Count Downey as a Wall fan
March 10th, 2010 | 
Author: By LARRY VAUGHT
Kentucky freshman John Wall has a fan in South Carolina point guard Devan Downey, who wondered before the season started how Wall might fare playing a position that normally requires experience to be successful.
“Once I seen him, I knew he could be good. When they lost (Ramel) Bradley and (Joe) Crawford, they just didn’t have a lot of talent last year. This year they are so talented at every position,” Downey said. “This Kentucky team you have guys that are going to be first-round picks and that team two years ago lacked that.
“At the point guard position, if you have great people around you, it always makes your job so much easier. John needs to give a lot of credit to his teammates. Nothing helps like great teammates. If you don’t have great teammates, you go from a great point guard to a good point guard. But if you are already a great talent and you have other people around you that are great talent where defenses can’t just key on you, that makes your job so much easier.”
Downey says he thinks Wall’s even temperament has been a plus, too.
“Playing against him and watching him, I don’t see him doing anything wrong. He doesn’t get on his teammates, complain to the refs, talk back to the coaches. From what I have seen he has a great personality and that could take him a long way,” Downey said.
Posted in UK Basketball
Dang it, Larry. I didn’t want to like Downey and there you go and publish this article. Of course, if he goes off again and beats us, it will take more than this article to change my opinion of him.
[...] Devan Downey is a John Wall fan, writes Larry Vaught of the Danville Advocate-Messenger. [...]
He’s really a great young man and has always been very complimentary of Kentucky
[...] Devan Downey is a John Wall fan, writes Larry Vaught of the Danville Advocate-Messenger. [...]
Devan is a heck of a player himself. I think if he had the players surrounding him, it would showcase how good this kid really is. You gotta love a kid that’s 5-9 and still making an impact at this level. Think he has some NBA potential with his ability to create off the dribble and being able to score the way he does.
A lot of UK fans have posted at other sites that Downey is too selfish and not the all around player like Wall. They seem to forget that he lead the SEC in assists last year when he had people to pass to.
Not that he is the player that Wall is. Not implying that.
We made an 3D movie of John Wall vs. Devan Downey at http://www.JohnWallDance.com It’s a remake of Dwade’s Nightmares Never Sleep TV commercial.
If he played for Kentucky, fans would love him. Agree with both of you on that
Thanks for this piece, Mr. Vaught. Too, Devan Downey has always seemed like a nice young man to me, besides a fine player, and his complimentary words about John Wall support that impression. Further, I admit that I had even felt a bit for Downey after his South Carolina team’s loss to the Tide today. That’s because Downey has won my respect through the years (even though, naturally, I have not at all liked the defeats we have experienced at his expense). Mainly, of course, I, too, am a BIG John Wall fan.