Henrico sophomore follows father but has own specialties

By Fred Jeter

Published: January 1, 2009

Like father, like son ...  well, sort of.

Trey Davis takes after his dad, John, in that he excels at basketball. That’s about where the similarities end.

“Our games are totally different. .¤.¤. My brother even asked if I was sure Trey was mine,“ John Davis said, jokingly.

John Davis, 6-5, is remembered at the University of Richmond (1983-86) as a rugged inside defender and backboard crasher.

Trey Davis, a 6-4, 185-pound Henrico High School sophomore with size-15 sneakers, is quicker, springier and more of a perimeter threat. He averages 21 points a game for coach
Vance Harmon’s 7-4 Warriors.

“Dad was an undersized post player,“ Trey said. “I’m more of a big guard.“

John added, “Trey’s already a better shooter and scorer than I was and a better all-round athlete. I could jump, but not like him.“

Giant killer: John Davis helped UR to a 66-28 record in three starting seasons under coach Dick Tarrant. He averaged seven points and nearly 10 rebounds and two blocked shots while often matched with the opposition’s big man.

His proudest memory is UR’s upset of Auburn, featuring Charles Barkley, in the 1984 NCAA tournament.

“I’ve seen that game on SportsCenter classics a lot,“ Trey said.

A future Spider? Already, UR has offered Trey a scholarship. His father and mother (Erika) are UR graduates.

“Trey is definitely one of the budding stars in the area,“ Harmon said. “We’re also getting interest from Virginia, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest and VCU.“

Trey is no hurry to make a decision.

“I’m real happy with the UR offer. It shows my hard work is paying off,“ he said. “But I’m not satisfied with just one [offer]. Hopefully, others will come.“

Growth spurt: Davis immediately cracked Harmon’s lineup his freshman year. Since then, he has sprouted two inches and gained 20 pounds.

There was no offseason, per se. Between this season and last, Davis played AAU for Boo Williams, lifted weights and maintained a 4.0-plus grade-point average (on 5.0 scale) in Henrico’s International Baccalaureate program. His sophomore courses are algebra 2, chemistry, Virginia/U.S. government, English 10 and phys-ed.

Dedication: Davis’ success has been found at the intersection of natural talent and hard work.

Harmon gave his squad two days off before Henrico’s holiday tourney. On Dec. 24 and Christmas Day, Davis hooked up with teammates Kris Walden and Tory Burston for shooting sessions at Henrico.

“I just thought two days off was too much,“ he said.

Harmon said, “Trey is going to be a special player. Well, he already is. And he’s going to keep getting better.“