We continue our 2016-17 season preview interview series with Dayton SR PG Kyle Davis. He has started every single game for the Flyers during the past 2 years and developed a reputation as a clutch shooter by making game winning shots last season against Miami Ohio/VCU. In addition to his production on the offensive end he was also named the team’s Best Defender as a freshman and sophomore. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with KD about being a senior leader and making 3 straight NCAA tourneys…so far.
You grew up in Chicago and received a ton of scholarship offers, but said that you choose Dayton due to your connection with their players/coaches and their style of play: what part of their style has been the best fit for you? Coach Miller just lets his players play to their strengths: we can run up and down the court and I like how the offense flows.
You won the team’s Best Defender Award as both a freshman and sophomore: what is your secret for playing great defense? Coming from Chicago I had to play against some of the toughest players in the city so I took pride in playing defense and found my niche as a defender in college.
In the 2014 NCAA tourney Vee Sanford made a layup with 3.8 seconds left in a 1-PT win over Ohio State: for people who live outside the state, can you explain how big a deal that was? It was a big deal throughout the state because the Buckeyes are supposed to be the big program that runs the state, so for a “little” school like us to actually beat them meant a lot.
In the 2015 1st 4 you scored 3 PTS in a 1-PT win over Boise State: how much of a home-court advantage did you have at UD Arena, and were you worried that the refs were going to call a foul on you when Derrick Marks leaned into you before missing a 3-PT shot at the buzzer? We had a big home court advantage as well as support from people all around the world. I was not really worried about getting called for a foul: I left my feet but went straight up while Marks tried to initiate the contact.
Last year you were a co-captain and made a pair of game-winning shots against Miami OH/VCU: what is the key to being a good leader/clutch player? The key to being a good leader is just leading by example both on the court and in the classroom. I try to be vocal every day and teach the younger guys whatever I can. The leaders our team had during my freshman year did not jump down our backs: it was a teaching point for us since the coaches are on our backs every day. There is no key to being clutch: Coach tells all of us to always be ready at the key moments so I was focused when I got my chance.
In the 2016 NCAA tourney you scored 9 PTS in a loss to Syracuse: do you think the Orange were out for revenge after you beat them in the 2014 NCAA tourney, and what did you learn from the loss that you think will help you this year? I do not think they were out for revenge: we were just not as mentally focused/prepared as we should have been as a team. We were looking ahead and it just caught up with us at the end. It was a tough loss but it is motivation for us as we gear up for our final season as seniors.
You are 1 of 7 seniors on the roster: how crucial will all of that experience be to your team’s success? It is valuable to our team because we have been in clutch moments before and know what to do. However, we cannot win every game by ourselves so we need to get our younger players into the game and build trust in them during clutch situations.
You play for Coach Archie Miller: what makes him such a good coach, and what is the most important thing that you have ever learned from him? He understands the game because he played it on the highest level. He motivates us every day in practice both individually and as a team. I was not playing great defense last year down the stretch but he always told me that he believed in me.
1 of your 2 freshmen is 6’10” Kostas Antetokounmpo, whose brothers Giannis/Thanasis are in the NBA: have you learned how to pronounce his name yet, and do you think he will have a big impact this year as the tallest player on the team? I learned how to pronounce his 1st name…but his last name is kind of difficult! I got a feel for his game during an open gym: he has a lot to learn but is a great piece to our puzzle.
What are your goals for the upcoming season, and what are your expectations for the upcoming season? My goal is to take 1 game at a time, win the regular season title, and hopefully win the A-10 tourney. I would also love to make the NCAA tourney for the 4th year in a row. I expect us to give our all and leave everything out on the court.