Game Notes
A team's point guard arguably has the most important job on the floor.
Distributing the ball, running the offense, keeping teammates on the same page — all are key attributes in a successful floor general.
According to Kentucky Wesleyan men's basketball coach Happy Osborne, he has three players that fit that mold.
"All three of them are a privilege to coach," Osborne said. "They're always looking for positives, and they're not ever negative or hanging their heads when something goes wrong.
"I have tremendous faith in them, and I think as a combo, that's got to be one of the top combos of point guards in all of Division II."
The three don't always produce eye-popping statistics in the box score, Osborne added, but each has played a crucial role in helping the Panthers to their 11-2 record.
Fillyaw, a 6-foot-1 Kansas native in his second year with KWC, is the team's starting point guard and emotional leader, averaging 6.9 points, 4.0 assists, 3.7 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game.
"His leadership speaks for itself," Osborne said of Fillyaw. "He's a great leader, he's mature. Marcus shoots well, defends well, he's an excellent passer. The thing about Marcus is, I don't think he knows how good he can be. He's just got to completely believe in himself."
Fillyaw said he's even been told by coaches and teammates to be more selfish.
"I've always been a pass-first guy," he said. "I think I need to be more aggressive as far as taking the opportunities I get. Sometimes I pass them up looking for others. My teammates encourage me to do that too, so that's probably one of the biggest things I need to do."
Deveaux, a 6-4 dynamic defender, is also in his second season with the Panthers. He was primarily the team's back-up ball handler last year but has now settled into his role as a spark plug off the bench, often drawing the defensive assignment against the opposing team's point guards.
"He's the ultimate team player, a tremendous teammate and a top-notch defender at any level in college basketball," Osborne said of Deveaux, who moved to the United States from Nassau, Bahamas when he was 16. "The things he does for our team are things you don't always see on the stat sheet. He just wants to win. Academically, he's come so far, he's a tremendous young man and a true success story."
According to Deveaux, his goal is to simply provide energy every minute he's on the court for the Panthers.
"Just being ready to play whenever I'm needed," Deveaux said. "I know, for the guys, we all want to win. Me bringing energy is a big key to helping the team win."
As for Manning, he and Osborne have known each other since the 6-4 playmaker was just six years old.
"I offered him a scholarship after his freshman year when I was at Georgetown," Osborne said. "He's a guy I always wanted to coach.
"He's starting to become the player I know he can be. He's an excellent penetrator, a guy that's always fun to be around. He's one of the most-liked guys on the team."
It didn't take long for Manning -- now in his first year with KWC after transferring from Marshall -- to settle in.
"When I first met the guys, they were all cool, so I felt I would fit in well," said Manning, who averages 5.8 points per game. "I thought we would have a big year. I wanted to win, so I knew this was the place to be.
"It was easy to get along with everybody, and our chemistry is just so good already. It's a beautiful thing."
As KWC prepares to host Oakland City (8-0) on Wednesday, the Panthers will rely on that continued chemistry and their emphasis on defense to help win their third game in a row and ninth out of their last 10.
"We just need to focus on pressuring the ball and communicating more, and we'll be fine," Deveaux said of the game plan. "Offensively, we'll be good."
As for the remainder of the season, the goals for the trio -- and the whole team — remain the same as when the year began.
"We've lost two games, but I don't think our expectations have changed at all," Fillyaw said. "We still expect to do what we have to do in order to get to where we want to be. We want to get to the NCAA Tournament and go as deep as we can, and that expectation hasn't changed at all."
As long as the team sticks together, he added, getting to that point is always a possibility.
"I think we can still do it," Fillyaw said before correcting himself. "No, I know we can still do it."
