Difficult journey has joyful ending for Davis
Devin Davis leaned down to kiss his mother, Tiffany, while the crowd at H&PE Arena stood and cheered for the UH senior Sunday.
He’s not an overly emotional guy. In fact, this season, Davis is known far more for how consistent and stable he is.
But as he squeezed his mom’s hand and took in the atmosphere, he couldn’t help but feel everything from the last four years wash over him.
More than once in the last few years, Davis has wondered if he’d ever walk across a basketball court for senior day or if he would ever walk across a stage for graduation.
The Cougars forward has trudged through adversity for
the past several years. More than once, he considered giving up basketball, giving up on school.
On Sunday, he beamed with pride because he didn’t.
“I feel a lot of gratitude,” Davis said. “I’m proud that I got here. I am thankful for everyone who helped.”
His road hasn’t been easy. It hasn’t been perfect. It required a lot of forgiveness, redemption and a second chance.
Davis is a staple on the 21stranked UH men’s basketball team now, but it didn’t start that way.
Long before becoming a steady inside presence for the Cougars, he was a standout at Indiana.
While playing for the Hoosiers, he went through two public incidents — one that nearly took his life and the other that led to his dismissal from the Big Ten program.
During his sophomore year, Davis was hit by a car driven by one of his teammates. Both had been drinking. Davis suffered a head injury and was in a coma for several days.
“I think about that a lot, being in that hospital bed after I woke up,” he said. “Seeing my mom next to me, seeing other people who also went through terrible brain injuries and were maybe never going to walk again.
“It was really tough, but I still believed then that I would play again, that I could still do it.”
He missed the entire season and took a redshirt for the year.
After the season ended, Davis was caught in possession of marijuana and was dismissed from the team.
The incident attached a red flag to him in the eyes of potential teams. He transferred to Odessa Junior College and hoped for a shot at more.
“I didn’t know what would happen next,” Davis said. “I wanted to move on from my mistakes and have a chance, but I didn’t know if I would get one.” ‘Uphill battle’
He didn’t even know when he would be cleared to play basketball full time again since he was still recovering from the accident that almost killed him.
“It was definitely an uphill battle,” he said.
While Davis was recovering and getting his footing back, UH assistant coach Kellen Sampson was on the recruiting trail. He’d known about Davis for years.
“He was a star in high school,” Sampson said. “He played for the Eric Gordon AllStars (AAU) and we had that connection.”
Gordon, a Rockets guard, played for UH head coach Kelvin Sampson at Indiana.
Kellen Sampson knew Davis’ story, but he was curious about how he was doing. So he convinced his dad, Kelvin, to take a trip to a junior college showcase in the Dallas area to check him out.
“Immediately, we could see how hard he was playing,” Kellen said. “He had something to prove. He was so good on both sides of the ball.”
It didn’t take long for Kellen to realize that Davis was after redemption. He didn’t want to be known for the mistakes he’d made.
“I saw this parallel right away between him and my dad, who was back in college coaching and also had something to prove,” Kellen said. “I felt like they needed each other. It was one of those feelings you get. I thought it was right.”
So Kellen refused to back off. He was determined to get Davis to UH.
“It was really tough because he was so focused on his JUCO team,” Kellen said. “He never answered the phone. It drove me crazy.”
Kellen quickly figured out, though, that Tiffany was the one to talk to.
Tiffany connected with Kellen and Kelvin Sampson from the start. She saw what they were trying to do at UH, that it was a family affair. A trust was built.
“His mom is his rock,” Kelvin said. “We saw that right away. She fiercely loves her son and they are so close. I could listen to her talk about him for days.”
Davis decided to take the chance and head to Houston for his second chance.
“And then came more adversity,” Kelvin said. “I think Devin started going down that road where he thought he was never going to get a break.”
He suffered two fluke injuries his junior year — the first when an opponent’s fingernail sliced through one of his fingers and caused tendon damage that required surgery. When he was coming back from that, he tore a muscle in the bottom of his foot.
With every setback, Kellen and Kelvin spent time talking with Davis and helping him push through.
“It’s not easy when it always seems like something bad is happening,” Kellen said. “There were times he just wanted to quit, wanted to leave and we would tell him not to give up and to get through the door. But that’s tough.” ‘Part of the family’
Davis felt a closeness to the Sampsons and listened.
“I really trusted them and I felt like part of the family,” he said. “It wasn’t just about basketball with them. They cared about me.”
Davis did get through a tough junior season. And it paid off.
“He wasn’t named the Most Improved Player in the conference,” Kelvin said. “But he is. From where he started to where he is now. And he’s the most consistent player on the team.”
Davis is averaging 10.7 points and 6.2 rebounds this season.
He has been a key factor for the Cougars (24-6), who play in the American Athletic Conference tournament this week in Orlando and then will play in the NCAA Tournament.
“I believe we have a lot left. I know we have what it takes,” said Davis, who will graduate with a sociology degree in May.
“We aren’t done yet. I’m not done yet.”