EIU's Domercant credits hard work for big numbers

CHARLESTON, Ill. --Henry Domercant isn't about to lie about it.

While confident in his abilities, the senior guard from Eastern Illinois never envisioned becoming one of the nation's premier college basketball players.

"Some of the records they say I'm going for, I never knew even existed," a laughing Domercant said Thursday. "I'm a very positive guy. I knew I was going to have a good career. I thought I would have some success, but not to this extent."

Domercant, who will be at the Show Me Center Saturday night when the Panthers face Southeast Missouri State University in the Ohio Valley Conference opener for both teams, has experienced the kind of success players dream about.

Through 11 games this season, the 6-foot-4, 200-pound Domercant averages 26.5 points per game, which ranks fifth nationally.

Last year, Domercant was second in the nation in scoring with 26.4 points per game, was voted the OVC Player of the Year and was an Associated Press honorable-mention All-American. As a sophomore, Domercant was fourth nationally with 22.8 points per game.

"He's just a great player, and he seems to improve every year," Southeast coach Gary Garner said. "He's just really hard to defend. He scored 38 and 39 points against us last year, so I don't think I know how to guard him. He gives me nightmares that he's going to get 60 on us."

EIU coach Rick Samuels said a considerable amount of natural talent, tireless work habits and strong character have made Domercant the Panthers' career scoring leader -- among numerous other school records he holds -- and placed him within striking distance of the OVC's career scoring mark.

"He's a great kid, and he has really worked hard to improve his deficiencies," Samuels said. "A lot of kids go in and spend time in the gym, but Henry has a real purpose with what he does.

"His redshirt freshman year, he had kind of a push shot. He worked over the summer on his jump shot. Later he needed to improve his range, and he worked over the summer on that. Last summer he really worked on his ball handling and taking it to the hole."

Domercant, who has seemingly unlimited range on his jumper and has shot nearly 40 percent from 3-point range during his college career, was known more as a shooter the past two years. But Garner has noticed that this season Domercant is driving the ball to the basket and posting up much more.

"Watching him on tape, he is better this year," Garner said. "He's putting it on the floor more and posting up more. In the past, he was mainly a jump shooter."

Domercant, personable and well-spoken, laughed again when told about Samuels' comments regarding his work habits.

"Everybody makes a big deal out of it, but I'm doing something I love so I don't consider it hard work," Domercant said. "I like to shoot a lot when I'm working on my game alone. It's fun when no coaches are around to yell at you. I just shoot, shoot and shoot some more."

And as much as Domercant enjoys playing basketball, he realizes all the work is necessary if he's going to achieve his goal of reaching the NBA.

"I'm trying to fine-tune specific points of my game, like putting the ball on the floor, posting up," he said. "Every year I want to add something to my game. I want to become a better player every year."

Domercant put his name into the NBA draft last year but withdrew it in time to be eligible for his senior season. He said he seriously considered a jump to the professional ranks.

"If I would have gotten invited to the Chicago pre-draft camp, I feel like I would have played myself into the NBA, but since I didn't get invited I had to come back," he said.

While Domercant is not a lock to be selected in the two-round NBA draft this year, professional scouts are aware of the OVC's premier player.

"They're certainly looking," Samuels said. "I think Henry can play in the NBA. There are people in the league who can't shoot. Henry can jump up with people guarding him and shoot it. He doesn't need to have an open look."

Domercant, who is from the Chicago suburb of Naperville, is confident of an NBA future. He said pickup games last summer in Chicago against a variety of NBA players helped his confidence. And scoring 30 points against nationally-ranked Illinois earlier this season didn't hurt.

"I played pickup games about every day over the summer with some of the Bulls and guys like Michael Finley and Antoine Walker. I was able to hold my own and that gave me a lot of confidence," he said. "The NBA is my dream and my goal. I feel like I'll have a good chance to get drafted."

But Domercant, who averaged 9.3 points per game as a redshirt freshman before bursting onto the national scene as a sophomore, tries to put NBA thoughts in the back of his mind. Right now he's concentrating on helping the Panthers -- who have a 4-7 record against a brutal non-conference schedule -- improve and hopefully challenge for the OVC title.

"It's hard not to think about the NBA, but I try not to," he said. "I feel if I take care of business here and do what my team needs me to do, then that will take care of itself."

Likewise, Domercant said he doesn't think much about all the gaudy point totals he has compiled so far and likely will continue to put up.

"My goal is just to win games," he said. "When I was younger, I was out to prove things to people, but as I've gotten older, scoring is not my major focus. It's great, but when you don't win, it doesn't matter."

Domercant, who helped lead the Panthers to the NCAA Tournament as a sophomore, has gotten used to being a marked man every time he steps on the court -- not that it wouldn't be nice to lurk in the shadows every now and then.

"I'm used to it now because I had all last year to go through it. I take it as a compliment," he said. "But every once in a while I would like to go into a gym where everybody's not concentrating on stopping me."

Don't expect that to happen at the Show Me Center Saturday night -- or any place else the rest of the season.

mmishow@semissourian.com

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