You’re too short to be a factor in the Southeastern Conference, let alone be a first-team all-SEC performer. “

Don’t say that to 5-foot-9-inch South Carolina guard Devan Downey, who seems to be just that.

The diminutive junior guard from South Carolina has caused heartaches all over the SEC, including Lexington, with his game-winning shot against the Cats on Jan. 31. But it’s his ability to get inside the paint that has UK head coach Billy Gillispie worried.

“He’s a master of getting into the paint,” Gillispie said during an SEC coaches’ teleconference on Monday. “He’s hard to guard, whether he has a ball screen or not.”

Downey’s 20 points per game, good enough for third in the conference, and ability to score from anywhere on the floor have impressed Gillispie most. South Carolina head coach Darrin Horn, however, has been impressed most with Downey’s defense.

The junior leads the SEC with three steals per game. Horn said while he is putting up nearly the same numbers from when he was a sophomore, Downey has become smarter on the court, allowing for him to become a better team defender.

“I think it’s a combination of great natural instincts and terrific quickness,” Horn said.  “He’s got some quick hands, he’s obviously very, very quick and explosive and he’s got great instincts for when to use those.”

Miller impresses Gillispie with his ‘D’

Darius Miller broke out offensively for a career-high 17 points against Tennessee on Saturday, but it was his defensive play all season that has had Gillispie proud of him.

Gillispie said in his post-game news conference he used to refer to Miller as “Arius Miller” because he had no “D.”

“I really thought he was going to be our third-leading scorer before the season started, but I’ve been really proud because of his defense,” Gillispie said following the 77-58 win on Saturday. “He’s been a pretty good defender and I don’t think that was his strong suit coming in. He’s really worked hard on his defense and is a great rebounder.”

Miller credits Gillispie with installing the “D” in his game as well as his name again. Miller said Gillispie has always been a defensive-minded coach and that it is starting to carry over to the team, including himself.

“Throughout the whole season Coach has been stressing defense,” Miller said in his post-game interview. “He’s been saying it to every single player, so we’ve been doing a lot of that in practice.”

Coming into the home stretch of his freshman year, Miller is currently averaging just over four points per game. However, it’s how he has been playing and the signs he has shown in practice that has Gillispie excited to see what player the Maysville, Ky., native turns out to be.

“I think he’s going to be a great player before it’s all over with,” Gillispie said. “I’ve always thought that.”