07-24-2002, 11:18 AM
Impressive article on the two new guards on the UA team, Kendrick Davis and Eric Ferguson.
Note in the article, Mateen Cleaves, who played at Michigan State while Heath was an asst. coach, talked with Ferguson on the phone and sealed the deal.
Always good to have that kind of extra recruiting.
WPS!
New kids in town: Ferguson, Davis hope to make most of opportunity
BY TERRY J. WOOD -Northwest Arkansas Times
Kendrick Davis and Eric Ferguson know a good opportunity when they see one.
That's why the two big-city guards plan to spend the next four seasons in the small town of Fayetteville, playing basketball for the University of Arkansas.
"Man, I have to be honest with you, I was going to the University of Texas to be a Longhorn until I heard about the situation here at Arkansas," said Davis, the 6-3 Houston Clements product.
Likewise, Ferguson, a native of Long Island, N.Y., had no thoughts about playing for the Razorbacks until late in the recruiting process.
"Arkansas was not even on the map to me as far as schools," said Ferguson, 6-2, who originally signed with Villanova out of Hempstead High School before attending Milford (Conn.) Academy last year. "I was looking at offers from schools back east."
While Arkansas was not on their minds until late, both are happy new Razorback coach Stan Heath tracked them down.
With four senior guards exiting his inherited squad and one of the two remaining backcourt players down with a serious injury, Heath needed guards. He thinks he's found two good ones in Ferguson and Davis.
"In Kendrick and Eric we have two versatile guards," Heath said earlier this summer. "I think our fans are going to like the way they play."
What Heath had to offer the pair above and beyond the University of Arkansas was playing time.
"I feel great about coming here. Coach Heath and the situation here at Arkansas totally changed my mind about Texas," Davis said. "At Texas, I would have been coming off the bench, a sixth-man type. But here I have a chance to get real playing time."
Ferguson saw the same thing.
"With all those guards moving on and Chuck [Tatum] out with an injury, I knew I would have a chance to come right in and play. That's what I'm working on doing. I want to be a leader and I'm ready to work to make it happen."
Two years ago at Hempstead High, Ferguson was a do-it-all player, averaging 22.5 points, 9.0 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 5.5 steals per game.
Though he did not play point guard until playing for Milford Academy, running a team seems to be in his blood.
"I like to get my guys involved," Ferguson said. "I can score, but I really like playing the point, now and setting the table for everyone else. That's my role."
Davis, who was named to the Houston Chronicle first-team all-city team, can play the point but his more natural position is a shooting guard. He's a slasher and a scorer.
Davis averaged 30 points per game this season while hitting 128 3-pointers in 30 games. He had a high game of 46 points as a senior and scored over 40 points in five different games.
The District 20-5A MVP averaged 45 percent (128-for-285) from 3-point range and 76.2 percent (160-for-210) from the free-throw line.
Heath impressed both players on his recruiting visits to their homes, but for different reasons.
"Coach Heath coming to my home made the difference," said Ferguson. "Assistants had come to see me, but he was the only head coach. That made me feel wanted."
Ferguson enjoyed watching Heath's Kent State squad make its run to the Elite Eight in this year's NCAA Tournament.
"I had seen him and his team on T.V. and you had to root for them, being the underdogs," Ferguson said. "You knew he had to be a good coach because his guys played so hard for him."
What sealed the deal with Ferguson, though, was a phone conversation with former Michigan State star Mateen Cleaves, who now plays for the Sacramento Kings. Heath recruited Cleaves to Michigan State as an assistant coach. While there, Cleaves led the Spartans to their first national title since 1979.
"Mateen Cleaves really respects Coach Heath and his knowledge of the game," Ferguson said. "That meant a lot to talk to him. I want to be the type of leader he was for Michigan State. I want to lead a team just like he did."
Davis said once he took a look at Arkansas, there were no negatives.
"The arena is great, the SEC is a great basketball conference and Coach Heath knows what he's doing," Davis said. "Plus, he sold my parents on Arkansas. Coach Heath came in and talked about academics and the school and that made a big impression on my parents. They saw that he cared about my future not just about me playing basketball for him."
Davis and Ferguson have hit it off as teammates over the last month while taking summer courses and playing pick-up games.
"Eric is my man," Ferguson said. "We get along great. We're here in a new place away from home, but we keep each other focused. When I have a bad day, he's always gets me up again. He's a good player, too. He's knows how to set you up to score."
Ferguson thinks just as much of his new teammate.
"Before I got here, I didn't know how it would be," Ferguson said. "But with me and Kendrick, it's like we've known each other forever. Kind of like brothers. We keep each other going."
In the Hogs' pick-up games, Ferguson and Davis are usually on opposite teams, and much of the time, they end up guarding each other.
"There is a little of a rivalry there," Davis said, "but it's all good. We're trying to make each other better and I think it's happening."
Heath is banking on Ferguson and Davis working out for the Razorbacks. The Hogs have four scholarships to give next season, and Heath and his staff are concentrating on recruiting forwards and centers.
"That makes me feel good," Ferguson said, "because it shows he believes in us. I think we've got some good young guards here with Kendrick, Wen Mukubu and Pookie [Jonathan Modica]. The great thing is we're only going to get better."
Note in the article, Mateen Cleaves, who played at Michigan State while Heath was an asst. coach, talked with Ferguson on the phone and sealed the deal.
Always good to have that kind of extra recruiting.
WPS!
New kids in town: Ferguson, Davis hope to make most of opportunity
BY TERRY J. WOOD -Northwest Arkansas Times
Kendrick Davis and Eric Ferguson know a good opportunity when they see one.
That's why the two big-city guards plan to spend the next four seasons in the small town of Fayetteville, playing basketball for the University of Arkansas.
"Man, I have to be honest with you, I was going to the University of Texas to be a Longhorn until I heard about the situation here at Arkansas," said Davis, the 6-3 Houston Clements product.
Likewise, Ferguson, a native of Long Island, N.Y., had no thoughts about playing for the Razorbacks until late in the recruiting process.
"Arkansas was not even on the map to me as far as schools," said Ferguson, 6-2, who originally signed with Villanova out of Hempstead High School before attending Milford (Conn.) Academy last year. "I was looking at offers from schools back east."
While Arkansas was not on their minds until late, both are happy new Razorback coach Stan Heath tracked them down.
With four senior guards exiting his inherited squad and one of the two remaining backcourt players down with a serious injury, Heath needed guards. He thinks he's found two good ones in Ferguson and Davis.
"In Kendrick and Eric we have two versatile guards," Heath said earlier this summer. "I think our fans are going to like the way they play."
What Heath had to offer the pair above and beyond the University of Arkansas was playing time.
"I feel great about coming here. Coach Heath and the situation here at Arkansas totally changed my mind about Texas," Davis said. "At Texas, I would have been coming off the bench, a sixth-man type. But here I have a chance to get real playing time."
Ferguson saw the same thing.
"With all those guards moving on and Chuck [Tatum] out with an injury, I knew I would have a chance to come right in and play. That's what I'm working on doing. I want to be a leader and I'm ready to work to make it happen."
Two years ago at Hempstead High, Ferguson was a do-it-all player, averaging 22.5 points, 9.0 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 5.5 steals per game.
Though he did not play point guard until playing for Milford Academy, running a team seems to be in his blood.
"I like to get my guys involved," Ferguson said. "I can score, but I really like playing the point, now and setting the table for everyone else. That's my role."
Davis, who was named to the Houston Chronicle first-team all-city team, can play the point but his more natural position is a shooting guard. He's a slasher and a scorer.
Davis averaged 30 points per game this season while hitting 128 3-pointers in 30 games. He had a high game of 46 points as a senior and scored over 40 points in five different games.
The District 20-5A MVP averaged 45 percent (128-for-285) from 3-point range and 76.2 percent (160-for-210) from the free-throw line.
Heath impressed both players on his recruiting visits to their homes, but for different reasons.
"Coach Heath coming to my home made the difference," said Ferguson. "Assistants had come to see me, but he was the only head coach. That made me feel wanted."
Ferguson enjoyed watching Heath's Kent State squad make its run to the Elite Eight in this year's NCAA Tournament.
"I had seen him and his team on T.V. and you had to root for them, being the underdogs," Ferguson said. "You knew he had to be a good coach because his guys played so hard for him."
What sealed the deal with Ferguson, though, was a phone conversation with former Michigan State star Mateen Cleaves, who now plays for the Sacramento Kings. Heath recruited Cleaves to Michigan State as an assistant coach. While there, Cleaves led the Spartans to their first national title since 1979.
"Mateen Cleaves really respects Coach Heath and his knowledge of the game," Ferguson said. "That meant a lot to talk to him. I want to be the type of leader he was for Michigan State. I want to lead a team just like he did."
Davis said once he took a look at Arkansas, there were no negatives.
"The arena is great, the SEC is a great basketball conference and Coach Heath knows what he's doing," Davis said. "Plus, he sold my parents on Arkansas. Coach Heath came in and talked about academics and the school and that made a big impression on my parents. They saw that he cared about my future not just about me playing basketball for him."
Davis and Ferguson have hit it off as teammates over the last month while taking summer courses and playing pick-up games.
"Eric is my man," Ferguson said. "We get along great. We're here in a new place away from home, but we keep each other focused. When I have a bad day, he's always gets me up again. He's a good player, too. He's knows how to set you up to score."
Ferguson thinks just as much of his new teammate.
"Before I got here, I didn't know how it would be," Ferguson said. "But with me and Kendrick, it's like we've known each other forever. Kind of like brothers. We keep each other going."
In the Hogs' pick-up games, Ferguson and Davis are usually on opposite teams, and much of the time, they end up guarding each other.
"There is a little of a rivalry there," Davis said, "but it's all good. We're trying to make each other better and I think it's happening."
Heath is banking on Ferguson and Davis working out for the Razorbacks. The Hogs have four scholarships to give next season, and Heath and his staff are concentrating on recruiting forwards and centers.
"That makes me feel good," Ferguson said, "because it shows he believes in us. I think we've got some good young guards here with Kendrick, Wen Mukubu and Pookie [Jonathan Modica]. The great thing is we're only going to get better."