the stretch. However, Carolina had a couple of turnovers and bad possessions in the closing minutes and just like that Tennessee had a working margin that was fluctuating between seven and nine points.

Darrin Horn knew his team needed to be almost flawless to knock off Tennessee. He’s said all season his team has a small margin for error. The effort was there the entire game, unfortunately the execution was not.

USC coach Darrin Horn postgame press conference

Horn post UT

Quite simply Tennessee was the better team. We can dissect the stats and see where USC shot 5-26 from 3-point land and only took 15 free throws to the Vols 32. We can point out the Gamecocks only got three points in scoring from its bench. The simple fact of the matter is Tennessee is the better team and nine times out of ten, or even 99 out of 100, the better team wins.

I do give Horn and his staff credit for coming up with a nice game plan to give themselves a chance. In the first meeting Wayne Chism torched the Gamecocks for 30 points. He only had 11 Saturday. Also, Horn combated the extra attention on Downey with ball screens that created opportunities for others like Brandis-Raley Ross to get some good looks. The problem is most of those looks didn’t fall. A coach can do a lot, but he can’t make shots. The Gamecocks got the shots but couldn’t hit them.

Tennessee coach Bruce Pearl was extremely complimintary of the job Horn and his staff did preparing for the game. USC did get the Vols off kilter for about 35 minutes. In the end, they came out on top because of supurier depth and talent. Those are two gaps that Horn will be working to close as he brings in his next couple of recruiting classes.

Tennessee coach Bruce Pearl postgame

Pearl post USC

Downey finished with 15 points. That’s about 15 fewer than we are used to him scoring in SEC play. I still would take Downey over any player in the SEC but I think we can safely put the Downey player of the year talk to bed. Brandis Raley-Ross actually led the Gamecocks in scoring with 16.

Devon Downey postgame

Downey post UT

Brandis Raley Ross postgame

Raley-Ross post UT

USC is 14-12 and 5-7 in the SEC. They play at Kentucky on Saturday. You think the Wildcats have that game circled on their schedule?

USC vs 18th ranked  Tennessee BOX SCORE

Filed Under: USC Gamecocks Tagged With: , , ,
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