So, I was wrong about Davison

Editor owns up to his biggest gaffe of the young season

10 January 2007

greatlakeshoops.com

I've already been served up a few slices of humble pie at work, and in my email box. The chin music is keeping up the neighbors.

It's time for me to come correct: I was wrong about Davison.

With every season comes the one that got away. You know, the prediction that looks about as stupefying as a steer-sized belt buckle in a Chamillionaire video.

Last season, for example, I projected Flint Southwestern's Quinton Woods to be a top three player in Genesee County and I was well off the mark--though he did have a big first half against Renny at the Breslin.

This time around, I started off this season with a gaffe the size of a whole team--the Davison Cardinals.

I picked the Cardinals to be the third best team in the Big Nine behind Flint Carman-Ainsworth and Flint Powers, and one of the top ten teams in mid-Michigan--and the rest is history.

The Cardinals have only two wins this season, one coming against a mediocre Waterford Kettering squad and another on the road against a less-than-stellar Flushing team without the services of their top player and no bench.

Whoops.

A team with so many players returning from last season, with arguably the top coach in mid-Michigan, seemed like a sure-thing at the time.

Davison's overall record is a paltry 2-6 with losses to Lapeer East, Lake Orion, Flint Powers, Flint Carman-Ainsworth, Swartz Creek and Cincinnati Hughes. Granted, there are some good teams in that mix; but, having seen Davison play a couple times this season, I don't have a lot of hope for a turnaround.

Davison needs a point guard, and it's just about as simple as that.

Their offense has devolved into the post-Charlie Bell MSU offense--the "past it around the perimeter" offense. Davison doesn't have a guard who can penetrate and hit the open man. The Cardinals' strength is, and always has been, shooting; but, you wouldn't know it because they don't get too many uncontested shots.

Junior Trevor Cousineau and senior Garrett Stephens (top left) are both pretty solid doing the dirty work in the paint, but they seem to have lost any semblance of touch around the basket. The post-football playoffs basketball rust should have worn off by this point. Junior Kyle Neitzke has also stepped in and proven his worth on a couple different occasions, but he is not a consistent scoring threat just yet.

Senior David Swain (right) gives you a small glimpse of greatness in every game, but then inevitably reverts back to jacking up 3-pointers as a first, second and third option. You are 6'4'' and athletic, Dave, act like it.

Junior Tyler Sauer, Davison's second best scoring option on most nights, could probably use a confidence boost from Coach MacLachlan at some point. Until senior Michael Zeller starts proving his worth again, his spot should belong to Sauer--a fundamentally sound swingman who has, very often, been playing out of position at the four spot.

Sophomore Daniel Thwing is a pretty good guard, but he's not a true point guard.

It might be time to give the junior varsity point guard, sophomore Torey LaFerney, an opportunity to play with the big boys. With few exceptions, LaFerney has been very impressive in the undercard games. He can fill it up from deep, he has good size and length for a young guard and is deceptively quick. I'm not saying he's the answer, but he probably deserves a chance.

Davison's other option isn't really an option at all. Junior Colin Angle, who transferred to Davison after playing at Grand Blanc last season, was cut from the varsity during try-outs. Angle may not be the prototypical Davison guard, but he is quick and athletic with pretty good size. If nothing else, he could have kept a defense on its toes.

The bottom line is this: Without a point guard who can penetrate and dish, Davison is sunk.

It's not going to get any easier for the Cardinals, either. Their next two games will be contested against Grand Blanc on Friday and Flint Southwestern Academy on Tuesday. Both games will give Davison fans an opportunity to see how vitally important a solid point guard is at this level.

Join me again next time as I express my own personal chagrin for "crowning", in typical Dennis Green fashion, another player or team undeservedly.

As a good friend of mine said recently, "The Cardinals are who I thought they were!" I only wish I could say the same thing.