The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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BASKETBALL RECRUITING him, you think he's big, but when he blocks shots and runs the floor, he takes it to another level." Davis is one of five finalists for the Hal Schram Mr. Basketball Award in the state of Michigan. Ypsilanti (Mich.) High's Corey Allen, Roches- ter Hills (Mich.) Rochester Adams' Spencer Littleson, Detroit East Eng- lish Village's Karmari Newman and Detroit U-D Jesuit's Cassius Winston are the other finalists for the award, given annually by the Basketball Coaches Association of Michigan in conjunction with The Detroit Free Press to the state's top senior. "He always could rebound and block shots, but it is difficult to re- member a high-profile player who has improved more between his junior and senior years," The Free Press wrote. "A lot of it can be attributed to the weight he lost, which has helped make him an unstoppable force in the paint." Davis is also a 4.0 student and, according to everyone in the small town of Onsted, one of the more humble players you'll find. He'll spend hours signing autographs for kids and has become one of the harder workers in his class, having shed 40 pounds over the last year to earn his scholarship. "It's a great honor," Davis said of being a Mr. Basketball finalist. "I'm very blessed to be even considered on that list. I know a lot of great peo- ple have won that award, and I'm really, really excited to be on that list with these guys." The Wildcats won three games in their Class B district to advance to the regionals, and he dominated against Adrian (Mich.) High in the final, making 16 of 18 field goals and 10 of 16 free throws en route to 42 points in a 67-40 win. He also grabbed 19 re- bounds, blocked six shots and dished out three assists. "We knew we were going to have an advantage inside," Davis said. "Wee knew we were going to try to get it inside often and always." Davis had 22 at halftime, and On- sted led 29-16. "It's one thing to read it in the pa- per; it's another thing to see him on the court," Maska said of Davis. "He affects the game in so many ways. He's our press breaker, he blocks shots — he does everything." Davis dominated the game offen- sively, defensively and on the glass in a 73-42 semifinal win over Tecumseh (Mich.) High March 10, The Daily Telegram wrote, notching a triple- double line of 26 points, 15 rebounds and 11 blocks. He made 12 of 14 field goals. "It was a great win," Davis said. "Our goal night in and night out is to go 1-0. We've done that to this point. We played tremendous defensively, tonight." In the district quarterfinal against Brooklyn (Mich.) Columbia Central, Onsted stalled in the first quarter, but Davis "got the Wildcats going with some ferocious dunks and drop-step layups at the rim." Davis finished with a game-high 24 points and 18 rebounds.