RELIVING ‘MOODY MAGIC’
DAVIS’ LEGACY WAS BORN AT SMU. MEMPHIS’ STAR WILL MAKE HIS RETURN
Kendric Davis will return to Moody Coliseum for the first time since his legacy was born there. h Davis spent three seasons at SMU, giving most opponents fits the whole time. Especially at Moody Coliseum, where the defending AAC Player of the Year conjured up plenty of “Moody magic.” With Davis running the show, the Mustangs went 38-5 at home – a record that included two wins over Houston, and victories over the likes of Dayton and Vanderbilt.
Now, on Thursday (8 p.m., ESPN2), Davis will return in a Memphis basketball uniform. Well on his way to a second AAC Player of the Year honor, the league's leading scorer and top assist man has been looking forward to facing SMU in Dallas from the second he made his transfer to the Tigers official.
“Me and coach (Penny Hardaway) was just talking about how he might have to calm me down a little bit,” Davis said Tuesday. “Reunion game, so you know, emotions gonna be high. My family gonna be there. A lot of people I know gonna be there. So, yeah, it's one that I'm ready for.”
Davis has Memphis (22-7, 12-4 AAC) rolling. The Tigers have won 10 of their last 12 games and sit in second place in the league standings behind Houston, the nation's No. 1 team. Two games remain in the regular season. Memphis will either be the 2seed
or the 3-seed at next week's AAC Tournament at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth.
SMU (10-19, 5-11) has not fared so well since Davis and quite a few others, including former coach Tim Jankovich, departed. But that isn't fooling the Tigers. The Mustangs, under new coach Rob Lanier, have a Quad 1 win over Utah State and have talented players such as guards Zhuric Phelps, Zach Nutall and Jalen Smith. Phelps and Smith combined to score 33 points in SMU'S 99-84 loss at Memphis on Jan. 26.
Davis especially expects the fans that once adored him will try to make life very difficult for him on Thursday.
“I don't know. I would hope (they greet me) with
cheers, I hope,” he said. “I don't know. If it ain't, still gotta play basketball. I'm pretty sure (the student section) is gonna harass me with all type of things. (But) I gave three great years there. I'm just looking forward to going in there and trying to take care of business.”
Hardaway knows as well as anyone how tricky returning to a special place can be on a player, especially from an emotional standpoint. He still remembers well how it felt for him having to go back to Orlando as an opposing player after he spent six seasons with the Magic
helping turn that franchise's fortunes around.
“There's nothing that can prepare you for that,” Hardaway said. “He's gonna have nerves. He's about business as well. (But) going to the arena for shootaround, being on campus again – it's gonna give him some emotions. So, we're gonna have to help him.”
How will he do that?
“'Take deep breaths. You know it's gonna be a little weird, so just try to get past it as fast as you can,'” Hardaway said. “'Once the game starts, you'll be OK.'”
Reach sports writer Jason Munz at jason.munz@commercialappeal.com or on Twitter @munzly.