Dodge City ? Kenny Gregory certainly wasn’t struggling for the Dodge City Legend during the first month of the USBL season.

In the first 13 games, the former Kansas University guard/forward was one of the team’s top scorers, averaging nearly 15 points per game.

But since becoming a starter three weeks ago, Gregory has taken over.

In the last eight games, Gregory is averaging 29.3 points a game, which included four games of 30 or more points on a six-game road trip.

“The coaches had confidence in me and guys are going to me,” the 6-foot-6 Columbus, Ohio, native said. “I’m just feeling a lot more comfortable because maybe in the beginning people didn’t know what to expect from my game, from what I can do and can’t do. I’m just happy to get more time, more production.”

Gregory, who is averaging 19.4 points a game, which is fifth-best in the league, said the recent offensive surge had given him more confidence.

That confidence is evident in his perimeter shooting, which has improved dramatically since his days with the Jayhawks.

In the past eight games, he’s shooting 64 percent from the field. For the season, he’s shooting 55 percent.

Gregory is seventh in the league in field-goal percentage. He’s the only perimeter player among the USBL leaders.

“He’s in a rhythm right now, and when you get guys in a rhythm, it’s hard to stop them,” Dodge City coach Cliff Levingston said after watching Gregory hit 15 of 19 shots during a road win against Brooklyn.

“When I was in college, I needed to work on my outside shooting and my ballhandling,” said Gregory, who averaged 15.6 points per game as a senior at Kansas. “My ballhandling is something I really still need to work on, but my outside shot is something that has opened some things up for me. Guys have to get up on me more and I’m able to get to the basket.”

Gregory’s last year with KU was the 2000-01 season. He saw limited time this winter with the Greenville Groove of the National Basketball Developmental League where he played with former KU player Billy Thomas.

He said he doesn’t know where he’ll end up after the USBL season ends in three weeks, but said he hoped his time at Dodge City would draw notice. He is pondering playing in Europe or landing an invitation to an NBA camp.

“I really don’t think about it too much,” Gregory said. “The more you think about it, the more pressure you put on yourself. I’m confident with where my game is going. I haven’t peaked yet. I’m just enjoying the game right now.

“I’m never satisfied. I always feel I can play better. But I feel I’m one of the better players in the league and I just want to maintain that over the last nine, 10 games.”

The Legend will be counting on Gregory to lead the way to a strong finish because they are struggling at 7-14 with nine games left. Only two teams in the league, Florida and Brooklyn, have worse records.

“It’s frustrating because a lot of us aren’t used to losing like this, especially at home,” Gregory said. “I’ve been saying for a while, I hope we figure something out. We’ve got a few weeks left.”

Gene Schinzel is a sports writer for the Hutchinson News.