Overview

A crowd favorite, "Big Baby" was LSU's big man on campus in more ways than one.

Known for his ability to dominate as a rebounder, Davis was also known for his massive frame and similarities in his production to the best player to ever wear a Tigers' uniform -- Shaquille O'Neal. Davis and O'Neal are the only players in Schoolhistory to register 1,500 career points, 900 rebounds and 100 blocked shots.

Trying to create his own identity, Davis switched from jersey number 34 (O'Neal's old number) to zero prior to the 2005-06 season.

"The number change is something I had wanted to do. When you ask, number 34 who is that? Baby Shaq," Davis stated. "No offense to Shaq, but I want my own identity, my own number with my own thing. No one has zero so hopefully I can just let this one ride. Also it is a symbol of where I started from just to keep me level headed. Zero, I started with nothing. It always makes me think to back when I was little and what I had to do to get to this moment."

A three-sport standout at University High School, Davis concentrated on basketball his senior season, but also had a stellar career at tailback on the football team and also tossed the shot put for the track team. As a senior, he averaged 26.4 points, 14.3 rebounds and four blocks.

In basketball, he earned Parade and McDonald's All-American honors, was named the Gatorade Player of the Year in the state of Louisiana, the Athlete of the Year award as chosen by the Baton Rouge Advocate and was named Mr. Basketball by the Louisiana Sports Writers Association. He also earned Most Valuable Player honors in Class 2A as well as being named the MVP of the Top 28 Class 2A Tournament.

As a freshman at Louisiana State in 2004-05, Davis became the third player to play for coach Tom Brady to earned Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Year honors, joining Torris Bright (2000) and Brandon Bass (2003). He started 29 games after coming off the bench in the opener, averaging 29.2 minutes, 13.5 points, 8.8 rebounds and 1.4 blocks a game. He shot over 50 percent from the floor (51.3 percent, 138 of 269) and showed a good touch at the free-throw line, making 69.8 percent (127 of 182) of his attempts.

Davis scored in double figures in 22 games and rebounded in double figures 12 times with 10 double-doubles. He registered at least 20 points in four contests, highlighted by 28 vs. South Carolina, 27 vs. Southern Mississippi and 26 vs. Arkansas. He finished the season 15th in the league in scoring, second in rebounds and ninth in blocks. He also finished third among the league freshman in scoring and first in rebounding.

In 2005-06, Davis became the second-consecutive LSU player to earn SEC Freshman of the Year honors and then follow it up with a SEC Player of the Year accolades. He led the league with a scoring average of 18.6 points per game and had a league-best 9.7 rebounds per game, becoming just the fifth player in the conference since 1961 to lead the league in both scoring and rebounding since 1965, joining Clyde Lee, Vanderbilt (1977), Bernard King, Tennessee (1985), Kenny Walker, Kentucky (1991) and Shaquille O'Neal, LSU.

Davis became the 10th LSU player to lead the league in scoring (a total of 18 times) since the SEC was founded in 1933. He made 49.5 percent of his field-goal attempts (250 of 505), fourth best in the SEC and also led the league in offensive rebounds at 4.03 a game. He had 14 20-plus point games and nineteen double-doubles for the season.

Davis scored 28 points vs. Vanderbilt in the SEC Tournament and repeated that total vs. Kentucky. In conference play, he led the league in rebounds at 10.2 per game and had double-doubles in 10 of the last 16 games the Tigers played.

Named to the final ballot of 22 for the Wooden All-American team, Davis was a consensus first-team All-SEC choice by the league coaches and Associated Press in 2006-07. He was a first team All-District VII pick, as chosen by the NABC and was on the USBWA All-District team. Despite missing four games late in the season with a strained quad muscle, he won the league rebounding title with an average of 10.4 boards a game. It marked the second- straight year that Davis led the league in boards, becoming the first to win the title in successive seasons since Erwin Dudley of Alabama won it in 2001-02-03.

Davis is the first player to average a double-double at LSU since Jaime Lloreda in 2004. He finished third in the league in scoring at 17.7 points per game and was ranked in the top 10 in field-goal percentage (48.4 percent). He had a league-leading 15 double- doubles, including 10 in which he scored 20 points per more.

On March 20, Davis announced that he would forgo his final year of eligibility at LSU to enter the 2007 NBA Draft. Since he also announced that he signed with an agent, he forfeited the remainder of his college eligibility.

"Last year our team had great success," Davis stated. "I was fortunate to be on one of LSU's four Final Four teams. One of my reasons for not leaving last year was my hope I could go even further this year, but that didn't happen. Initially I did not feel ready to make the transition to the NBA, both mentally and physically. After having one of the toughest years of my career, I believe that I am now both mentally and physically ready to make the move to the next level."

Davis closed out his career as just one of five players in LSU history to block 100 career shots and is presently third all-time behind only Shaquille O'Neal (412) and Stromile Swift (130) with 110 bocks. He ranks fifth in Schoolhistory with 429 free throws made and averaged 32 minutes per game, playing in 95 games with 93 starts. He is just the sixth player in LSU history to have 1,500 career points and 900 rebounds and just the second (O'Neal) to have 1,500 career points, 900 rebounds and 100 blocked shots.

Davis shot 49.6 percent from the field (566 of 1,142), including 31 percent from 3-point range (26 of 84) while hitting on 429 of 618 free throws (69.4 percent) for 1,587 points and a 16.7-point scoring average. He averaged 9.6 rebounds per game, grabbing 361 of his 916 boards off the offensive glass. He doled out 147 assists, blocked 110 shots and had 108 steals. He was called for 250 fouls and had 228 turnovers.

Scouting Report

Positives: Has a wide-bodied frame that helps him dominate as a rebounder and low-post scorer...Efficient ball handler who uses his size well to take the opponent off the dribble...He has a strong lower base that prevents the opponent from backing up to the basket to gain position...Gets good leverage when stopping post-up shots and when he drives into the lane, he is nearly impossible to stop...Does a nice job of varying his speed and is adept at using fakes and hesitation moves to force his man to commit...Has the hands to secure the one-bounce pass and drive to the basket...Can put the ball on the floor for a few dribbles without creating the turnover and really likes to crash the offensive glass, where he gets a good amount of his points on putbacks...Has enough hip flexibility to get his shot off coming off the dribble...Lacks great perimeter range, but has worked hard to improve his mid-range jump shot...Feathers the ball into the basket with either hand on layups and is best when coming off the left side of the key...Good at getting away with throwing an elbow from time-to-time without getting caught by the refs...Plays well with his back to the basket, using his strength and wide, powerful base to gain position and make himself available for the entry pass...Effective on the pick-and-roll, using his nimble feet to slide free of defenders and his body to shield them from the ball...Showed better patience vs. double-team defense as a junior, as his court vision has improved and he looks more often for the outlet rather than force up an ill-advised shot...Does a very good job of sealing off his man with his arm strength and is best when attacking the opponent off the dribble...Draws contact well driving to the basket, but needs to improve the release point on his free-throw attempts to capitalize on his chances at the charity stripe...Keeps his hands high and active defensively.

Negatives: Despite a lack of ideal conditioning, he moves up and down the court well for a big man, but would be wise to shed at least 30 pounds of bulk to improve his overall stamina...Generally takes on centers, but lacks the size to play that position at the next level...Listed at 6-foot-9, but is closer to 6-7...Due to his weight, he doesn't get great elevation when attempting his jump shot and is more of a flat-footed shooter...His wingspan is sometimes negated due to his bulk issues as he is slow to get his hands up...Spends more time trying to push and box out his man going for the rebound, as he knows he can't get the height to go for the ball at the top of the rim...For a player of his strength, he should be banging the boards or operating in the paint more often...Likes to play with his back to the basket, but does not show a fade-away jumper or strong move to score over NBA defenders...Gets a bit lazy at times and has stamina issues late in games, as he will tend to lean more with his body rather than get a strong push in attempts to box out his man...Lethargic perimeter defender who can be fooled by hesitation moves and fakes...Gets too cute at times at will try to finesse his man and create off the dribble.

Compares To: CHARLES BARKLEY/OLIVER MILLER. Davis is either going to be a dominant force in the paint or a complete bust that hecklers will love to hound. He talks a good game, but you wonder if that fire in his belly will be there once he gets the paycheck. He likes to be the offensive focus, but NBA coaches aren't going to rely on a wide-body type to take them to the promised land. He's going to have to learn how to be a grunt and do the dirty work at the next level, as there are too many holes in his game.

High School

Attended University (Baton Rouge, La.) High School, playing basketball for head coach Ari Fisher...Earned Parade and McDonald's All-American honors, was named the Gatorade Player of the Year in the state of Louisiana, the Athlete of the Year as chosen by the Baton Rouge Advocate and named Mr. Basketball by the Louisiana Sports Writers Association...Earned Most Valuable Player honors in Class 2A as well as being named the MVP of the Top 28 Class 2A Tournament...During his senior year, he averaged 26.4 points and 14.3 rebounds a game along with four blocks...A three-sport standout, he also had a stellar career at tailback and defensive end on the football team and tossed the shot for the track team.

Personal

Business Management major...Son of Tonya Davis and Donald Robertson...Nickname is "Big Baby"...Born 1/01/86 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

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