During the final stretch of his college career, a different DeVaughn Washington has emerged.
During his first three seasons, Washington was known mostly for his high-flying dunks and sporadic play. This season, the dunks are still there, but a more mature, confident Washington has grown into one of Ohio's top offensive weapons and one of the better post players in the Mid-American Conference.
Through 12 conference games, Washington is averaging 13.5 points per game and ranks third in the MAC in field goal percentage at 61.6 percent. His offensive game has transitioned from relying on only dunks to using smoother moves and more finesse.
"It's just playing in the moment," Washington said. "It's my senior year, and I just want to go all out and do that every game. I've been more
focused and raised my competitiveness knowing that a lot of guys are coming at us since we won last year."
Washington benefits from Ohio's depth on offense, as
opponents have to defend Ohio's many scoring options. The lessened pressure has allowed Washington to show off his developed post moves.
"Our personnel has allowed him to get a lot of space," said assistant coach Dustin Ford. "D.J. (Cooper) does a good job of finding him. He's been
in our system for three years and he knows where he can get opportunities. He's taken advantage of that at a high level."
After getting into foul trouble in most of Ohio's
games earlier during the year, Washington has focused his intensity into effective play and not fouling, which lets him stay on the court for more time.
"He realizes that he's got the talent," forward Adetunji Adedipe said. "He's attacking instead of waiting for defenses to come to him. He's coming out with the mindset that, 'I can score. I'm a good player.'"
Washington displayed his improvement against Winthop, where he tied a career high with 25 points, grabbed eight rebounds and made important defensive stops in Ohio's overtime win. Coach John Groce called it Washington's best game of the season.
As Ohio nears the end of MAC play and the
conference tournament approaches, Washington's attitude is a positive sign for a team attempting to repeat as conference champions.
"I've raised my focus," Washington said. "It's just knowing that we don't have many games left in the regular season and not that much left in your college career. It gives you that extra motivation."
wf743006@ohio.edu
