Mark Davis (basketball, born 1960)
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| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born |
December 23, 1960 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Nationality | American / Australian |
| Listed height | 201 cm (6 ft 7 in) |
| Listed weight | 95 kg (209 lb) |
| Career information | |
| College | St. Augustine's (1981–1983) |
| Playing career | 1984–2002 |
| Position | Power forward |
| Career history | |
| 1984 | Hamilton (New Zealand) |
| 1984–1985 | Dorados de Chihuahua (Mexico) |
| 1985–2002 | South Adelaide Panthers (Australia) |
| 1985–2001 | Adelaide 36ers (Australia) |
| 1987 | Long Island Knights (USBL) |
| Career highlights and awards | |
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Mark Davis (born December 23, 1960) is an American-Australian former professional basketball player who played in National Basketball League for the Adelaide 36ers between 1985 and 2001, gaining the nickname of "The Chairman of the Boards" for his record breaking rebounding achievements.
College career
Davis played Division I college basketball for the Temple Owls between 1979 and 1981. As a freshman in 1979–80, he averaged 8.5 points and 5.8 rebounds in 25 games.[1] He transferred to St. Augustine's following his sophomore season. As a senior playing for the Falcons in 1982–83, he averaged 20.5 points per game.[2]
Professional career
Davis' first professional gig came in 1984, playing for Hamilton in the New Zealand NBL. There, he was named rebounding champion.[3] He then spent the 1984–85 season playing in Mexico for Dorados de Chihuahua where he helped the team win the championship.[4]
In 1985, Davis moved to Adelaide where he joined both the South Adelaide Panthers of the SA State League and the Adelaide 36ers of the National Basketball League. He came to the attention of 36ers' coach Ken Cole after playing well for the Panthers, and just five games into the 1985 NBL season, Davis was signed by the NBL club. Davis made an immediate impact, forming the league's leading front-court combination with Moscow Olympian Peter Ali, and fellow import Bill Jones. Davis made his NBL debut for Adelaide on 4 May 1985 in a Round 4 clash with the Bankstown Bruins at the Apollo Stadium in Adelaide. He showed he would be a player to be reckoned with by top scoring for the home side with 32 points while grabbing 14 rebounds in a 117–110 Adelaide win. Although he only played in 22 games for the 36ers during 1985, Davis won the club's MVP award after averaging 27.9 points, 17.6 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.3 steals per game. He scored a season-high 42 points (which would remain the 36ers single game record until beaten by Darryl Pearce with a 48-point game in 1988) in Adelaide's 144–112 win over St Kilda in Melbourne, while his season-high rebound game was again at home against the Canberra Cannons when he pulled down 29 boards, just two shy of the 36ers record of 31 held by Dan Clausen. The 36ers, including guards Al Green, Darryl Pearce and Mike McKay, made its first Grand Final appearance that season against the Brisbane Bullets. After a record 151–103 semi-final win over Newcastle, Adelaide were the favourite heading into the game at the Sleeman Sports Centre in Brisbane, but the team suffered a shock 125–90 loss to a Bullets team coached by Brian Kerle and featuring future NBL Hall of Famers Leroy Loggins, Cal Bruton, Larry Sengstock, Danny Morseu and "The Rat" Ron Radliff.
By the start of the 1986 NBL season, Davis was already regarded as the premier power forward in the country, and with a team leading 25.3 points and 16.1 rebounds per game, led the 36ers to their second straight Grand Final in 1986 on a back of a 24–2 record (including going 13–0 at the Apollo Stadium). Davis went on to lead the 36ers to the championship in three games over the Bullets in the NBL's inaugural Grand Final series (from 1979–1985, all GF's were a single game), winning the NBL's inaugural Grand Final MVP award in the process.
Ken Cole was sacked as coach following the 1986 championship and in his place came Gary Fox. Despite the change of coach, Davis' great form continued in 1987 and he was rewarded when he was named joint NBL MVP with Brisbane's Leroy Loggins (as of the end of the 2014–15 NBL season, Davis is the only 36er to win the league's highest individual award), while also gaining All-NBL First Team honours. Davis averaged 26.1 points and 17.5 rebounds in his MVP season and 1987 saw the 36ers finish the regular season in first place, but the defending champions were bundled out in a three-game semi-final series against the emerging Perth Wildcats. The season was also the first year that Davis led the league in total rebounding, an achievement he would repeat in 1992.
1987 also saw the start of the rivalry between Davis and Perth Wildcats' big man James Crawford. Both were import players (until Davis became an Australian citizen), and friends off the court. Davis and Crawford electrified the crowds at the Apollo Stadium or Clipsal Powerhouse in Adelaide and the Superdome and Entertainment Centre in Perth, with their spectacular dunks, general athleticism and rebounding with each often playing a major role in their teams wins.
Early in his NBL career, Davis attained the nickname 'Chairman of the Boards' because of his dominance at rebounding, and in 1990 he was named captain of the 36ers. Under coach Mike Dunlap, the 36ers won a place in the 1994 Grand Final series against North Melbourne Giants, though Davis' impact was limited after suffering a dislocated shoulder in Adelaide's win over reigning NBL champions the Melbourne Tigers in the semi-finals, with the team missing his scoring and rebounding (he averaged 21.7 points and 12.9 rebounds in the regular season and had averaged 16.5 points and 11.3 rebounds in the playoffs).
Davis remained captain of the 36ers until the end of 1996 when he was replaced by Australian Boomers representative Brett Maher. He went on to win two more NBL championships (now as a sixth man) in 1998 and 1998–99. On 13 December 1999, in a 90–74 win over the Brisbane Bullets, Davis grabbed his 5,000th NBL rebound, becoming the first NBL player to reach the mark. Davis' rebounding record of 5,200 was broken by former 36ers teammate Mark Bradtke on 21 November 2003 in Adelaide, with Davis on hand to present Bradtke with the match ball.
Davis is the 36ers' all-time leader in free throws made (2,037), free throws attempted (2,888), rebounds (5,200), and blocked shots (301).
Davis also continued to play for the South Adelaide Panthers during his time with the 36ers. He won five championships with the Panthers and a record five Woollacott Medals.[5]
Retirement and Camp
Davis continues to call Adelaide home following his retirement and started up the Mark Davis Basketball Camp in 2004. Davis himself gives expert coaching with help from various past and present NBL/NBA players including Willie Simmons and Butch Hays, as well as personnel from the Adelaide Lightning and various Paralympians. The camp is held in January of each year for kids aged 6-18, who are interested in learning about Basketball, even if they have not played before. The campers will also learn important life skills for the future, to help them not only in their sporting lives, but their personal lives as well. Register Here (from October onwards).
Honours and Accolades
Davis is honoured as one of only two players to have their number retired by the Adelaide 36ers. His #33 jersey hangs in the rafters of Adelaide Arena, alongside #5 – the club's games record holder, Brett Maher. Maher, who replaced Davis as 36ers captain in 1997 when Davis' career was winding down and his role changed from being a starter to the team's sixth man, also played his entire NBL career with the Adelaide 36ers. In March 2015, the South Adelaide Panthers also retired his #33 jersey.[5] Just inside the main entrance to the Adelaide Arena, a bronze bust of Davis sits in place underneath a plaque giving a bio of Davis' achievements with the 36ers.
The Adelaide 36ers club MVP award is named the Mark Davis Trophy in his honour. Davis was the first winner of the award in 1985 and won the award nine times conclusively up to and including 1993. Davis is also the only 36ers player to have won the NBL's MVP award. Davis, Brett Maher, Paul Rees and Rupert Sapwell are the only players to have won three or more NBL championships with the 36ers. Davis was also named in the NBL's 20th Anniversary Team and 25th Anniversary Team.
Honour roll
| NBL career: | 1985–2001 |
| Adelaide 36ers MVP: | 9 (1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993) |
| NBL Grand Final appearances: | 5 (1985, 1986, 1994, 1998, 1998/99) |
| NBL Championships: | 3 (1986, 1998, 1998/99) |
| NBL Grand Final MVP: | 1986 |
| NBL Most Valuable Player: | 1987 |
| All-NBL First Team: | 4 (1987, 1988, 1989, 1991) |
| NBL All-Star Game: | 8 (1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995) |
| NBL All-Star Game MVP: | 1991 |
| NBL 20th Anniversary Team: | 1998 |
| NBL 25th Anniversary Team: | 2003 |
NBL career stats
| Games: | 482 |
| Rebounds: | 5,200 (3,221 def; 1,979 off – 10.8 pg) |
| Points: | 8,752 (18.2 pg) |
| Free Throws: | 2,037 / 2,888 (70.5%) |
| Field Goals: | 3,235 / 6,664 (48.5%) |
| 3 Points: | 245 / 791 (31.0%) |
| Steals: | 481 (1.0 pg) |
| Assists: | 818 (1.7 pg) |
| Blocked Shots: | 301 (0.6 pg) |
References
- ↑ 1962-63 through 2001-02 Owls Statistics (p. 26)
- ↑ SAU All-Time Leading Scorers
- ↑ "2005 League Handbook" (PDF). Basketball.org.nz. p. 35. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 24, 2006. Retrieved 20 September 2015.
- ↑ Mark Davis Basketball Camp – About
- 1 2 South Adelaide Panthers retire Michael Ahmatt’s #8, Scott Ninnis’ #9 and Mark Davis’ #33 uniform numbers
External links
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