Hall of Fame Class of 2017: Larry Davis

Sept. 20, 2017 By Josh Hyber/Spurs & Feathers

Larry Davis was at home in Charlotte when he received a phone call from a South Carolina administrator informing him he would be part of the school’s Athletics Hall of Fame class of 2017.

“I thought it was a prank,” said Davis, who played for the Gamecocks during the 1995-96 and 1996-97 seasons. “I thought someone was playing a joke on me. It caught me completely off guard. But when I found out it was legitimate, I was so excited.”

Davis, who played his junior and senior seasons at South Carolina, was a two-time all-SEC selection who led the Gamecocks to 24 wins, a No. 4 national ranking and an NCAA Tournament appearance in 1997.

His scoring mark of 1,068 points is the second-most scored by a two-year player.

“There were a lot of great players and people who came before me who are deserving of it, so for the University to recognize me, I’m completely shocked and honored,” Davis said.

“It’s one of the greatest honors I’ve ever received.”

Davis — along with seven other honorees — will be inducted on Thursday, Sept. 21 at the Zone at Williams-Brice Stadium, and recognized at the South Carolina-Louisiana Tech football game on Saturday, Sept. 23.

When Davis found out about the honor, the former Gamecock guard called his mom as well as several former teammates and coaches who played a role in his career.

We were a band of brothers that came together.

Larry Davis

“Dad, were you really good enough to be in the Hall of Fame?” one of his sons asked.

He was.

Davis was named first-team All-SEC by the AP in 1997 and a third-team All-American by Basketball Weekly. The sharpshooter made 152 three-point field goals during his career and led the Gamecocks in scoring during the 1995-96 season.

Davis, who graduated from Denmark-Olar High School and played two seasons at North Carolina before transferring to South Carolina, remembered games against Kentucky and a game against Florida in which the Gamecocks trailed the Gators by 13 points late and pulled out a victory in Gainesville.

“When you look back at an honor like this, you start to think about all the people who played a role in you getting it,” Davis said. “You think about all teammates and all the coaches, the people who prepared you for that opportunity to get to that level.”

He named backcourt mates Melvin Watson and B.J. Mckie, the only other players to average double-digit points those seasons.

“But so many guys played a major part in us being successful,” he said. “Those guys who set screens to get me open and those guys who had my back defensively, that’s what it’s all about. We were a band of brothers that came together.”

While on campus in Columbia, Davis interacted with people from “all walks of life,” which helped him understand things about the world he later used during his seven years playing ball outside the United States.

Davis played in Spain, Belgium, Korea, Venezuela, the Dominican Republic, Israel and Colombia during his professional career, and was able to transition to adult life and professional life because of the diverse classmates he had at South Carolina.

“Those experiences and those opportunities, I wouldn’t have been prepared for if I wasn’t prepared first at the University of South Carolina,” Davis said.

Davis has had several coaching stints after his playing career, most recently as the director of basketball operations for Newberry College and James Madison. He now trains and mentors young athletes in Gastonia, N.C.

He also has four sons.

Any future Gamecocks? Last year his twin boys, who were in fifth grade, won a national basketball tournament.

“I would love for them to be in the garnet and black,” Davis said. “And they love the Gamecocks. During the Final Four, they were running around in my old jerseys. They’re definitely Gamecocks.”

So too is their dad, who will now forever be remembered in South Carolina lore.

Said Davis, “We’re looking forward to getting back to Columbia and taking part in it.”