Massachusetts Daily Collegian

A free and responsible press serving the UMass community since 1890

A free and responsible press serving the UMass community since 1890

Massachusetts Daily Collegian

A free and responsible press serving the UMass community since 1890

Massachusetts Daily Collegian

Trey Davis emerging in increased role

As the old adage goes, what a difference a year makes. And as the New Year comes and goes, the growth for Massachusetts guard Trey Davis is substantial.

A season ago, he averaged just six minutes per game through the first 13 games of the 2012-2013 season. The seldom-used guard played sparingly behind veterans such as Chaz Williams, Freddie Riley and Jesse Morgan. It wasn’t until Davis’ performance against Fordham on Jan. 13 – a game in which he scored 12 points on 4-of-8 shooting – that fans finally caught glimpse into his potential.

Evan Sahagian/Daily Collegian

But in just under a year, he transformed from a rookie in need of seasoning to UMass coach Derek Kellogg’s first guard off the bench, no easy task on a team laden with veteran talent performing in well-defined roles.

“It’s been a good growth curve for him,” Kellogg said. “It’s nice to see that he’s halfway through his sophomore year starting to grow into a guy we can really rely and trust.”

The growth was on full display in Saturday’s 69-67 overtime victory over Providence. Davis added 12 points on 4-of-10 shooting, but also inherited the responsibility of leading the offense after Williams fouled out with just under two minutes left in regulation. With the ball predominantly in his hands and the offense filtering under his direction, Davis was tasked with securing a crucial out-of-conference victory.

On two occasions – UMass’ final possession of both regulation and overtime – the final play resulted from Davis’ decision-making. Kellogg deferred to his guard on both plays, displaying a level of trust in Davis to understand the flow of the game and make the correct decision. Davis’ responsibility within the offense has grown exponentially in a relatively short amount of time.

“It’s been a big progression,” Davis said. “I’ve just stayed with it and stayed with the team. I just thank God for opening the tunnel for me and showing me the light. I’m here now and I’m going to continue to push, continue to practice hard and stay in the gym.”

Unlike a year ago, Davis’ role this season is clearly defined. He’s the first guard off the bench for Kellogg and can play both point guard and shooting guard, an important display of versatility on a team which doesn’t have incredible guard depth.

His primary goal on the floor is to spread the floor. Despite shooting just 31.6 percent on 3-pointers, Davis is a threat from deep from either position. He hit his first two 3s against the Friars and has taken 38 of his 72 total field goals from beyond the arc.

“I try to come out and knock down about two or three quick 3s,” Davis said. “I think that really gets me going and gets my team going. When I come in, they all tell me to spot up and just shoot.”

As the season progresses, he’ll receive more opportunity to run the offense as a point guard. Davis has played 20 or more minutes in each of the last four games, allowing Williams an opportunity to play without the ball and providing even more consistency off the bench.

And while Davis and Williams are two different types of talents, Davis said the ultimate goal remains the same: “to get a bucket.”

“You just want to get everybody in their spots,” Davis said. “And then everybody’s really looking at you and keying off you to see what you’re going to do. So, I just try to make the best decisions I can make to try to get a bucket or get somebody else a wide-open shot.”

Davis’ added presence on the court serves multiple purposes for Kellogg, who noted that the four freshmen currently on the roster could learn a lot from watching his growth in both practices and games. For a coach building a program, he’s exactly the type of player Kellogg’s looking for to sustain success.

“I think Trey has a good knack for scoring the ball and I think with playing time and maturity could morph into – I don’t think he morphs into (Chaz), that might be tough for anybody to do – but he could morph into a good Atlantic 10 player,” Kellogg said.

Mark Chiarelli can be reached at [email protected] and followed on Twitter @Mark_Chiarelli

 

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