Former Detroit Mercy star Antoine Davis made a lot of noise during the 2022-23 NCAA season as he came close to Pete Maravich’s leading scorer. While he failed to tie Maravich’s mark of 3,667 career points, Davis put Detroit Mercy on the basketball map and captured the eyes of basketball fans all season long.
Davis didn’t hear his name during the 2023 NBA draft, but those NBA hopes are far from dashed.
Antoine Davis has grabbed a lot of headlines this season
Antoine Davis made waves this year when he approached the date. Playing in his fifth college season, the 6-foot-1 guard averaged 28.2 points for a Detroit Mercy team that finished 14-19 overall and 9-11 in conference play. While the team struggled, David shone.
Given a fifth year at Detroit Mercy due to the COVID-19 disruptions, Davis took advantage of it. He played 33 matches during the 2022-23 season, collecting 930 points. He shot 41.4% from the floor and 41.2% from three-point land. Davis finished his college career with 3,664 points.
He ran Pete Maravich, who scored 3,667 runs, a record that stood for 53 years. Maravich did his damage in just three seasons, as freshmen were not allowed to play at the collegiate level at the time. He also did not have the advantage of a three-point line and shot clock.
Davis’ run on the Maravich label has not come without controversy. While he has 61 more matches than Maravich under his belt, he has nearly one more. With his team failing to qualify for the NCAA or NIT postseason tournaments, he had another chance with the College Basketball Invitational. CBI is a little known tournament that requires teams to play, though they must get an invitation from CBI. With Davis three points shy of history, it looks like the CBI may call on Detroit Mercy to boost ratings.
“It would set a bad precedent,” Jason Maravich told Sportscasting before the CBI made its decision. “What about the eight teams that finished ahead of them in their conference? They didn’t get an invite? I don’t understand how the NCAA calculates those stats. How does that count when you don’t count my new dad’s stats?”
CBI did the right thing and didn’t send out an invite to Detroit Mercy.
What’s next for Davis?
Davis has done no wrong when it comes to Maravich’s record. He did take some heat, but he simply played by the rules. Even Jason Maravich agreed.
He said, “I didn’t tear the baby at all.” “I’m glad he did so well.”
During the 2023 NBA Draft, Davis was not selected. In all, 58 players were selected, but Davis did not hear his name. This does not mean that his dream of playing in the NBA was shattered.
Davis landed with the Portland Trail Blazers on a 10-present contract after the draft. The Exhibit 10 contract is a one-year deal with a minimum salary that can be converted into a two-way deal. The two-way deal gives teams the flexibility to have their players match their own NBA team and that team’s G League affiliate.
The Blazers were in the news recently regarding the status of All-Star guard Damian Lillard. Lillard has been rumored to be in trade talks that could affect what the Blazers do with a player like Davis. Davis is too talented for his football career to end. He will likely play professionally, but it remains to be seen if he will stay in the NBA.
