After back-to-back 30-point outings against Davidson (30 points) and Saint Louis (36), Massachusetts guard Trey Davis appears to be fully recovered after dealing with an ankle injury.
“My ankle was hurting during the George Washington and St. Bonaventure games, so I wasn’t able to do the things I’m capable of doing,” Davis said. “But 30 is 30. I’m not surprised by it. It just happened that way.”
At six feet tall, Davis must find different ways to score the ball. One of his main strengths is three-point shooting. He is shooting a career-best 39.8 percent from behind the arc this season. Though his percentage has gone up since last year, he went through a cold stretch of shooting at the beginning of conference play. He recovered the past two games, going 8-for-16 at Davidson and 6-for-8 against Saint Louis from beyond the arc.
Davis knows one of his roles on the floor is to knock down shots.
“It definitely got things going. That’s what I see myself doing. I can really shoot the ball. I’ve been in the gym getting my reps up,” Davis said. “I’ve been shooting it like I’m in practice or in the gym by myself. I think I can shoot it from anywhere.”
Davis’ teammates should see a boost in their play if he can keep hitting deep shots. With his range, Davis is able to extend the defense and creating driving lanes for his teammates.
“I think people are seeing that range is not an issue,” Davis said. “I think as we go they’ll start playing me farther off and I think that will help benefit my teammates.”
Despite Davis’ hot shooting, the Minutemen are currently riding a five-game losing streak, all of which have been by double digits. Davis has had his fair share of accomplishments this year, including averaging 20 points a game, which if stands would nearly double his scoring average from the previous year. He also set a Mullins Center record when he scored 40 points in a win against New Orleans Dec. 16. While the personal accomplishments are nice, Davis is more focused on winning games.
“It’s cool, but we got to win. That’s the most important thing right now,” Davis said. “Things will be better when we’re winning. I’m not really thinking too much about (personal accomplishments) right now.”
Davis has gotten playing time his entire career at Massachusetts, but saw a bump his junior year when he was promoted to starting point guard. Now in his senior year, Davis is asked to be more of a leader. With the team on a losing streak, Davis knows his senior leadership will be prominent going forward.
“I think I actually have to do better with my leadership right now. Especially at a point like this. Right now I’m going to see what I’m made of and the kind of character I have. I think I can do it,” Davis said.
Davis is focused on getting the team back on track and being a leader no matter the outcome of the game.
“When we’re down losing five straight, I’m still that leader. When we win six straight or 12 straight, however many we got left, I’m that leader,” Davis continued. “So up or down I’m that leader. I think everyone knows that.”
Davis will look to continue his scoring tear and get the Minutemen back in the win column Wednesday as the team travels to Philadelphia to take on Saint Josephs in an important Atlantic 10 matchup.
Thomas Johnston can be reached at [email protected].
