The Detroit Mercy still isn’t ready to give up their star player’s pursuit of one of college basketball’s most cherished records.
Athletic director Robert Vowels said Tuesday his school continues to weigh entry into the lower-level postseason tournament to give Antoine Davis one last opportunity to break Pete Maravich’s NCAA scoring record.
“At this time, the University of Detroit Mercy men’s basketball team has not been invited and has not accepted any postseason invitations,” Vowles said in a statement. “We are looking into all the factors if the offer is extended, but until then we will have no comment on this.”
Davis’ record run seemed to end in the Horizon League quarterfinals last Thursday night when he missed a hurried three-pointer in the final seconds of the Detroit Mercy’s 71-66 loss to Youngstown State. Thus, Davis scored 3664 career points, which is three short of 3667, which the legendary Pistol Pete scored in just three years at LSU.
While the Detroit Mercy won’t be getting an NCAA or NIT berth due to its 14-19 record, head coach Mike Davis hasn’t ruled out playing the paid-for College Basketball Invitational to extend his son’s career by one more game. . On Thursday night, Davis Sr. said he would “definitely accept any invitation” but added that the decision would “be more up to the players.”
According to Gazelle Group President Rick Giles, to participate in the CBI Detroit Mercy, you must receive an invitation and pay an entry fee of $27,500. Giles told Sportzshala Sports on Friday that the Detroit Mercy is “definitely under consideration,” underscored in a tweet sent by the CBI’s Twitter account last Thursday evening.
The legality of Antoine Davis’ harassment of Maravich was already the subject of heated debate even before the Detroit Mercy began exploring CBI involvement. Many argued that Davis could not be the rightful college basketball scorer king, that his feat would be accompanied by a huge star. In the end, it took Davis 144 games to get close to what Maravich did in 83.
Maravich played at LSU during an era when freshmen were not yet eligible to go to university. Over the course of three years, he averaged an unfathomable, almost mythical 44.2 points per game, despite not having shot timer advantage or the three-point line. Due to rule changes caused by disruptions due to COVID-19, Davis received an NCAA waiver allowing him to play five full seasons with the Detroit Mercy. He scored 25.4 points per game in the Titans’ struggling program, which set losing records in all but one of its five seasons.
If Davis broke the record in the Horizon League tournament, it would just be a comparison to Maravich. If Davis breaks him in a CBI game in the first round, it will feel artificial at best.
Last Thursday evening, after trailing Maravich by three points, Davis answered a reporter’s question about playing in the CBI. He said he “wouldn’t have a problem” with it, but wasn’t too excited about the possibility.
“Everyone wants to get into the NCAA Tournament,” Davis said. “Nobody wants to go and play in – no disrespect to CBI and NIT.”
Source: sports.yahoo.com
