The Most Exciting Player in College Basketball

He may not be the biggest man on the court, but his quickness, tenacity, and competitiveness make up for his small stature (he stands at only 5'9). His most important asset is, without question, his swagger. He often is considered by commentators to be the "little guy" out there, but plays like this one against Kentucky cause heads to turn and leave opposing players in disbelief. He has a knack for hitting from virtually anywhere on the floor with his limitless range, but can go off the dribble and get to the hole with relative ease. The fact that he does all of this at such a stature makes Devan Downey the most exciting player in college basketball.

One may question why I have written extensively about college basketball, and basketball in general, thus far on my blog. After all, I consider this to be a blog about all sports, but to any serious sports fan, the months of February and March are maybe the two slowest months during the year for sports--with the exception of college hoops. The Super Bowl is over, spring training has not begun yet, and the NBA and NHL are, well, the NBA and NHL. College basketball, however, is in full form with conference tournaments just around the corner, and March Madness to follow.

Now, back to Downey. I remember watching a University of Cincinnati at Xavier basketball game back in the 2005-2006 season. I recall this game for two specific reasons: 1) Cinci vs. Xavier is one of the most heated rivalries in basketball, and 2) Devan Downey. The freshman out of Chester, South Carolina really caught my eye that day. And, how could he not? The freshman played 44 out of 45 minutes, and led the Bearcats in points (22) and assists (5). I just loved the kid's fire out on the court. There is a difference between playing hard, wanting to win and leaving absolutely everything on the floor by treating that game as if it were life and death. Downey depicted the latter.

I sporadically followed him throughout the rest of the season, but did not keep the closest of tabs on him figuring I would watch his career further develop in his coming years at Cincinnati. Obviously, this was not the case. Following his freshman season, which saw interim coach Andy Kennedy not retained as the head man, Downey decided to transfer and return home to play for the University of South Carolina.

Downey completely fell off my radar as he sat out for the 2006-2007 season, but quickly jumped back on it during his masterful performance against Penn State in the opening round of the Old Spice Classic in Disney World. I instantaneously remembered Downey's aggressive style of play; he has been a player I have closely followed ever since.

Although the well-versed college hoop fan knows who Devan Downey is, to the casual fan he is still an unknown. He is not all over ESPN like the John Wall's of college basketball, but Downey can absolutely ball with the best of them. Unfortunately for Downey, he has never tasted what the NCAA Tournament is all about; he has not been able to showcase his talents on the biggest basketball stage of the year.

Pending a remarkable run this year (the Gamecocks are 14-12 and 5-7 in the SEC), South Carolina is destined for the NIT. If there was one player out there to put a team on his back and lead them to the Big Dance, it is Devan Downey.