Mark Davis (born December 23, 1960) is an American-Australian former professional
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...
player. He most notably played in the
National Basketball League for the
Adelaide 36ers
The Adelaide 36ers, also known as the Sixers, are an Australian professional men's basketball team in the National Basketball League (NBL). The 36ers are the only team in the league representing the state of South Australia and are based in th ...
between 1985 and 2001, gaining the nickname of "The Chairman of the Boards" for his record-breaking rebounding achievements.
Born in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Davis became an Australian citizen in 1992.
College career
Davis began his college basketball career playing for the
Temple Owls. He spent his final two seasons with the
St. Augustine's Falcons. In his senior season in 1982–83, he averaged 20.5 points per game.
Professional career
Davis' first professional gig came in
1984
Events
January
* January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888.
* January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeast A ...
, playing for
Hamilton in the
New Zealand NBL. There, he was named
rebounding champion.
He then spent the 1984–85 season playing in Mexico for
Dorados de Chihuahua
Dorados de Chihuahua (English: Chihuahua Goldens) are a refounded baseball team from the city of Chihuahua. Recently, the Tuneros de San Luis moved to Chihuahua and took the Dorados namesake, which also brought the LMB (AAA) Mexican Baseball Le ...
where he helped the team win the championship.
[Mark Davis Basketball Camp – About]
/ref>
In 1985, Davis moved to Adelaide where he joined both the South Adelaide Panthers of the SA State League. According to long time 36ers and Panthers teammate Scott Ninnis, Davis was actually the Panthers 2nd choice and was only recruited to the club after 6'9" (205 cm) American centre
Center or centre may refer to:
Mathematics
*Center (geometry), the middle of an object
* Center (algebra), used in various contexts
** Center (group theory)
** Center (ring theory)
* Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentricity ...
Bill Coon left after just 4 days in Adelaide.
Davis then came to the attention of 36ers' coach Ken Cole after dominating performances for the Panthers. Davis was signed by the 36ers five games into the 1985 NBL season
The 1985 NBL season was the seventh season of competition since its establishment in 1979. A total of 14 teams contested the league.
Regular season
The 1985 regular season took place over 18 rounds between 12 April 1985 and 18 August 1985.
Roun ...
and made an immediate impact, forming the league's leading front-court combination with Peter Ali and fellow import Bill Jones. Davis made his NBL debut for Adelaide on 4 May 1985 in a Round 4 clash with the Bankstown Bruins at the Apollo Stadium
Apollo Stadium (officially called the Apollo Entertainment Centre) was a multi-purpose indoor arena located at 41 Kingston Avenue, Richmond, South Australia, just 5 minutes from the Adelaide city centre. The stadium had an original seating capac ...
in Adelaide. He showed he would be a player to be reckoned with by top scoring for the home side with 32 points while grabbing 14 rebounds in a 117–110 Adelaide win. Davis won the club's MVP award after averaging 27.9 points, 17.6 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.3 steals per game. He scored a season-high 42 points (which would remain the 36ers single game record until beaten by Darryl Pearce with a 48-point game in 1988) in Adelaide's 144–112 win over St Kilda in Melbourne, while his season-high rebound game was again at home against the Canberra Cannons
The Canberra Cannons are a defunct basketball team that competed in Australia's National Basketball League (NBL). They went into financial administration in 2003 and were relocated to Newcastle, where they became the Hunter Pirates. After thi ...
when he pulled down 29 boards, just two shy of the 36ers record of 31 held by Dan Clausen. The 36ers, including guards Al Green
Albert Leornes Greene (born April 13, 1946), better known as Al Green, is an American singer, songwriter, pastor and record producer best known for recording a series of soul hit singles in the early 1970s, including " Take Me to the River", ...
, Darryl Pearce and Mike McKay, made its first Grand Final appearance that season against the Brisbane Bullets
The Brisbane Bullets are an Australian professional men's basketball team in the National Basketball League (NBL) based in Brisbane, Queensland. They competed from 1979 to 2008, and returned to the league in 2016. Brisbane were one of ten NBL fo ...
but did not win.
By the start of the 1986 NBL season, Davis was already regarded as the premier power forward in the country, and with a team leading 25.3 points and 16.1 rebounds per game, led the 36ers to their second straight Grand Final in 1986
The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations.
Events January
* January 1
**Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles.
** Spain and Portugal ent ...
on a back of a 24–2 record (including going 13–0 at the Apollo Stadium). Davis went on to lead the 36ers to the championship in three games over the Bullets in the NBL's inaugural Grand Final series, winning the NBL's inaugural Grand Final MVP award in the process. Although he was a power forward, Davis was named at centre in the All-NBL First Team for 1986 – the first of 5 times he was named to the All NBL team.
Following the 36ers championship win over Brisbane, Davis spent the off-season playing for the Long Island Knights in the United States Basketball League (USBL) before returning to Adelaide for the start of the 1987 NBL season
The 1987 NBL season was the ninth season of competition since its establishment in 1979. A total of 14 teams contested the league. Three of the Melbourne-based clubs rebranded themselves in the off season, with the Nundawading Spectres renaming ...
. Davis' great form continued in 1987 and he was rewarded when he was named joint NBL Most Valuable Player with Brisbane's Leroy Loggins
Leroy Loggins (born 20 December 1957) is an Australian-American former professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball League (NBL) from 1981 until 2001.
College career
Born in New Brunswick, New Jersey, Loggins attended F ...
, while also gaining All-NBL First Team honours. Davis averaged 26.1 points and 17.5 rebounds in his MVP season and 1987 saw the 36ers finish the regular season in first place, but the defending champions were upset in a three-game semi-final series against the emerging Perth Wildcats
The Perth Wildcats are an Australian professional basketball team based in Perth, Western Australia. The Wildcats compete in the National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home games at RAC Arena, known colloquially as "The Jungle".
Aft ...
. The season was also the first year that Davis led the league in total rebounding – an achievement he would repeat in 1992 and would lead to his nickname "Chairman of the Boards".
In 1990, Davis was named captain of the 36ers by new coach (and long time 36ers assistant coach) Don Shipway. 1990 would also be the first time since 1983
The year 1983 saw both the official beginning of the Internet and the first mobile cellular telephone call.
Events January
* January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to TCP/IP is officially completed (this is considered to be the beginning ...
that the 36ers would miss the NBL Finals. With Davis leading the way, along with new point guard Butch Hays, 6'10" (208 cm) centres Mark Bradtke
Mark Robert Bradtke (born 27 September 1969) is an Australian retired professional basketball player who played mainly in Australia's National Basketball League, but also had a single stint in the National Basketball Association (NBA) with the ...
and Brett Wheeler and guards Darryl Pearce and Mike McKay, the 36ers returned to the playoffs in 1991
File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Ph ...
but were bundled out in the Semi-finals by the Perth Wildcats.
The 36ers won a place in the 1994 Grand Final series against the North Melbourne Giants
The North Melbourne Giants, previously known as the Coburg Giants, were an Australian professional basketball team based in Melbourne
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of ...
, though Davis' impact was limited after suffering a dislocated shoulder in Game 1 of Adelaide's Semi-finals series sweep of the reigning NBL champion Melbourne Tigers. In the 3rd period of the game, Davis had grabbed a defensive rebound and as he prepared to throw a long pass for a fast break, Tigers forward Dave Simmons attempted to swat the ball away but collected his right arm instead, instantly dislocating his shoulder. With the team missing his scoring and rebounding (he averaged 21.7 points and 12.9 rebounds in the regular season and had averaged 16.5 points and 11.3 rebounds in the playoffs), the 36ers produced a hard-fought win in Game 2 in Melbourne. Davis underwent intense physio treatment in order to be ready for the Grand Final series against the Giants and did return to the side for the series, but ultimately the 36ers were swept in two games. 1994 would also be the first time that the name Mark Davis would not appear on the club's MVP award as new recruit (and the reigning NBL MVP from 1993) Robert Rose won the award. To that point Davis had won every 36ers Club MVP award since 1985.
Davis remained captain of the 36ers until the end of 1996
File:1996 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: A Centennial Olympic Park bombing, bomb explodes at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, set off by a radical Anti-abortion violence, anti-abortionist; The center fuel tank explodes on TWA Flight 8 ...
when he was replaced by Australian Boomers representative Brett Maher. He went on to win two more NBL championships (now as a sixth man) in 1998
1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''.
Events January
* January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently s ...
and 1998–99. On 13 December 1999, in a 90–74 win over the Brisbane Bullets
The Brisbane Bullets are an Australian professional men's basketball team in the National Basketball League (NBL) based in Brisbane, Queensland. They competed from 1979 to 2008, and returned to the league in 2016. Brisbane were one of ten NBL fo ...
, Davis grabbed his 5,000th NBL rebound, becoming the first NBL player to reach the mark. Davis' rebounding record of 5,200 was broken by former 36ers teammate Mark Bradtke
Mark Robert Bradtke (born 27 September 1969) is an Australian retired professional basketball player who played mainly in Australia's National Basketball League, but also had a single stint in the National Basketball Association (NBA) with the ...
on 21 November 2003 in Adelaide, with Davis on hand to present Bradtke with the match ball.
Davis is the 36ers' all-time leader in free throws made (2,037), free throws attempted (2,888), rebounds (5,200), and blocked shots (301).
Davis also continued to play for the South Adelaide Panthers during his time with the 36ers. He won five championships with the Panthers and a record five Woollacott Medals.[South Adelaide Panthers retire Michael Ahmatt’s #8, Scott Ninnis’ #9 and Mark Davis’ #33 uniform numbers]
/ref>
National team career
After becoming an Australian citizen in 1992 and serving the FIBA
The International Basketball Federation (FIBA ; French: ) is an association of national organizations which governs the sport of basketball worldwide. Originally known as the (hence FIBA), in 1989 it dropped the word ''amateur'' from its na ...
required 3-year residency period, Davis was selected to play for the Australian Boomers
The Australian men's national basketball team, known as the Boomers after the slang term for a male kangaroo, represents Australia in international basketball competition.
Since the late 1980s, Australia has been placed among the world elite ...
in 1995, playing in the opening three games of a five-game series against the Magic Johnson All-Stars. Davis made his Boomers debut at home in Adelaide against the All-Stars on 7 March 1995.
Retirement and basketball camp
Davis continues to call Adelaide home following his retirement and started up the "Mark Davis Basketball Camp" in 2004. Davis himself gives expert coaching with help from various past and present NBL/NBA players including Willie Simmons and Butch Hays, as well as personnel from the Adelaide Lightning
The Adelaide Lightning is an Australian professional women's basketball team competing in the Women's National Basketball League ( WNBL). The club is based in the city of Adelaide, South Australia. The club was formed in 1993 and they play in ...
and various Paralympians.
Honours and Accolades
Davis is honoured as one of only four players to have their number retired by the Adelaide 36ers. His #33 jersey hangs in the rafters of Adelaide Arena
Adelaide Arena (known commercially as Adelaide 36ers Arena) is a multipurpose indoor sports stadium located in Findon, an inner western suburb of Adelaide, South Australia.
It is the former home arena for the Adelaide 36ers of the NBL and th ...
, alongside #4 Darryl Pearce, #5 Brett Maher and #15 Al Green. Maher, who replaced Davis as 36ers captain in 1997 when Davis' career was winding down and his role changed from being a starter to the team's sixth man, also played his entire NBL career with the Adelaide 36ers. Just inside the main entrance to the Adelaide Arena, a bronze bust of Davis sits in place underneath a plaque giving a bio of Davis' achievements with the 36ers (''pictured right)''.
The Adelaide 36ers club MVP award is named the ''Mark Davis Trophy'' in his honour. Davis was the first winner of the award in 1985 and won the award nine times conclusively up to and including 1993. Davis is also the only 36ers player to have won the NBL's MVP award. Davis (1986, 1998 and 1999), Brett Maher, Paul Rees, Rupert Sapwell and Jason Williams (all 1998, 1999 and 2002) are the only players to have won three or more NBL championships with the 36ers, while Davis (1986), Kevin Brooks (1998) and Brett Maher (1999 and 2002) are the only 36ers to win the Grand Final MVP award. Davis was also named in the NBL's 20th Anniversary Team in 1998 and its 25th Anniversary Team in 2003.
Davis was inducted into the Australian Basketball Hall of Fame
The Australian Basketball Hall of Fame was instituted by the National Basketball League (NBL) in 1998 as the ''NBL Hall of Fame'' as part of their 20th season celebrations. The NBL initiated the Hall of Fame to recognise the outstanding players ...
in 2006 for his services to the NBL.
In March 2015, Davis' #33 was also retired by his local Adelaide club, the South Adelaide Panthers who he joined in 1985 and with whom he won the SA State League championship in 1987, 1989, 1991, 1995 and 1997 as winning a record 5 Woollacott Medals as the fairest and most brilliant player in South Australia. His number was retired along with the #8 of fellow Australian Basketball Hall of Fame member Michael Ah Matt, and the #9 of long time 36ers and Panthers championship winning teammate Scott Ninnis.
In November 2015 in an online poll conducted by Adelaide's daily newspaper '' The Advertiser'', Davis was selected at Power forward in the fans choice for the Adelaide 36ers best ever team. Davis polled the most votes from the fans (83.28%) for any position. The fans choice team was Mark Bradtke (centre), Davis (PF), Robert Rose ( Small forward), Brett Maher (shooting guard) and Darnell Mee
LaFarrell Darnell Mee (born February 11, 1971) is an American former professional basketball player who played 12 seasons in the National Basketball League (NBL). He played college basketball for Western Kentucky before being selected by the Gol ...
(Point guard), Phil Smyth (coach).Green-Pearce are 36ers icons but are they the best? Take our online poll
/ref>
NBL career stats
References
External links
NBL stats
Mark Davis Camps website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Davis, Mark
1960 births
Living people
Adelaide 36ers players
African-American basketball players
American expatriate basketball people in Australia
American expatriate basketball people in Mexico
American expatriate basketball people in New Zealand
American men's basketball players
Australian men's basketball players
Basketball players from Philadelphia
Basketball players from South Australia
Power forwards (basketball)
St. Augustine's Falcons men's basketball players
Temple Owls men's basketball players
United States Basketball League players
21st-century African-American people
20th-century African-American sportspeople