Davis’ return could bolster Cougars’ hopes
Help is on the way for the University of Houston.
Forward Devin Davis, who has been out nearly seven weeks with a foot injury, could return during the Cougars’ three-game homestand, coach Kelvin Sampson said Monday.
Davis, a much-needed inside presence at 6-7 and 230 pounds, will not play in Tuesday night’s game against Tulane at Hofheinz Pavilion. Sampson said the plan is for Davis to return either Saturday against Tulane or Feb. 1 against Central Florida.
“He’s getting close,” Sampson said. “I know for sure he won’t play (Tuesday night), but this weekend is not out of the question. And next week I think he probably will play.”
‘Painful’ foot injury
Davis, who began the season in the starting lineup, last played significant minutes Dec. 3 against Prairie View A&M. He originally was forced out of the lineup Dec. 6 with a severe cut in his right hand that required six stitches.
In a later practice, Davis experienced what was believed to be plantar fasciitis in his left foot, although a later diagnosis confirmed he pulled a muscle in the bottom of the foot. Davis played 10 minutes in a Dec. 31 win over South Florida before aggravating the injury and leaving the game.
“That is painful,” Sampson said. “We’re lucky here. John Houston is as good as any trainer I’ve been around at any level, and I’ve had some great trainers.”
Davis is no longer wearing a protective boot, and Sampson watched him go through a workout Sunday that included running and jumping.
Along with giving Davis nearly a month to heal, Sampson said he will be brought along slowly and play in two- to three-minute segments “to see how he does.”
Scoring help needed
In eight starts, Davis is averaging 10.1 points and 6.2 rebounds.
Without Davis, the Cougars have struggled to find consistent scoring behind Rob Gray (20.6) and Damyean Dotson (15.1). They’ve also had no answer inside to counter some of the bigger players in the American Athletic Conference.
The plan to start the season was to have Davis team up with 6-10, 200-pound forward Danrad Knowles. With Davis unavailable, when Knowles leaves the game, the Cougars have to go with a smaller lineup.
“Small is murder against certain teams,” Sampson said.
After a 3-0 start in league play, the Cougars (13-7, 4-4 AAC) have dropped three in a row and four of the last five. The upcoming stretch includes three games against teams that are a combined 2-12 in league play — Tulane (twice) and Temple — and a rematch against UCF. After that are back-to-back road games against Tulane and Tulsa before a brutal stretch against SMU, Connecticut at home and road games at Memphis and Cincinnati.
“There’s games you play where the other team should win, and there’s games you could win,” Sampson said. “We’ve had two game this year that are kind of haunting us right now — Harvard and Memphis at home. If you win those two games, you’re 15-5 and 5-3 in the league, and you’re fine. That’s the difference in having a great year and just kind of a good year. We are having a good year, not great, but we’re going to win some more games.”