Sunday, March 15, 1998
By SCOTT M. JOHNSON
Enterprise staff writer
The cards were all laid out for Travon Dugar. A successful high school career brought in offers from Division I programs and left expectations as high as his sparkling eyes could see.
But somewhere along the line, Dugar's destiny did not play out quite the way he had envisioned.
How was he to know that he would spend the majority of his senior year sitting on the bench? How was he to know that during his four years at UC Davis, the Aggies would see the two finest point guards in school history play on Hamilton Court?
But Dugar, who now backs up junior Dante Ross, has no regrets.
``We've been winning -- that's the main thing,'' Dugar said as his Aggies prepare for the NCAA Division II quarterfinals in Louisville, Ky. ``As long as we're winning, I don't mind. If we weren't winning, maybe it would be different. But I haven't had a DNP next to my name yet.''
Dugar has played in 88 games since transfering from Delta College in Stockton. He has even had some exceptional games, including an eight-assist performance against Sonoma State during his sophomore year and two key back-to-back 3-point shots against Seattle Pacific in this season's West Region final.
But for the most part, Dugar has sat. In this, his senior season, Dugar averages 1.8 points per game while playing less than 12 minutes per contest.
Dugar's fate can be attributed more to luck than anything. When he arrived at UCD in 1994, he had a solid season backing up future Northern California Athletic Conference player-of-the-year Danny Yoshikawa. After taking a redshirt year, Dugar entered last season as the starting point guard.
Then Ross came along. A first-year sophomore, Ross replaced Dugar as the starter in the fourth game of the season and never looked back. This season, Ross joined Yoshikawa in earning NCAC player-of-the-year honors and then took home hardware as an All-West Region selection and the regional's most outstanding player.
``In the beginning, there was a lot of frustration,'' Dugar said. ``But as the year went on, we kept winning, and Dante was playing better. As I've matured, I realize that you have to accept your role on the team.''
The frustration last season affected his play, as Dugar's scoring averaged dropped from 4.2 to 1.9. He also had 48 turnovers and just 39 assists.
``He never really talked about it particularly, but I know it was tough for him,'' coach Bob Williams said. ``He's a competitor like all the rest of us, and he wanted his opportunity to be the starter and what he actually started doing was really pressing. He started trying too hard, and it took him awhile to relax.
``... It seemed the perfect combination for Tra was playing behind Danny, because it was such an obvious change in the tempo of a game. It was like bringing in a guy that throws a 99-mile-an-hour fastball behind a junk pitcher. Tra was so effective coming in behind that junk pitcher. Now, Dante throws the ball 101, Tra's at 99, so all of a sudden it hindered his effectiveness.''
While Dugar has still been prone to turnovers, the team has not dropped off lately when Ross rests.
``Last year coming in, I thought I would start, that I would be the man,'' Dugar said. ``This year, I knew my role coming in. There was no pressure. As a backup, all I have to do is maintain. I have to take care of the ball and be there mentally. There's no pressure on me this year.''
Five years ago, Dugar expected bigger things, especially after a standout career at Crossroads High School in Inglewood playing with current NBA rookie Austin Croshere and former UC Santa Barbara player Bakhir Allen. The trio, which Dugar said was tabbed the ``Three Amigos,'' combined to average about 65 points per game.
While Croshere went on to Providence College and Allen had a solid freshman season at UCSB, Dugar decided against playing at the Division I level. He said the offers he received were with lower-level programs that wanted him as a backup, partly due to his 5-foot-6 height.
Ironically, Dugar picked UCD because he had the chance to become a starter. He spent a year at Delta to fulfill eligibility requirements, and then came to the Aggies.
``(Williams) guaranteed I'd come in here and get playing time, and he lived up to his word,'' Dugar said. ``He also sold the academics, which was important to my family.''
When Ross joined the team after sitting out his freshman season, Dugar found himself back on the bench. But there is no animosity between the two guards.
``Last year we didn't really talk about it a whole lot,'' Ross said. ``This year, we talk about it. I guess he's learned to accept his role a little bit more this year.''
Said Dugar, ``We didn't talk about it at all. It happened, and he ran away with (the starting position). We remained friends through the whole thing.''
Williams now has a pleasant problem on his hands.
``(Dugar) got beat out,'' he said. ``That's the nature of the game. That's what sports is all about: it's competition.
``You might feel bad; you wish on one hand that all 14 of these guys could start. But the nature of the game is that all 14 can't. It just makes us a better team when we have the ability to bring a guy like Tra off the bench.''
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