Doug Davis is the fab frosh starting at point guard for the Tigers this year. At five feet, 11 inches and 155 pounds, Davis doesn’t have a particularly imposing stature. Put a basketball in his hands, though, and he turns into a dangerous weapon.
Davis has started in all 20 of Princeton’s games this season. He leads the team in minutes played and steals. He is the only Tiger to averge in the double digits in scoring this season, posting at least 10 points in all but six games. And in those six games, Princeton is 2-4. So to say that the freshman is an integral part of the Princeton squad is a gross understatement.
That Davis is lethal on the offensive end can hardly be questioned. The coaching staff, however, has been working hard just asinon the other aspects of his game.
“The way he scores in games is similar to how he scores in practice. He is able to do so relatively efficiently,” head coach Sydney Johnson ’97 said. “The push is to have him do that on the other end of the court as well and develop into an all-around player. That will be important for his own development as well as for the development of the team.”
A product of the Hun School and its basketball coach, Jon Stone, Davis did not suit up in Raider red and black until his junior year at the school. Davis began high school in Philadelphia at the Abington Friends School just north of the city. After a year, he transferred to the Preparatory Charter School in the city. The stellar basketball program there, however, was not enough to compensate for Davis’ disappointment at not finding a suitable academic environment at the school.
“It was tough just trying to find that perfect fit,” Davis said. “I loved my first school, but as far as basketball, it wasn’t great. The second school was great in basketball exposure, but the school itself wasn’t as good as I had hoped for. It was frustrating moving around a lot. You really don’t get a chance to settle in, and coaches recruiting you have to keep up with where you are and all that.”
Things worked out all right: Two years at the Hun School under Stone’s tutelage turned Davis into perhaps the perfect Princeton recruit.
“Davis came to us very well prepared from the Hun school,” Johnson said. “Academically, they model much of what we do here and offer an environment that appreciates learning. Basketball-wise … Stone did a great job with Doug in terms of running a little bit of Princeton Offense and also just working on his leadership qualities and things like that. He came to us immediately ready to make an impact on the offensive end.”
The offensive impact Davis has had since the start of the season could not have come at a better time. Fresh off its worst season in recent history, Princeton basketball needed a spark. In his first college game, Davis scorched Central Michigan University for 25 points, the most ever by a Princeton freshman in his debut. He followed it up with 19 points in a win at Army, and then with 27 points in a loss at Manhattan College.
“That first game definitely boosted my confidence. Actually getting to play in that game and playing as well as I did — it made it a lot easier. But it also made it a lot harder, because other teams have seen what I did and are coming after me. I have a target on me now. It made me a little more confident, but at the same time I had to work harder to maintain that level every night.”
Though Davis’ scoring average has dropped in recent games as opposing defenses have kept him in their radar, his presence on the court has created opportunities for his teammates. Princeton sits at 9-11 overall and 4-3 in the Ivy League, and for now it looks like last season was a mere mistake in the history of Princeton basketball.
Despite Davis’ early success and the revitalization of the men’s basketball team, his coaches and peers insist that he is still far from reaching his full potential.
“Davis is nowhere near how good he could be,” Johnson said. “In the recruiting process, we look at how good a player can be as a senior rather than how good he’ll be as a freshman. We want him to continue to showcase what he can do offensively and help us on the other side of the ball, too. He has a chance to be a player who is remembered after his playing days are over.”
Like many athletes, whose introductions to the sports world come from dad, Davis insists that his father has been the single greatest influence on his basketball life.
“My dad’s the one that put the ball in my hands when I was little,” Davis said. “I started when I was about 5 years old, and he still works out with me and my brother. He’s been to every single home game here, and he makes the trip up here every time he can. This has been since I was in middle school. He and my entire family all support me tremendously.”
From winning the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association Prep “A” State Championship while at the Hun School to putting together brilliant performances with Princeton’s men’s basketball, Davis has already had a good deal of success in his young basketball career. What may surprise many is what he credits as his fondest moment.
“When I was 10 years old, my team won the league championship in basketball. We were in the 10-to-12 age bracket, and we beat this powerhouse team. Everybody was going crazy, and all the parents were going crazy. I was excited, my family was excited, my brother and everybody. That’s definitely the most memorable moment in my basketball career.”
He quickly added a line for Princeton fans, something for the Tiger faithful to be inspired by and, perhaps, something for Davis himself to aspire to as he continues his already successful career in a Princeton uniform.
“Hopefully an Ivy League Championship will change that.”
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