University of North Carolina Athletics
Lucas: Davis Plays Beyond His Years
October 14, 2009 | Men's Basketball, Featured Writers, Adam Lucas
Oct. 14, 2009
This is the final installment in a series of pre-Late Night player features. Previous stories: Drew II, Zeller, Thompson, Ginyard.
By Adam Lucas
After Ed Davis exploded onto the college basketball scene during the 2009 NCAA Tournament, it seemed like everyone knew the slender power forward from Richmond.
Almost everyone, that is. His event management professor somehow had a particular problem telling the 6-foot-10 Davis and his 6-foot-2 classmate Larry Drew II apart. Eventually, Davis decided it would be easier to accept his new identity than to explain the significant difference.
"Finally I just said, `OK, I'm Larry,'" Davis said with a grin. "But it didn't last for long. I think Larry just wants to be me. I don't want to be him."
Drew II isn't the only one who wants to be Davis. The Tar Heel big man averaged a respectable 6.7 points and 6.6 rebounds per game (second only to Tyler Hansbrough's 8.1 in 300 fewer minutes) as a freshman, but his scoring spiked to 8.2 points per game in NCAA Tournament play, when he played nearly 20 minutes per game and also blocked over one shot per game.
That improved play--including 11 points and 8 rebounds in the national championship game--on the biggest stage generated national raves. ESPN's Chad Ford pegged Davis as a lottery pick, and a Chicago Tribune story speculated that he could be the fourth overall pick.
But Davis never had any intention of being a one-and-done player. Within a week after cutting down the nets, he released a statement indicating he was "not ready" for the professional game. That lack of readiness had more to do with enjoying Chapel Hill than with feeling he wasn't ready to play at the highest level. Davis's father, Terry, played ten seasons in the NBA.
"My dad has been there and done that and from hearing him talk about the grind, I didn't think I was ready for that," the younger Davis said. "I love going to school here. I love being at Carolina, with the fans and the atmosphere and being on campus."
His return gives the Tar Heels one of the most sizable front lines in school history. Each big man on the roster has his own unique set of skills. Tyler Zeller is the gazelle, Deon Thompson is the ox, and Davis has a knack for blocking shots and an almost guard-like ability to see the floor. As a freshman, he impressed with a beyond-his-years ability to throw high-low passes to other post players, and his court vision still occasionally takes his teammates by surprise.
"The thing about Ed is that he wants to pass," Zeller said. "A lot of guys catch the ball and their instinct is to score. Ed wants to score, but he's looking for cutters at the same time. He can see the passing lanes and he can get the ball to you. He catches you off guard at first. If you're not ready, he'll throw it to you and you'll catch it and think, `Uh oh, what do I do now?'"
As it turns out, Davis developed those advanced skills by necessity. After his decade-long NBA career--during which he became close friends with the elder Larry Drew, a relationship that helped steer Ed towards Carolina--Terry Davis spent some time as an assistant coach at his alma mater, Virginia Union. As a middle schooler, Ed frequently tagged along for film sessions...and sometimes pickup games against much older players.
"I'd go over there with my dad to watch practice and watch film," Davis said. "In the summer, my dad would have me out there playing pickup. That's how I learned to never back down and always be strong. You never shy away from contact."
Adam Lucas is the publisher of Tar Heel Monthly. He is also the author or co-author of five books on Carolina basketball, including the just-released book on the 2009 national title, One Fantastic Ride. Get real-time UNC sports updates from the THM staff on Twitter.
