Jan. 31, 2011

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Check out the latest installment of SamfordSports.com's monthly feature stories which highlight the Bulldogs' talented athletes. January's piece features men's basketball player Josh Davis and was written by Assistant Sports Information Director Zac Schrieber.

Josh Davis - - A PERFECT FIT

It's only fitting that Samford's Josh Davis, a native of West Texas, possesses the quickest draw on the Bulldogs' basketball team. No, he's not dueling opponents on the hardwood of the Pete Hanna Center, but he is firing off dead-eye aims at the basket from 3-point range, and will go down in Samford lore as one of the top shooters in school history.

"Josh is a really good athlete and probably has one of the quickest releases I've ever seen," said Samford head coach Jimmy Tillette. "He's able to get shots off almost instantly which puts a lot of pressure on the guy guarding him. Even when he's not able to get a shot off, the defender has to be glued to him and that creates space for us to drive the ball.

"He's gotten better as a defender over the years and he's gotten tougher. He's become more of a complete player and he's improved every year, so that's a credit to him."

Since joining the Samford basketball team in 2007, Davis has steadily increased his playing time and at one point started in 72 consecutive games, a time span dating from the end of his freshman season to the conclusion of the 2009-10 campaign. Even though he has become a staple in the Bulldogs' lineup throughout the years, Davis wasn't always sure his time would come.

"My freshman year was a struggle at times," explained Davis. "There was a game when I didn't even get to play at all and it was really frustrating, or there were games when I did play but didn't really do that good of a job, so I was worried that would really hurt my chances. It's been nice to get to play as much as I have and I would never take it for granted. It's been fun to be able to play as much as I have."

Josh Davis knocked down an impressive 85 3-point shots during his junior season.

Heading into Samford's marquee home contest against Davidson on Feb. 3, Davis has earned playing time in 114 games for the Bulldogs and has been listed in the starting lineup 91 times. So far this season, he has started 19 of the team's 22 games and is averaging 9.1 points per outing.

Davis's scoring numbers have been down a bit from his 12.5 points per game mark last season, but that figure can be attributed to the senior's changing role on this year's team.

"Heading into the season, we knew that we would have to step up and be the leaders," Davis said. "Last year, we would try to lead more by example and maybe not be too vocal, but this season we've had to change it up and try to take charge more often. Even in the games and in practice, we knew that we would have to expend more energy on rebounding and defense, and not focus on scoring as much."

Despite his changing role in Samford's offense, Davis has still been able to score the ball this season. On Nov. 19, the Bulldogs' 6-foot-4 forward exploded for 30 points and connected on 8-of-10 shot attempts from 3-point range in a historic 79-68 victory at Auburn.

Josh Davis started in 72 consecutive games at one point in his career at Samford.

In the win, which was Samford's first triumph against Auburn since 1940, Davis finished 10-of-12 from the field and drained his first seven 3-point attempts of the game. Davis' scoring outburst against Auburn tied his previous career-high of 30 points scored against Chattanooga on Feb. 10, 2010.

"When he's hot, we try to run as many plays as possible for him, and the Auburn game was a good example of that," Tillette said. "Sometimes it's funny, we'll run a set play for him, but if he misses we're like `how did that happen?' There have been some games where we expect him to make every shot. He's definitely a weapon. There is no question about it."

A majority of Davis's damage is done from 3-point range. Last season alone, the Bulldogs' native of Lubbock, Texas, connected on 85 attempts from beyond the arc, a total that has only been topped in recent history by former Samford great J. Robert Merritt.

So far this season, Davis has knocked down a team-high 40 3-pointers and is shooting 32.5 percent from beyond the arc. His prowess from 3-point range has been a perfect fit in Samford's precision-based Princeton Offense, which uses motion, multiple cuts and quick passes to either find a back-door layup or a wide open look at a 3-point shot.

Josh Davis has scored career-highs of 30 points twice during his time at Samford. This season, he notched 30 points in a win at Auburn and did the same last season in a victory at Chattanooga.

"I knew throughout the recruiting process that Samford liked to shoot a lot of 3-pointers and that they ran the Princeton Offense," said Davis. "Our football team ran the option in high school, so I was already used to learning an in-depth offense. I think that really helped me when it came to learning the offense here as well. I also really liked the fact that I was going to be able to shoot a lot of 3-pointers."

Following his junior season at Monterey High School in Lubbock, Texas, Davis was first introduced to Samford University when former Assistant Coach Derrick Jones came to watch him play at a tournament in Dallas.

"Coach Jones saw me playing in a tournament before my senior year and they contacted me the weekend after to see if I was interested," Davis said. "We kept in contact after they came to see me play a few more times and I ended up committing after spring break of my senior year.

"I was also getting recruited by Air Force and Boston University, but then I was also interested in playing college football as well. I was getting recruited by UTEP to play football as a wide receiver. Football was fun. I loved playing it in high school, but eventually I had to pick and I really liked my opportunities in basketball."

A three-sport athlete in high school, Davis not only played basketball and football, but also ran the 110-meter hurdles on the track team. A natural athlete, Davis's speed, jumping ability and endurance have allowed him to reach an illustrious milestone as a Bulldog.

On Jan. 8, Davis scored 10 points at Elon to become only the 22nd player in school history to reach the prestigious 1,000-point plateau. The historic accomplishment has only been achieved 21 other times in what encompasses 109 years of Samford basketball tradition.

Josh Davis is Samford's active leader in 3-point field goals with a career-total of 222.

"Since we were playing on the road, I didn't even realize that I reached 1,000 points until I talked to my dad later that night," Davis said. "He follows all of the stats and stuff a lot more than I do, but I realize that it's a great accomplishment and I feel like I'm fortunate to have reached that mark. I never really set any personal goals or anything like that, but that's just because most of my goals are team related."

As a sophomore, Davis and the Bulldogs advanced to the semifinal round of the Southern Conference Tournament, but last year's team finished with a lackluster 11-20 overall mark. So far this season, Samford has already reached the 11-win total and hopes to make a late run in conference play and throughout the 2011 SoCon Tournament.

Davis came to Samford in the same class as fellow senior Josh Bedwell and redshirt junior Matthew Friday. The trio has bonded both on and off the court and has tried to use that closeness to benefit the Bulldogs in the win column.

Davis and Friday are both from Texas and immediately hit it off as friends at Samford.

"Josh and Matthew have always gotten along, and I think that's because they've bonded over both being from Texas," said Tillette. "I guess it's a Texas thing. Then, Bedwell has sort of become the third amigo. They all get along great with each other and they always seem to be together. The chemistry on this year's team is good. It's something that has to be developed every year and there's really nothing that the coaches can do. It has been something positive for us this season."

Davis, a marksman and a scorer, has also been able to use his intelligence and endurance over the years to become a perfect fit for the Bulldogs and the Princeton Offense. Now, as he enters the final stretch of his four-year Samford career, Davis will look to win as many games as possible to keep his senior season alive.

"It's just hard to believe that it's almost over," said Davis. "In a way, I can't believe I'm a senior, but I also want to go out as a success and we only have a certain number of games left to reach those team goals. I want to play as hard as possible to close out this season and once we get to the SoCon Tournament anything can happen."

Samford's Tillette agrees with his senior performer, "Overall, Josh's outlook has been good this year. He has great energy in practice and he's been focused on the season. He understands that the clock is ticking on his time here at Samford and he wants to close things out on a great note."