San Jose State has its initial verbal 2010 commitment.
A high schooler selecting a college, especially from the usual numerous institutions offering athletic scholarships to a certain player, is solely an envious one when viewed from afar. If such a process can be compared to determining a future spouse -- a situation which has some similarities but obviously some major differences -- it's akin to having a handful of attractive would-be partners willing to provide an "I do" verbally and then on official letterhead. It's a time of mutual dreams, surrounded by 'sweet nothing' (often in the truest sense) whisperings, generally with little or no talk of any possible bumps in the road ahead. Centennial's Kurt Davis has just completed that process and he and his family are excited as he will be playing next season in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC).
"I chose San Jose State because it felt like a good fit -- the playing style, the school and the relationship I developed with the coaching staff," Davis explained.
Curtis Davis, Kurt's Davis' father, offered a similar take. "We took a trip up there about six weeks ago and everything felt right, the campus, the coaches, the school itself. My wife loved it. Coach [George] Nessman has four kids of his own and he is the type of coach and person you can approach and talk about anything. We just had the feeling that it fit."
So who and what will San Jose State fans be enjoying come 2010-2011?
"My best skills are passing and running the floor," Davis said.
Marlon Morton, coach of Davis' BCA (Blue Chip Athlete) club team, elaborated: "Kurt is one of the elite wings in California and he wants to get better at everything. He's a really good young man, very intense and very coachable. As a coach, you know what you are getting with Kurt. He's a steal for them [San Jose State]."
Davis is first and foremost a competitor , not backing down to any challenges or challenger. "My Dad always told me to go hard and give it 100%," he said.
Echoing the sentiment expressed by Morton, Centennial Coach Vadim Malikin said this of his protégé: "Kurt's a talented wing who passes well and is a good scorer in transition. He plays a number of positions for us."
Santa Monica City College assistant coach Joe Cascio, also an assistant with the LA Rockfish club basketball team, included Davis in an earlier interview in which he was commenting on a dozen or so southern California prepsters. Then when asked who in the group possesses the best potential for positively surprising fans during college, Cascio said,"Probably Kurt Davis. To me, he looks like he might already be 6-6 or 6-7 and is very athletic. Once his basketball IQ catches up with his body (and it will) he will be pretty darn good."
As to where Davis will see the most time at San Jose State, he said the Spartan coaches have told him "I'll play as a three and a two."
But first Davis and Centennial have one more high school season together and he has big plans. "We're going to win league this [coming] season, for sure, and we want to play in the CIF and then state," Davis stated. Malikin's squad went 17-10 overall last season, 9-1 in Pioneer League play in winning the title.
Actually, there is a little something even prior to that competition. For the first time, he will play football for Centennial, this as a wide receiver. "We were out on the field playing, just sort of joking around and the [Centennial] football coach saw us and asked if I would like to play," Davis said. He's been participating in 7-on-7 passing leagues this summer in addition to his hoops endeavors.
With Davis currently standing at 6-foot-6, the Centennial quarterback will just need to get the football -- say alley-oop it -- into his vicinity.
The shooting guards and wings in the WAC may just need to learn cornerback skills.
We still remember this very sad day. But we also recall the many great moments Ricky Berry gave us.
San Jose State has its initial verbal 2010 commitment.
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