Mark Davis (basketball, born 1960)
| Mark Davis | |
|---|---|
| Position | Forward |
| Nickname | Chairman of the Boards Pudd |
| Height | 201 cm (6 ft 7 in) |
| Weight | 95 kg (209 lb) |
| Nationality |  Australia |
| Born | December 23, 1960 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| College/University | Temple University |
| Debut | 1985 |
| Final Game | 2001 |
| Previous Clubs | Adelaide 36ers 1985-2001 |
| Championships | 1986, 1998, 1999 |
| Career Highlights |
NBL Grand Final MVP (1986) |
Mark Davis (born December 23, 1960 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is a retired American born naturalised Australian basketball player who played from 1985 to 2001 with the National Basketball League's Adelaide 36ers, gaining the nickname of "Chairman of the Boards" for his record breaking rebounding achievements.
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[edit] Professional career
Davis, a graduate of Temple University in Philadelphia, was signed by then Adelaide 36ers coach Ken Cole early in the 1985 NBL season after shorts stints in Mexico and New Zealand. Davis made an immediate impact, forming the leagues leading back-court combination with Australian Olympian Peter 'Pa' Ali and fellow import, 6'9" (206 cm) team captain and centre Bill Jones. The back-court, along with guards Al Green and Darryl Pearce lead the team to its first grand final appearance in 1985 against the Brisbane Bullets but the team suffered a shock 90-125 loss at the Chandler Arena in Brisbane. By the start of just his second season with the 36ers in 1986 the 6'7" (201 cm) rebounding sensation was already regarded as the premier Power forward in the country and helped the team to a second grand final in 1986 on a back of a 24-2 record (including going 14-0 at home in the Apollo Stadium). Davis would lead the 36ers to the championship in 3 games over the Bullets, winning the Grand Final MVP award in the process.
Davis' great form continued in 1987 and he was rewarded again when he was named joint NBL MVP with Brisbane's Leroy Loggins (to date the only 36er to win the NBL'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]
He attained the nickname 'Chairman of the Boards' his dominance on the boards and his extraordinary biceps brachii muscles. This not to mention his sculptured svelte physique. Davis would miss the 36ers losing 1994 Grand Final series against the North Melbourne Giants through injury after suffering a dislocated shoulder in Adelaide's defeat of the defending champion Melbourne Tigers in the Semi-finals with the team missing his scoring and rebounding (he averaged 21.7pts and 12.9 rebounds in the regular season and had averaged 16.5pts and 11.3 rebounds in the playoffs).
Mark Davis was captain of the 36ers from 1990 to 1997 and won two more championships (now as a sixth man) in 1998 and 1999. 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 do so. Davis' rebounding record of 5,200 was broken by Mark Bradtke on Friday November 21, 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 calenders.[3]
Mark Davis has also been honored as one of only two players to have their number retired by the Adelaide 36ers. His #33 singlet hangs high at the Adelaide Arena in Adelaide alongside the #5 of another former club captain and long time team mate Brett Maher, who like Davis, played his entire NBL career with the Adelaide 36ers.
[edit] Honour roll
| NBL career: | 1985–2001 |
| NBL Grand Final appearances: | 5 (1985, 1986, 1994, 1998, 1998–99) |
| NBL Championships: | 3 (1986, 1998, 1998–99) |
| NBL Most Valuable Player: | 1987 |
| NBL Grand Final MVP: | 1986 |
| All-NBL First Team: | 4 (1987, 1988, 1989, 1991) |
| NBL 20th Anniversary Team: | 1998 |
| NBL 25th Anniversary Team: | 2003 |
Source: [1]
[edit] NBL career stats
| Games: | 482 |
| Rebounds: | 5,200 (3,221 def, 1,979 off - 10.8pg) |
| Points: | 8,752 (18.1pg) |
| Free Throws: | 2,037 |
| Field Goals: | 3,235 |
| 3 Points: | 245 |
| Steals: | 481 (0.99pg) |
| Assists: | 818 (1.7pg) |
| Blocked Shots: | 301 (0.6pg) |
[edit] References
[edit] External links
| Awards | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by NA |
NBL Grand Final MVP 1986 |
Succeeded by Leroy Loggins |
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