The Bona Venture

Issue date: 2/5/10 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Jaelyn Thurner [Click to enlarge]

Coach Mark Schmidt sees the talent Michael Davenport harbors and the energy he infuses in the men's basketball team's performance with his presence on the court. After playing him 11.8 minutes per game off the bench last season, Schmidt doubled the guard's playing time as a sophomore, placed him in the starting lineup and ran him into the front line of his press defense.

"Most of the time, he gives great energy, and that's what we need," Schmidt said. "Enthusiasm and emotion are a part of the game that he brings, most of the time, aggressively.

"He has to bring that all the time."

As the Bonnies (9-11, 2-5 A-10) continue their march through conference play, Schmidt said he wants Davenport to play with more consistency. This season, Davenport ranks fourth on the team with 8.5 points per game, but he's scored six points or fewer nine times. After scoring a career-high 19 points in the season opener against Cleveland State Nov. 13, Davenport only managed six points four days later against St. John's. He followed up his first career double-double, 16 points and 10 rebounds at Massachusetts Jan. 20, with a five-point, four-rebound performance in the team's loss to Duquesne Jan. 23.

"He's got to be consistent," Schmidt said. "I'd rather have him get 10 points and eight rebounds every night than one night get 20 points and 10 rebounds and the next night get five and one."

Davenport has only put up numbers within two points and within one rebound of his season averages (8.5 ppg, 3.7 rpg) in the same game three times this season.

Schmidt says Davenport's aggressiveness in going to the glass on offense indicates how well he's playing.

"If you watch Mike, when he goes to the offensive boards, and gets offensive rebounds, he's playing really, really well," Schmidt said. "When he doesn't, that's when he has his bad games."

Davenport needs to drive to the basket with more intensity and utilize his athleticism, Schmidt said.

"Usually a guy who's really athletic wants to get to the ball to the rim and dunk and show off his athletic ability," he said. "Sometimes Mike is not as aggressive as he needs to be, and he takes that pull-up jump shot.

Continued...

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