12:46 AM CST on Monday, February 14, 2005
By C. ANTHONY MOSSER / Special Contributor to The Dallas Morning News

PLANO – Before each home game, Plano senior forward Travis Vance has a habit of touching the Plano basketball logo above the doorway leading to the gymnasium. Written on one side of the logo is "no excuses." On the other side, it says "play hard."

Plano senior forward Travis Vance has given the Wildcats a third scoring threat in his first season on the varsity squad. 'I knew he was going to contribute this year. I just didn't know how much,' Plano coach Tom Inman said. Vance touches the logo for good luck. His play this season hardly suggests he needs to be reminded of the messages. His workmanlike play is one reason Plano is in the thick of the District 8-5A playoff hunt heading into Tuesday's regular-season finale at Plano East.

Plano can ensure a playoff berth with a win. If Plano loses, it can do no worse than finish in a three-way tie for second with Plano West and Allen, and a playoff would determine the district's playoff representatives behind district champion Plano East.

"I knew he was going to contribute this year," Plano coach Tom Inman said. "I just didn't know how much."

A season-long starter, Vance is averaging 8.4 points and 4.4 rebounds. Vance possesses neither the size of 6-8 junior center Eric Zastoupil nor the grace of 6-6 junior forward Joseph Fulce, Plano's two leading scorers, but he's served as a perfect complement to his fellow frontcourt starters.

"I thought I'd probably come off the bench and try to provide a little scoring and rebounding," Vance said. "Just try to do a little bit of everything. With Eric and Joe inside, I just try to get any shots they miss and put them back in."

Vance says he was a bit disappointed not to make the varsity last season as a junior, but it didn't keep him from leading the junior varsity to a a 23-6 record and the district title.

Inman contemplated keeping Vance on the varsity last season but felt he'd be better served on the junior varsity.

"I just didn't see him playing that much [on the varsity last season]," Inman said. "Travis was a kid who needed to play a lot and gain confidence."

At 6-4, Vance was often as tall or taller than most of the opponents he faced on the junior varsity level. That's no longer the case, but he's still proven to be a capable inside scorer. He has scored in double figures in 15 of Plano's 29 games, including a season-high 18 points in a win over Fort Worth Dunbar.

Vance, who ranks second on the team in rebounding and is tied for third in scoring, was averaging in double figures through much of the season. While his scoring dropped off slightly during district play, Inman believes it was because opponents took notice of his ability.

"People had to account for him," Inman said. "When you look at us, you know teams are going to look out for Eric and Joe because of their size, and Travis benefited from that. Teams realized they had to account for him, too. They were crazy not to."