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School and Year (1997-98) East Chicago Central, IN
Height and Weight 6'8" 250lbs
Position Power Forward
95-96 Ratings #15 (FS)
96-97 Ratings #23 (RR), #91 (HS)
97-98 Ratings #317 (HS)
Academically Eligible No
Status Wichita State
5-1-98...In speaking with EC Central coach Bobby Miles tonight, he
said they Fed-Ex'ed Davis' letter-of-intent this morning. Davis is going to
Wichita State.
4-11-98...Grades are limiting the basketball options for Willie
Davis. As of right now, his options are to go to a junior college for two
years, or accept a scholarship offer from Wichita State. Wichita will take
him as a prop48 if he chooses to sign with them. Davis' decision will
likely not come any earlier than the weekend of the 24th, when he is
scheduled to visit the Wichita State campus.
2-21-97...A scouting report from the Merrillville vs. East Chicago
game..."Merrillivlle ranked #1 in the Region and EC #2 - great game; EC won
in 2OTs. Jamaal Davis played well (19 pts), but was hounded all night by
Willie Davis (6-7 and pursued by PU) who probably played the game of his
career. But most impressive was Bobby Smith, 6-2 guard (also pursued by
Purdue) - lightning quick, great penetrator and excellent assist man (20
points). He just played in the flow of the game till crunch time, and then
almost took over. A couple penetrating layups right at Jamaal - who is the
best shot blocker in the Region - incredibly put the ball softly off the
glass. The kid is the real deal. Frank Kendrick probably also thinks so as
he was there too - drove up in an ice storm to see the game." (scouting
report by Dave Foster)
8-09-96...Willie Davis needs a blood transfusion, but not because
he is in poor health. "Willie has good mechanics, but is not the best
athlete," said his coach John Todd. "He's not a good leaper, but he has
the size to be successful in the middle." If Coach Todd had his way, he
would play Dr. Frankenstein and create a better player in Willie Davis.
"Bobby Smith is Mr. Hustle," said Todd, "but Willie tends to be a little
lazy. If I could give them a blood transfusion I would have some great
players." Todd would like to see Smith achieve the shooting mechanics that
Davis exhibits and mix Smith's athleticism with Davis to get him to be
more active on the court. Hopefully Davis can polish his skills to play
at the division one level. He has the size, mechanics, and the grades,
scoring an 800 on his first SAT attempt with a 2.3 grade point average.
The motivation and maturity he lacks will be areas of his game he needs
to focus on over the next two seasons.
4-27-96...Willie Davis was in attendance for the Third Annual Spiece
Run 'N Slam tournament on the campus of Purdue. Davis, along with East
Chicago teammate Bobby Smith, played on the Gary SYF Players - 17 team.
I attended the wrong game to accurately assess Davis' skills, a game in
which he only scored 3 points and fouled out in the third quarter. Davis
was having trouble with a Cincy team that constantly collapsed and
double teamed him in the post. His talent is raw, but he has great moves
that will improve with age and experience. Davis is a bruising low
post player that already is pushing 230lbs. If this kid grows more he
could develop into a great center possibility. His moves in the post reminds
me of watching Glenn Robinson, but is far from Robinson's talent level at
this point. Davis will be a great catch for any school in a few years.
The game Saturday afternoon showed Davis' lack of maturity. In
the second quarter he was fouled hard and ended up practically in my lap on
the baseline. Later, he took a hard bump that knocked the ball out of
bounds. After the no-call, he began jawing to the ref who replied, "All
you have to do is play the game." After Davis failed to end his criticism,
the ref quickly replied "All you have to do is shut up!" Davis was
worthless for 4 minutes following the incident, picking up 2 quick fouls
during that time. Davis later fouled out.
Looking at the stats from the other games, the Saturday scoring
drought was not the norm for the weekend. Davis just never seemed to be
in the game. He was sluggish getting up the court into position, but
was effective in the paint once he got there. Davis is obviously a
player to watch in the coming years as he continues to mature.
The SYF Players went 2-1 in pool play and were eliminated in the
first round of the tournament Saturday night.
97-98 season Preseason All-State Fourth Team (Hoosier Basketball)
96-97 season Street & Smith All-American (Underclassmen)
Indiana All-State Honorable Mention (Associated Press)
Date Day Time Opponent
---- --- ---- --------------------
11/28/97 FRI 12:30P W Thanksgiving Classic (vs. Gary Roosevelt)
11/29/97 SAT 12:30P W Thanksgiving Classic (vs. Andrean)
12/12/97 FRI 7:30P W @ Michigan City
12/19/97 FRI 7:30P W Lake Central
12/20/97 SAT 7:00P W @ South Bend Clay
12/27/97 SAT 7:30P W Anderson Highland
01/03/98 SAT TBA W @ Elkhart Memorial (Elkhart Classic)
01/03/98 SAT TBA W Penn (Elkhart Classic)
01/07/98 WED 7:30P W Bishop Noll
01/09/98 FRI 7:30P W @ Hammond Gavit
01/17/98 SAT 7:30P W Lafayette Jeff
01/20/98 TUE 7:30P W Hammond High
01/23/98 FRI 7:30P W Gary Roosevelt
01/24/98 SAT 7:00P W Crown Point
01/30/98 FRI 7:30P L @ Gary West
02/03/98 TUE 7:30P W @ Gary Wirt
02/07/98 SAT 7:30P W @ Indy Broad Ripple
02/13/98 FRI 7:30P W @ Gary Lew Wallace
02/19/98 THU 7:30P W Merrillville
02/28/98 SAT 7:30P W @ Andrean
03/04/98 WED 7:30P Sectional vs #8 Gary West (@ East Chicago)
03/06/98 FRI TBA Sectional (home)
03/07/98 SAT TBA Sectional finals (home)
03/13/98 FRI TBA Regional (home)
03/21/98 SAT TBA Semi State (@ Purdue)
03/28/98 SAT TBA State Championship (@ Hoosier Dome)
04/03/98 FRI TBA Tournament of Champions (@ Hoosier Dome)
04/04/98 SAT TBA Tournament of Champions (@ Hoosier Dome)
* Times subject to change *
* To confirm game time call East Chicago Central HS at 219-391-6315 *
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