Mark Davis (basketball, born 1960)
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born |
December 23, 1960 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Nationality | American / Australian |
| Listed height | 201 cm (6 ft 7 in) |
| Listed weight | 95 kg (209 lb) |
| Career information | |
| College | Temple (1979–1981) |
| Position | Power forward |
| Career history | |
| 1981–1982 | Lancaster Lightning (CBA) |
| 1985 | South Adelaide Panthers (CABL) |
| 1985–2001 | Adelaide 36ers |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Mark Davis (born December 23, 1960) is a retired American-Australian professional basketball player who played from 1985 to 2001 with the National Basketball League's Adelaide 36ers, gaining the nickname of "The Chairman of the Boards" for his record breaking rebounding achievements, though to his friends and team mates he was always known as "Pudd".
Professional career
Davis, a graduate of Temple University in Philadelphia, began his professional career in 1981 with the Lancaster Lightning who played in the Continental Basketball Association (CBA), winning the championship in the same season. He then had short stints in New Zealand and with Dorados Chihuahua in Mexico (where he won another championship), and in New Zealand before coming to Adelaide, South Australia to play for the South Adelaide Panthers.
He soon came to the attention of Adelaide 36ers NBL coach Ken Cole and just 5 games into the 1985 NBL season, Davis was signed by the NBL club. Davis made an immediate impact, forming the league's leading front-court combination with Moscow Olympian Peter Ali, and fellow import, 6'9" (206 cm) team captain and centre Bill Jones. The 36ers, including guards Al Green, Darryl Pearce and 1985 NBL Rookie of the Year Mike McKay, made its first Grand Final appearance that season against the Brisbane Bullets. After a record 151-103 Semi-final win over Newcastle, Adelaide were the favourite heading into the game at the Sleeman Sports Centre in Brisbane, but the team suffered a shock 90-125 loss to a Bullets team coached by Brian Kerle and featuring future NBL Hall of Famers Leroy Loggins, Cal Bruton, Larry Sengstock, Danny Morseu and "The Rat" Ron Radliff.
Mark Davis made his NBL debut for Adelaide on 4 May 1985 in a Round 4 clash with the Bankstown Bruins at the Apollo Stadium in Adelaide. He showed he would be a player to be reckoned with by top scoring for the home side with 32 points while grabbing 14 rebounds in a 117-110 Adelaide win. Although he only played in 22 games for the 36ers during 1985, Davis won the club's MVP award after averaging 27.9 points, 17.6 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.3 steals per game. He scored a season high 42 points (which would remain the 36ers single game record until beaten by Darryl Pearce with a 48-point game in 1988) in Adelaide's 144-112 win over St Kilda in Melbourne, while his season high rebound game was again at home against the Canberra Cannons when he pulled down 29 boards, just two shy of the 36ers record of 31 held by Dan Clausen
By the start of the 1986 NBL season the 6'7" (201 cm) scoring and rebounding sensation was already regarded as the premier Power forward in the country, and with a team leading 25.3 points and 16.1 rebounds per game, led the 36ers to their second straight Grand Final in 1986 on a back of a 24-2 record (including going 13-0 at the Apollo Stadium). Davis would lead the 36ers to the championship in 3 games over the Bullets in the NBL's inaugural Grand Final series (from 1979-1985 all GF's were a single game), winning the NBL's inaugural Grand Final MVP award in the process.
Ken Cole was sacked as coach following the 1986 championship and in his place came Gary Fox. Despite the change of coach, Davis' great form continued in 1987 and he was rewarded when he was named joint NBL MVP with Brisbane's Leroy Loggins (as of the end of the 2014-15 NBL season Davis is the only 36er to win the league's highest individual award), while also gaining All-NBL First Team honours.[1] Davis averaged 26.1 points and 17.5 rebounds in his MVP season and 1987 saw the 36ers finish the regular season in 1st place, but the defending champions were bundled out in a 3-game Semi-final series against the emerging Perth Wildcats. The season was also the first year that Davis led the league in total rebounding, an achievement he would repeat in 1992.[2]
1987 also saw the start of the rivalry between Davis and Perth Wildcats 6'8" (203 cm) Power Forward / Centre James Crawford. Both were import players (until Davis became an Australian citizen), and friends off the court. Davis and Crawford would electrify the crowds at the Apollo Stadium or Clipsal Powerhouse in Adelaide and the Superdome and Entertainment Centre in Perth, with their spectacular dunks, general athleticism and rebounding with each often playing a major role in their teams wins.
Early in his NBL career Davis attained the nickname 'Chairman of the Boards' because of his dominance on the boards and in 1990 he was named captain of the 36ers. Under coach Mike Dunlap, the 36ers won a place in the 1994 Grand Final series against North Melbourne Giants, though Davis' imact was limited after suffering a dislocated shoulder in Adelaide's win over reigning NBL champions the Melbourne Tigers in the Semi-finals with the team missing his scoring and rebounding (he averaged 21.7 points and 12.9 rebounds in the regular season and had averaged 16.5 points and 11.3 rebounds in the playoffs).
Mark Davis remained captain of the 36ers until the end of 1996 when he was replaced by Australian Boomers representative Brett Maher. He would go on to win two more NBL championships (now as a sixth man) in 1998 and 1998-99. On the 13th of December 1999 in a 90 to 74 win over the Brisbane Bullets Davis grabbed his 5,000th NBL rebound, becoming the first NBL player to reach the mark. Davis' rebounding record of 5,200 was broken by former 36ers team mate Mark Bradtke on Friday 21 November 2003 in Adelaide, with Davis on hand to present Bradtke with the match ball. A year after retiring, he came to Nuriootpa Primary School and gave out free tickets and calendars.[3]
Mark Davis is the Adelaide 36ers all-time leader in Free Throws made (2,037), Free Throws attempted (2,888), Rebounds (5,200) and Blocked Shots (301).
Retirement
Mark Davis still lives in Adelaide and during the summer school holidays he hosts an annual camp for kids at Immanuel College called the "Mark Davis Basketball Camp". Davis himself gives expert coaching with help from various past and present Adelaide 36ers including Al Green, Brett Maher and Willie Simmons, as well as players and coaches of Adelaide's Women's National Basketball League team the Adelaide Lightning and Australian Paralympian (and 1996 Paralimpic Gold Medallist) David Gould.[4]
Mark Davis is currently the Head Basketball Coach at Adelaide's Prince Alfred College. He was the assistant coach for the South All-Stars team at the 2012 NBL All-Star Game played at the Adelaide Arena.
Honors and Accolades
Mark Davis has been honoured as one of only two players to have their number retired by the Adelaide 36ers. His #33 jersey hangs high at the 36ers home, the Adelaide Arena, alongside the #5 the club's games record holder Brett Maher. Maher, who replaced Davis as 36ers captain in 1997 when Davis' career was winding down and his role changed from being a starter to the team's 6th man, also played his entire NBL career with the Adelaide 36ers.
The Adelaide 36ers club MVP award is named the Mark Davis Trophy in his honour. Davis was the first winner of the award in 1985 and won the award nine times conclusively up to and including 1993. Davis is also the only ever 36ers player to have won the NBL's MVP award.
Just inside the main entrance to the Adelaide Arena, a bronze bust of Davis sits in place underneath a plaque giving a bio of Davis' achievements with the Adelaide 36ers.
Mark Davis, Brett Maher, Paul Rees and Rupert Sapwell are the only players to have won 3 or more NBL Championships with the Adelaide 36ers.
Honour roll
| NBL career: | 1985–2001 |
| Adelaide 36ers MVP: | 9 (1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993) |
| NBL Grand Final appearances: | 5 (1985, 1986, 1994, 1998, 1998/99) |
| NBL Championships: | 3 (1986, 1998, 1998/99) |
| NBL Grand Final MVP: | 1986 |
| NBL Most Valuable Player: | 1987 |
| All-NBL First Team: | 4 (1987, 1988, 1989, 1991) |
| NBL All-Star Game: | 8 (1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995) |
| NBL All-Star Game MVP: | 1991 |
| NBL 20th Anniversary Team: | 1998 |
| NBL 25th Anniversary Team: | 2003 |
NBL career stats
| Games: | 482 |
| Rebounds: | 5,200 (3,221 def, 1,979 off - All time 2nd - 10.8 pg ) |
| Points: | 8,752 (18.2 pg) |
| Free Throws: | 2,037 / 2,888 (70.5%) |
| Field Goals: | 3,235 / 6,664 (48.5%) |
| 3 Points: | 245 / 791 (31.0%) |
| Steals: | 481 (1.0 pg) |
| Assists: | 818 (1.7 pg) |
| Blocked Shots: | 301 (0.6 pg) |
References
External links
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