Brothers in sticks

As the saying goes, some things just run in the family. For two brothers on the men's lacrosse team — sophomore attack Tommy and freshman midfielder Jimmy Davis — this adage holds true on and off the playing field.

The Davis brothers appear very similar in more ways than one. While attending Division High School in Levittown, N.Y., Tommy and Jimmy lettered in the same three varsity sports — lacrosse, football and basketball. Tommy was the salutatorian of his high school class, and Jimmy graduated as valedictorian one year later.

According to head coach Bill Tierney, who also hails from Levittown, the Davis brothers share a disciplined work ethic and a positive attitude.

"I'm a little biased because they are the first recruits from my hometown, and their family and I go way back," Tierney joked. "They are similar personality-wise. [They are] both very quiet kids, very bright. They do everything by the book. They don't take any shortcuts. They throw overhand, which makes them very good players."

In addition to their similar personalities and lacrosse skills, the two brothers share something else — an appreciation for each other.

"When I found out Jimmy was coming here to play lacrosse, I was really excited," Tommy said. "We have been playing together our entire lives. We played on the same midfield and attack lines in high school. It was really nice to hear that we were going to be able to play together in college as well."

Jimmy noted that he has been fortunate to follow in his brother's footsteps.

"Being able to play lacrosse in college with my brother is amazing," Jimmy said. "He made the decision to come to Princeton really easy for me. He's always been a great role model."

Tommy and Jimmy are not the only members of the Davis family with lacrosse experience — their father Terence played recreationally and coached high school lacrosse. In fact, when Tierney left for his first collegiate post at the Rochester Institute of Technology, Terence Davis succeeded him as head coach at Levittown High School.

Tommy noted that being around his father fostered his interest in the sport.

"I started playing organized lacrosse in third grade, but I was always around lacrosse growing up," Tommy said. "My dad played in summer leagues, and my mom would always take us to his games."

Naturally, once Tommy picked up a lacrosse stick, Jimmy did, too.

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"I give credit to my dad for putting a lacrosse stick in my hand at a young age," Jimmy said. "My brother helped to keep me interested because I knew I always had someone to go in the back yard and play catch with."

In his debut season as a Tiger last year, Tommy notched 15 goals and one assist — an impressive total, considering he missed six games due to a shoulder injury. In the opening round of the NCAA tournament, his first game after recovering from the injury, Tommy led Princeton to an 11-8 victory over UMBC. So far this season, Tommy has tallied three goals and seven assists.

Though his performance against UMBC was impressive, Tommy said the highlight of his career was beating Johns Hopkins last year.

"It was my first big game in college, and the environment at Homewood Field was different from anything I had experienced before," Tommy said.

Since becoming a Tiger, Jimmy has not seen much playing time due to persistent shin splints. But in high school, he was a standout midfielder, earning Academic All-American honors his senior year.

Though lacrosse has always been their primary focus, the two brothers had success on the gridiron as well. At Division, Tommy played wide receiver and defensive back, scoring six touchdowns and grabbing four interceptions. Jimmy also played wide receiver and earned Academic All-County status.

Tommy credits playing other sports like football and basketball with helping him improve on the lacrosse field.

"Basketball is very similar to lacrosse in terms of movement on offense and defense," Tommy said. "A lot of things you do on the basketball court in the winter can easily transfer to the lacrosse field in the spring."

Jimmy added that playing team sports like football helped him gear up for lacrosse.

"I really enjoyed the weekly routine of preparing for [football] games," Jimmy said. "Football is a true team sport, and you develop a camaraderie with your teammates that makes you become close with all of them."

It is exactly this mentality — an appreciation for team solidarity and a great work ethic — that makes Tommy and Jimmy stand out on and off the field.

"In the game of lacrosse, [they] are all we want young men to be," Tierney said.

Luckily for the Tigers, the fact that the Davis brothers are so alike means twice as much of a good thing.