Davis, Hun head to homestretch
By Bob Nuse, Sports Editor
You can’t fault Doug Davis if feels like he’s been through this before.
A year ago, Davis and his Hun School boys’ basketball teammates won seven of their final eight games, capturing the state Prep A and Mid-Atlantic Prep League tournament titles along the way.
This year, the Raiders began to show signs of possibly pulling the same sort of late-season rally when they topped Lawrenceville and Hill in key MAPL games and started a possible run to some titles.
”Last year we came together at the right time and beat a lot of teams we needed to beat to get where we wanted to be,” said Davis, a senior who is in his second season with the Raiders. “This year, I feel like it has been going the same way. I think we have a very good shot at getting to the same place as we were last year when we won states.”
The wins over Lawrenceville and Hill, the latter which had been unbeaten in the MAPL, evened the Raiders record at 10-10 this season. On Wednesday, they moved above the .500 mark for the first time since December with a 73-60 win over Monmouth Academy in the opening round of the state Prep A tournament.
Davis, who averaged 13.8 points a game for Hun last year, had been in a scoring funk most of this season. He broke out of it last week, scoring 18 points in the win over Lawrenceville, while adding 16 against Hill.
Doug Davis is the Princeton Packet Athlete of the Week.
”Those wins were huge confidence builders,” said Davis, who had scored more than 13 points in just one other game before last week. “Hill was a great win for us. But we can’t get complacent. We can’t breathe easy. We still have to keep going because we’ll see these teams and they’ll come gunning for us.
”We have some unfinished business here. We want to finish this season the way we want to finish the season. The competition we play here is so tough every night. Every game is huge.”
Having Davis playing well could make a difference for the Raiders down the stretch.
”I’m not sure why he hasn’t had quite the year he had last year,” said Hun coach Jonathan Stone, whose team will face St. Augustine in the Prime Time Shootout Saturday at noon at the Sovereign Bank Arena. “We’ve had a few conversations recently and I think we’ve seen him playing better these last few games.
”There is no questions teams know more about him and they are keying on him a little bit more. He’s still had a good year and I’m confident he’ll do well for us as we had into this final stretch of the season.”
Davis is more comfortable in his second year with the Raiders. He’s needed to adjust to some new players on the team, but that hasn’t been a problem for the Philadelphia resident.
”Last year I was getting used to the school and getting used to the team and a new coach,” Davis said. “This year, it is a different team and you can’t treat it the same way and think you’re going to do exactly what you did before.
”Last year it wasn’t hard with the people around me. We had Idris (Hilliard) and Lance (Goulbourne) and (Matt) Florio and Sean Pucciarelli. We really meshed and I didn’t really have to do too much. This year it is kind of the same thing, but you have to get used to playing with different people. We’ve meshed and I think we’re going to continue to do so.”
Davis has played a big role in the Raiders meshing as a team. So, even if his statistical numbers have not been what they were a year ago, he’s still making a huge contribution.
”He’s a great kid, as good a kid as I’ve had here,” Stone said. “One of his strengths is he makes everyone else feel needed and he gets along well with everyone. He relates well to people.
”I think we’re coming together more. We’re getting a little more comfortable together. Now is the time to do it. We have one regular season game left and everything else is playoffs.”
Davis is hoping to have his Hun career end with another title or two. The Raiders face a huge test on Wednesday when they play at top-seeded St. Benedict’s in the Prep A tournament. The MAPL tournament is at Hill beginning Feb. 15.
”The bottom line is you have to win the tournament,” Stone said. “We learned that the hard way. We’ve won the regular season several times, but the only year we won the tournament was a year we didn’t win the regular season. The wins we had against Lawrenceville and Hill were important. Hill had not lost in the league yet, so that was a nice win for us.”
Having a comfortable and improving Davis will help. He feels that even if his numbers don’t show, he’s grown as a person and a player.
”Last year I was more quiet and stayed to myself in the dorms and off the court,” Davis said. “I stuck to my books and to basketball. Now, this year, I can’t help but see faces I know and more people know me. It’s a great environment to be around. My brother (DeOliver) is here this year and that’s good. I think he’ll see some of the same things as me. Over the next two years he’ll branch out in the community.”