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SEC Media Days: Stansbury calls Downey best guard in conference

October 22, 2008|LARRY VAUGHT

BIRMINGHAM -- Mississippi State coach Rick Stansbury has no doubt that South Carolina's Devan Downey is the best guard in the Southeastern Conference this year.

"He's easily the best guard in our league and the most difficult guy in the league to guard," said Stansbury Wednesday during the SEC Media Days here.

With that in mind, it seems no one would be more qualified to assess how much Kentucky might miss point guard Ramel Bradley and shooting guard Joe Crawford this year more than Downey.

" I feel like personally Kentucky will be a good team, but you are talking about Ramel Bradley and Joe Crawford being gone. Anytime you lose the leader of your team like they did in Ramel, a guy who started three years, then somebody else is going to have step up. He could score the ball and provide leadership," Downey said. Then there is Joe. I remember the game at Carolina and he killed us. You lose two players like that it hurts the team a lot."

While he's not sure about how junior college transfer Kevin Galloway or freshman DeAndre Liggins will play at point guard, Downey says UK coach Billy Gillispie's reputation as a recruiter and Kentucky's tradition tell him the Wildcats will still have a solid team.

"I am sure they expect to bounce back and be good. But when you lose two players like that, and then don't have Derrick Jasper, either, it could be hard on a team. You have to miss them a lot more than most people probably want to believe," Downey said.

He said it's hard to gauge how difficult it is for a new point guard to take over a SEC team.

"It is very hard. This league is a good point guard league when you look around. Just to come in and get adjusted is hard for freshman or a junior college guy. I know Gillispie has guys he thinks will be okay, but it's going to be a tough adjustment for Kentucky without Bradley and Crawford," Downey said.

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