Published: December 31, 2009 02:16 pm      

Forward progress

Davenport scores big as a senior

Seth Davenport would probably like to adopt the Northwest Georgia Trade and Convention Center as his home basketball court.

Davenport, a 6-foot-3-inch small forward, turned in three solid performances for Murray County during last week’s Carpet Capital Classic round robin, averaging 19.3 points and 12.3 rebounds as the Indians won two of three games.

“It’s difficult shooting at the trade center, but most of my points were coming on transition layups and shots like that,” Davenport said. “I do like the floor up there and the arena seems a lot bigger to me. It looks more spaced out.”

Despite his three-game success, Davenport is not ready to trade in the Indians’ home court, Kenneth Ross Gymnasium in Chatsworth, for the trade center.

“I’m used to our gym and I like it a lot,” Davenport said. “But one could get used to (the trade center) after a while, I guess.”

While not a skilled 3-point shooter like some of his teammates, Davenport has been almost masterful anywhere within a 15-foot range of the basket in the first half of the season.

Helped by his sterling collective effort against White County (Tenn.), Adairsville and Red Bank (Tenn.) at the trade center, Davenport is averaging 15 points and 6.5 rebounds for the Indians (5-6) as they head into the meat of their Region 7-4A schedule, starting Jan. 8 at home against Rome. On Jan. 5, the Indians will travel to Northwest Whitfield for a non-region game to knock off a week’s worth of holiday rust, save for a few practice sessions.

In 11 games, only twice has Davenport failed to reach double-digit scoring. He scored nine points in a 62-57 loss to Ringgold and was held to a season-low eight points in a 59-55 loss to Ridgeland, with both games in Ridgeland’s Thanksgiving tournament.

Since the Ridgeland game, however, Davenport has put together a run of seven consecutive double-digit performances, including a season-high 25 points against White County in the Indians’ first game at the Carpet Capital Classic. In that same game, Davenport had a season-high 14 rebounds and followed up that opener with games of 17 points and 12 rebounds against Adairsville and 16 points and 11 rebounds against Red Bank.

In region games against Dalton and Sequoyah, both losses, Davenport scored a combined 36 points and grabbed a total of 14 rebounds.

“At his position,” Indians coach Greg Linder said, “Seth is very athletic, he’s really athletic and can really elevate. That gives him an advantage because he likes to face up and attack the basket. He can work an opponent, take one or two dribbles and get to the glass.”

Davenport’s impressive scoring and rebounding streak he’s on is what Linder thought the 18-year-old senior could provide the Indians this season.

“We knew what he was capable of doing,” Linder said. “I hate to use the word potential, but we knew what that potential was and still is with Seth. I think he can exceed that and it’s not a real surprise to us what he’s doing right now.”

Davenport, who said he’s been playing basketball since “as soon as I could walk, it seems,” played middle school basketball at Bagley, freshman ball with the Indians and started dressing with the Murray County varsity as a sophomore, a year that increased his maturation process.

“That helped because I knew what to expect my junior year when I was coming off the bench,” Davenport said. “It helped me learn my role before I started getting into varsity games. I was better prepared for what I was asked to do.”

With the departure of nine seniors from the 2008-09 squad that went 19-10 and made the Class 4A state tournament, Davenport worked during the offseason to improve his game and prep for a much larger on-court role. He attended an individual camp in Harlan, Ky., where he’s from originally, and team camps at Tennessee Tech and Berry College.

“I learned to play a more fast-paced game,” Davenport said. “Varsity is a much faster game than junior varsity games and you’re going against bigger guys. I worked hard at the camps because it was a good time to learn without worrying about messing up. I just tried to get better at my position and learn more about my position.”

Davenport is using that knowledge gained in the offseason to his advantage in his final season with the Indians.

“Coach Linder is pretty lenient with me,” he said. “I’m quicker than most power forwards. I think I’m a slasher. I can play inside or outside. Most of my points come inside on the blocks or from a little inside jump shot. We have too many good outside shooters for me to out there throwing up shots. I’m sticking with what I do best.”

It’s safe to say Davenport has found his groove.

“I’m pretty confident with my shot selection,” he said. “I don’t shoot a jump shot hoping it goes in. I try to make sure I take a shot that I’m confident of taking and that way I’m confident it’s going in. I’m very selective. I’m on a pretty good streak and hope it stays that way.”

Davenport is not just a scorer. His rebounding is obviously on an uptick and his defense has steadily improved from the season’s start.

“I’ve been crashing the boards to get more rebounds and working on defense to get some steals,” he said. “I don’t want to just score points. This game is about more than that.”

The Indians — coaches and teammates — have enjoyed watching Davenport utilize his overall skills the past seven games and have come to rely heavily on his offensive and defensive output.

“Over the last five to seven games, Seth has become more consistent and that’s what we want to see,” Linder said. “Since the Dalton game, he’s really come on strong and that’s a good sign for us.”

It’s a good feeling for Davenport.