South Carolina PG Lighting Up Opponents

Teams in South Carolina have tried every defense imaginable to stop 5-foot-10, 155 pound point guard Devon Downey of Chester HS but nothing seems to work. The junior has been torching opponents all season long and is amongst the top scorers in the Palmetto State.

Chester head coach DeAndre Scott said he is seeing new defenses all the time, even things not known to boys prep basketball.

“They’ve thrown everything at him. A box and one, a triangle and two, everything,” Scott said. “I’ve never seen (a triangle and two) in a boys game before. They had two guys on him even if he didn’t have the ball.”

Downey went off for 32 points, two defenders and all. Earlier in the year he scored a career high 47 points in a Christmas tournament. Downey is averaging 27 points, seven assists, five rebounds and four steals a game. He is second in the state of South Carolina in scoring.

Although he is usually the smallest player on the court and was the only sophomore to earn all-state honors last year, teams are not overlooking his talent.

“I think they take my size for granted up until the tip off,” Downey said. “Then after that, they don’t.”

“Over the last two years, he’s been lifting weights and getting bigger. They used to just see this little pip squeak freshman but now he’s grown up physically,” Scott said.

Several schools are looking past his size, too. South Carolina has offered a scholarship and has made it known to Downey that they want him on board. “They have a little edge right now,” he said. Maryland, Cincinnati, College of Charleston and St. Louis have all shown an early interest as well.

The point guard said he isn’t in a big rush to find a school, though. He said he is looking for a place where he can play right away, not necessarily as a starter, but somewhere where he can get his feet wet and gain on court experience.

Downey will return to the SC Ravens AAU club for the spring/summer circuit. Playing alongside Zam Frederick and RaSean Dickey last year, Downey said he learned how to become a secondary player and improved his skills as a pass first point guard. Now with the two top South Carolina players graduating from the program, the future is bright, he believes.

“I’m really looking forward to the summer in order to raise up my stock,” Downey said.

Stay tuned to RivalsHoops for more on Downey and the entire 2005 class.