FAYETTEVILLE -- After a rough start to the season, Davonte Davis said all he had to do was smile more and success would come.
“I talked to my grandma and my mom the other day and they told me I haven’t been smiling and having fun,” Davis said. “I just feel like if I continue to have fun and let the game come to me, I’ll continue to play as well as I did.”
It was not just Davis’ family that noticed he needed to lighten up. Arkansas head coach Eric Musselman said after Wednesday’s 97-60 win over Central Arkansas that he’s also been telling Davis to play with more enthusiasm.
“One of the things that I keep talking to Davonte about is have fun, man,” Musselman said. “Like, last year his personality, the smile, the energy … he gave me energy. He gave me enthusiasm. And I think this year he’s been a little bit more conservative maybe from a having fun standpoint.”
The sophomore guard scored a season-high 16 points and tied his season high with five rebounds during the win over UCA. Entering the contest, he was averaging just 6.3 points and shooting 38.1 percent from the field.
Like the rest of the Razorbacks, Davis struggled find a rhythm in the first half against the Bears. The second half was a different tale, as he began to play to his strengths: scoring around the basket in transition.
“Devo was so good last year at either leading the break or catching the break at half-court and finishing off advance passes,” Musselman said. “I thought he attacked well.”
Transition points were not hard to come by for the Hogs on Wednesday. Of Arkansas’ 56 second-half points, 21 came on the fast break and eight of Davis’ nine points in the half came on driving layups in transition.
The Razorbacks pushed the ball well coming out of the locker room, something sophomore forward Jaylin Williams said the team has focused on this season.
“Really that's just been an emphasis for us the whole year, knowing that we can push the break and we got a lot of fast guards, got a lot of guys that can run the lanes,” Williams said. “Devo is one of the best in fastbreak one-on-one or fast break whatever. So we really just made it an emphasis to push the ball this game and get down the court.”
Davis was phenomenal for Arkansas down the stretch last season, but until Wednesday's game, he had yet to look like that same energetic guy this year. Williams said he knew Davis had it in him.
“I know what Devo can do,” Williams said. “I’ve seen him the past three or four years playing basketball. We all know what Devo can do. We know he’s the best defender on the court. We know he can score the ball on offense, break down his guy. Really, we’ve just been waiting for it to come out.”
The energy is key for a player like Davis, but maybe the true key is as easy as a smile on his face.
“I’m making it more fun,” Davis said. “Just have to have a smile on my face at all times and play the game freely.”
Davis and the Razorbacks will hit the hardwood again to face Little Rock at 3 p.m. CT Saturday in Bud Walton Arena. The game will be broadcast on the SEC Network.
