DePaul University Athletics
Davis Made DePaul His "Sweet Home" in Chicago
1/19/2011 12:00:00 AM | DEPAUL ATHLETICS FUND
Jan. 19, 2011
(Fourth in a series of stories running Sunday through Friday portraying the six inductees into the DePaul Athletic Hall of Fame)
Nobody thought Terry Davis would go too far away from his native Atlanta to play basketball in college.
That included Davis himself.
"My final choices were Georgia Tech, Georgia, Auburn, Tulane and DePaul," Davis said. "I was an only child, so I wanted to go away for college and have a chance to grow up on my own.
"I didn't want to go too far. I thought it would be Auburn or Tulane."
But the relentless pursuit and persuasive powers of Blue Demon assistant coach Jim Molinari won out in the end.
"Coach Molinari convinced me at the last moment to choose DePaul," Davis said.
And now, after a sparkling career in Lincoln Park, Davis is being inducted into the DePaul Athletic Hall of Fame on Sunday, Jan. 23rd during a banquet at McGrath Arena.
"At first, it was hard for me to believe it," said Davis, who helped lead DePaul to the NCAA tournament in 1991 and 1992 and to the third round of the NIT in 1990. "I was taken aback a little bit.
"Then, I talked to a bunch of people who kept saying I was deserving of the honor. After everything settled in, it was like, yeah---this is cool."
Davis (1989-93) is the eighth-leading scorer all-time in DePaul history with 1,534 points. The 6-foot, 4-inch guard is fifth all-time in field goals with 623 and fourth in career minutes with 3,657. He averaged 15.5 points a game in his final season and was named to the Great Midwest Conference All-Tournament Team.
"I was rated the No. 2 high school basketball player in Georgia my senior year and mostly SEC schools were recruiting me," Davis said. "I had heard only scary things about Chicago---the gangs, cold weather, stuff like that.
"After my visit to DePaul, it was a done deal. I could see that Chicago wasn't anything like I had heard and that DePaul was actually in a very nice area. I recognized the names of the former DePaul players who went to the NBA.
"I liked the father-and-son coaching tradition of Ray and Joey Meyer. Michael Jordan was my idol, and he was right there in Chicago playing for the Bulls.
"My parents, relatives and friends could watch me play on superstation WGN-TV. There was an opportunity to play right away at a great academic school."
Davis didn't get a chance to play his first eight games.
"Like any other top prospect, I had my ego," Davis said. "I had to make an adjustment. It wasn't just about me anymore. I'd work hard in practice but still didn't see the floor.
"Then came the time coach Joey Meyer put me in the game for defense. I did a good job guarding my guy, and from that point on, he left me on the court.
"It was my defense and work ethic that got me on the floor."
After cracking the starting lineup for good, Davis wound up garnering some freshmen All-American honors. He was second-team All-Great Midwest Conference in 1992.
"B.J. Tyler from Texas and Deryl Cunningham from St. Joseph High School came in with me as freshmen, and both had bigger names than me," Davis recalled. "Deryl and I took longer to crack the lineup.
"It was us two against the world. We had to show the upperclassmen that we were serious about earning their respect."
Davis remembers playing on the same teams with David Booth and Stephen Howard.
"David made it easier for the rest of us," Davis said. "He was the target of double-teams. It left a lot of openings for me.
"All we had to do was play our role and make the shot that David would create for us."
Facing Georgia Tech in the '91 NCAA tournament opener in Dayton was a special moment for Davis.
"Their coach, Bobby Cremins, had come to my house to recruit me," Davis said. "I grew up in College Park, Ga., a 15-minute drive south of Atlanta. I got to play against Kenny Anderson and Dennis Scott, and my family got to see me.
"Even though we lost the game, it was still a highlight for me."
Davis has been a teacher and assistant athletic director in his 10 years at Francis Parker High School and is currently the Colonels' assistant basketball coach. He is ready for a Blue Demon return to glory.
"It's hard to imagine my school not going to the NCAA tournament on a regular basis," Davis said. "But I like what I'm seeing this season, and I think coach Oliver Purnell can do it.
"It's going to take a few years. Once coach Purnell has a chance to get his guys in, the press is going to be that much better.
"It's going to be great to see DePaul back in the swing of things."
Thursday: Jenny Bruno, Softball