Every basketball program, or sports team for that matter, needs a leader.
They need an individual to either lead by example or vocally, someone to set the tone without additional guidance.
Pat Knight, son of legendary basketball coach Bob Knight, lacked that presence with his young Lamar University team. In turn, he grabbed the next best thing: a junior college transfer.
That man was Donovan Ross, a sophomore forward at Southwest Mississippi who signed his national letter of intent with Lamar (in Beaumont, Texas) on Wednesday morning.
“They were looking for a player but they were also looking for a mature guy to come in and try and lead their young guys,” Southwest men’s basketball coach Casey Carter said. “They couldn’t have found a better piece than they found.”
Ross was especially attractive to Lamar because of his versatility. He’s a natural swingman at 6-foot-5 and was expected to play a key role on the wing after transferring from Southeastern-Louisiana, but he was forced to play down low after three early-season roster losses stripped the Bears of any inside presence.
Ross, who chose Lamar over schools like Winthrop, Northwestern State, Tennessee-Martin and Stephen F. Austin, was Southwest’s second-leading scorer at a clip of 14.8 points per game. He also chipped in with 4.2 rebounds and shot a scorching 67.2 percent from the field.
“Because of the situation, he was our biggest guy,” Carter said. “Not one second did he ever complain about that situation, not one second.”
The Ridgeland native joins a Lamar team that won the Southland Conference in 2011 and earned a berth in the NCAA tournament. The young squad, which featured five freshmen and three sophomores in 2012, managed just three wins this past season and finished at the bottom of the conference with a 1-17 record.
Without even stepping on the court, Ross will already be among the most experienced players next season. The Cardinals lose three seniors and return just one junior, leaving Ross with the opportunity to contribute immediately.
“It played a big role. I think I matured over the years and I was just proud of myself and a coach that believes in me to be able to come in and impact the team right away,” he said.
Knight’s symbolism in the sport didn’t hurt either. The 42-year-old was an assistant under his father, Bob, at both Indiana and Texas Tech before taking over the Red Raiders’ program in 2008. He lasted four years and will begin his third season at Lamar in the fall.
“It’s a good feeling knowing a coach like Bobby Knight’s son wants you,” Ross said. “It’s big. I feel blessed, real blessed.”
Knight made headlines last season when he called his seniors “the worst group ... that I’ve ever been associated with” in a postgame press conference. The comment lit a fire under his team and the Cardinals won their final three games and the conference tournament to secure the NCAA bid.
