Davonte Davis' role uncertain in return to Hoop Hogs
Arkansas is close to being back to full strength for a matchup against the Georgia Bulldogs on Saturday following an announcement earlier this week that senior guard Davonte Davis had rejoined the team.
“Devo and I met yesterday, we had a great conversation in my office," Musselman said on Tuesday. "Followed it up with him and I lifting weights together. And then he went into the gym on his own and got shots up.
Davis' return is a significant one for the Hoop Hogs, who have struggled to maintain any kind of consistency within their rotation this season.
"Yeah, you just sit down and talk to the player and you have a meeting and you discuss how he’s gonna come back, how that process is gonna work," Musselman said on Friday. "What day he’s gonna come back to practice. What physically after being away for a little bit are you’re going to do, how much, how little. That was basically what the conversation was."
Coming off a three-game hiatus — a loss to Kentucky, win over Missouri and loss to LSU — the Jacksonville native is averaging 6.3 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game while shooting 35.5% from the field, 23.9% from beyond the arc and 74.2% from the charity stripe.
"We’re excited to have Devo back," Musselman said. "I think he’s excited. He’s been working hard. He’s had a great week of practice. I think from a conditioning standpoint, we talked yesterday about his conditioning and he feels like he’s back to where he was from a conditioning standpoint. So, he’s been a part of four really good years and certainly looking forward to having him back."
After not playing in a game since Arkansas' matchup against Ole Miss on Jan. 24, conditioning could be a potential concern for Davis. However, Musselman confirmed that Davis has "no restrictions whatsoever as far as minutes from the trainer or the coaching staff."
"I mean, I don’t know if we know what any role is gonna be right now," Musselman said. "I don’t ever go into a game thinking a player’s going to play 15 or 30. I think the game dictates it, especially this year. I think maybe in past years we’ve had a pretty set rotation. We have what, nine regular season games left and we’re midway through and we’re undecided on a starting lineup.
"So I really can’t tell you how many minutes Devo’s going to play, other than the fact that the reason we discussed his conditioning was if he plays a lot would he be ready to do that and that’s why we had the conversation yesterday. And put together a plan on his return of what a practice schedule would look like and where he would fit in to the different parts of practice."
One thing that is for certain, though, is that fans will be sure to make their opinions known. With three seasons of incredible program success on his resume, Musselman believes that Davis deserves nothing less than the full support of the Arkansas fanbase.
"You look at this success over the last three years and he’s been a big part of it," Musselman said. "We’re finding out that it’s not easy, one, to make an NCAA Tournament. It’s not easy to make a Sweet Sixteen - three of them. It’s not easy to make back-to-back Elite Eights. He’s been a part of that, so hopefully everybody recognizes what he has done for the program.
"This is off the subject of any one player, sometimes when you have success it gets taken (for) granted. It’s hard, in this league, to win games. It’s hard to make the NCAA Tournament. He’s been part of a lot of winning and a lot of incredible moments for this basketball program."
Davis and Arkansas (11-11, 2-7 SEC) will hit the court again on Saturday, as the Hogs welcome the Georgia Bulldogs (14-9, 4-6 SEC) inside Bud Walton Arena. The game is set to tip off at 5 p.m. CT and will broadcast on the SEC Network.