Davison Photos by Kyle Thornton

Fans get money's worth with Davison

By Michael Butler

All you needed to see was about three seconds. The brief sample was plenty. JD Davison was as good as advertised.

Defending Class 2A champion Calhoun beat Tallassee 70-55 in the Tigers' first action on the home court at Stumberg Gymnasium since Dec. 5.

The visiting team's point guard is regarded as one of the best players in the country. A five-star recruit, Davison is committed to play with the University of Alabama next season.

He was averaging 44 points per game entering the contest with Tallassee. He was held well below his average, scoring 19. But, Davison was a factor all over the Stumberg floor - from contesting shots, to no-look zip passes to a thunderous dunk that ended the first half.

On that play, Davison grabbed a rebound on the baseline under Tallassee's basket and crusied coast to coast in just three seconds finishing with a jam that left all fans oohing and aahing - the fans who were fortunate enough to get a ticket.

Due to a spike in COVID cases that caused the month plus cancellation of extracurricular events, only 90 tickets were sold for the game. They sold out in five minutes.

Davison has been going to the courts since the age of three. Rivals ranks him as the No. 13 prospect in the nation. 247 Sports has him at No. 9. ESPN puts him at No. 11.

The hype of Davison was amped up even more after he commented on a video posted by Tiger Nation on Facebook. It is the kind of attention Davison sees wherever he goes.

Davison had fun at the expense of Tallassee head coach Keiven Mixson, commenting on his "bell bottoms." Mixson enjoyed the exchange, grinning while pointing at the cut of his pants while walking along the sideline prior to game time.

Davison says he enjoys the attention.

"Everything is good," he said, "the coaches, the fans, the recruiting process. It's not hard. I'm used to it."

Tallassee's Tae Collins led all scorers with 20 points connecting on five 3-pointers. Jamicah Humphery scored 17.

The Tigers fell to 3-4 on the season. Calhoun improved to 9-6. The two teams are scheduled to play again on Jan. 28 in Letohatchee.

*JD Davison Interview with Graham Dunn
*Photos by Kyle Thornton