CINDER-OWL STORY
Former 21st Century star Johnell Davis leads Florida Atlantic into the Sweet 16 after setting NCAA Tournament record
When Florida Atlantic’s Johnell Davis returns home to Gary over the summer, Larry Upshaw prepares for the former 21st Century star’s arrival.
Upshaw, who just completed his third season as 21st Century’s coach with another semistate appearance, was an assistant during Davis’ illustrious high school career, and Davis is anything but a stranger to those summer workouts that include players from his alma mater.
“It’s overtime work with him,” Upshaw said. “I know when he’s coming, I have to put in extra work too. He’s a gym rat.
“I know his work ethic. He’s been working toward this his whole life. I watched him work in high school, and it was an extremely high level for a high school kid, and it’s just carried over to college.”
That’s why Upshaw says of Davis, a 6-foot-4 third-year sophomore guard who has been at the forefront of Florida Atlantic’s history-making run to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament, “I’m proud of him. But I’m not surprised.”
Neither, really, is Davis.
As ninth-seeded Florida Atlantic (33-3) gets ready to play fourth-seeded Tennessee (25-10) at Madison Square Garden at 8 p.m. Thursday, Davis is averaging a team-high 13.9 points and 5.4 rebounds. He posted 6.8 points and 4.2 rebounds last season.
“Just getting in the gym more,” Davis told the Post-Tribune on Tuesday night. “Working on my craft, working on my game. Talking to the coaches and working with them. Anything I needed to do to play more. I had the energy and the feel to do it. I just needed to get more shots up every day — morning, afternoon, after practice, at night.”
Davis’ efforts reached a crescendo with a record-setting display in the Owls’ 78-70 victory against 16th-seeded Fairleigh Dickinson on Sunday.
In that second-round game, Davis authored an all-around stellar performance with 29 points, a career-high 12 rebounds, five assists and five steals. He became the first player in the history of the men’s tournament to put up at least 25 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and five steals since
steals became an official statistic in 1986.
“I just thought, ‘Man, I really did something nobody else did,’ ” he said. “I couldn’t express how I felt, what happened. I was just playing to play, just to win with my teammates.”
Davis’ postgame TV interview, with its authenticity and with an expletive sneaking out of his mouth, went viral.
“I’ve seen it so many times,” he said. “Before the tournament even started, I turned my notifications off. I have to get some sleep at night.”
When he’s not sleeping, Davis is soaking up the experience of what has been a magical season for him and his team.
Florida Atlantic, which has set a program record for victories, won both the regular-season and tournament titles in Conference USA. The Owls then notched their first NCAA Tournament win in just their second appearance, taking down Memphis in the first round.
“It’s been like a movie, really,” Davis said. “Just living with the guys, my teammates. It’s all been nice. I’m just living in the moment, waiting for the next game.
“I’m just thinking of it as another game. You still have to work.”
That straightforward approach resulted in Davis, who came off the bench for most of the season, making the all-conference first team and earning the Sixth Player of the Year Award.
“He sacrificed his starting spot and everything that comes with that for the good of the team,” Florida Atlantic coach Dusty May said after Davis was selected. “I’m very proud of his energy, and the production that he brought when he came into the game made an immediate impact every night.”
Davis made an indelible impact at 21st Century, scoring 2,228 points, which ranks 25th among boys in state history. The Region’s only boys player to score more points than Davis is Delray Brooks, a 1984 Rogers graduate who ranks 18th with 2,324.
Davis was an Indiana All-Star and was the 201920 Post-Tribune Boys Basketball Player of the Year, averaging 31.4 points, 9.8 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 4.6 steals as a senior. With Rodney Williams as the coach, Davis helped 21st Century win four straight sectional championships and a regional title as a freshman.
Davis believes the Cougars could have far surpassed that regional title when he was a senior and hasn’t forgotten how the 2020 season ended. The Indiana High School Athletic Association canceled the rest of the tournament after sectionals as sports nationwide shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“That’s something in the back of my mind,” Davis said. “We could’ve won state that year, and COVID came. But with what happened before, I know we could’ve done it.”
Davis keeps in consistent contact with Upshaw and 21st Century assistants Quincy Taylor and Torrence Hayes. They talk about the Cougars and developing his game.
“I’m really close with all of those guys,” Davis said. “When I come back home, I get in the gym, work out with them all the time and the high school guys.”
Upshaw appreciates Davis’ willingness to spend quality time, sharing his knowledge and what he has learned.
“It gives them a shot to know there’s a possibility,” Upshaw said. “When Nelly comes back for the open gyms, he embeds stuff into those young kids, and he really works with them. Knowing it’s a possibility, it gives the kids hope. Kids have dreams, and he’s living out his dreams.
“He did everything we asked him to do in the classroom and on the court. To use his words, he really just wants to get his family on to better things.”
Davis embraces setting an example for youngsters at 21st Century, in Gary and around the Region.
“You can do anything you work for,” he said. “The past couple of years, I wasn’t the man. I’ve been patient, waiting my turn, and everything is going to come to you. If you put in the work consistently, it will come to you.”