He's the answer to a First State sports trivia question that most people could answer.
Which Delaware college basketball player has spent the most time in the NBA?
That was Emmanual Davis, a Philadelphia native who starred at Delaware State University from 1988 to 1991 before rising to the NBA, reaching the NBA five years after his career with the Hornets ended.
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When Davis was told this, he said, “I didn't know.''
Their acquisition took time, determination, hard work, and continuous improvement during stints in the U.S. minor leagues and with teams overseas.
“What's going on with us and our maturity is saying, 'Not now,'” said Davis, now an assistant coach at a community college in Philadelphia.
“I've been to different camps and they've asked me to do things that I've never seen before. Simple things about basketball, Delaware State has the staff and the coaching. I couldn’t – breaking down drills, understanding how to use screens, defense, things like that.”
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Davis, 55, will be honored at a banquet on April 20 in Dover as one of 12 inductees into the Delaware African American Sports Hall of Fame.
Davis and Delaware's Nate Darling are the only two college students from Delaware to appear in an NBA regular season game, and he played in seven games for the Charlotte Hornets in 2021 and is currently playing in the G League in his native Canada. He is a member of the Ontario Clippers.
Davis was cut seven times by NBA teams before finally making an NBA roster. He said he got there by playing under high-level coaches and against top-notch competition to improve and expand his skills.
“In the process of being cut, you encounter the following,” he said. [long-time NBA coach] Jeff Hornacek, you will encounter [13-year NBA guard] Vernon Maxwell.can play against [long-time Jazz point guard John] Stockton. I was a kid and after they yelled at me a few times I asked, “How did you do that?” ”
Davis, a 6-foot-4 combo guard, played in 226 games in the NBA, starting 62 with Houston (1996-98), Seattle (1999-2001) and Atlanta (2001-2003). He was a notable defender who averaged 4.9 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game while shooting 35 percent from 3-point range.
Getting there was the hard part for Davis.
His stepping stones included the Philadelphia Spirit of the United States Basketball League, the Allentown Jets of the Atlantic Basketball Association, the Yakima Sun Kings and Rockford Lightning of the Continental Basketball Association, and Rimini's Italy.・It was a minor league activity with a league team. In between his NBA stints with the Rockets and SuperSonics, he also played for league teams in France and Greece.
Davis was on several All-League teams and was named CBA Defensive Player of the Year in 1995.
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“I was playing against guys who went to Ohio State and Duke and had great success,” Davis said. He was frustrated, he said, with an unsuccessful attempt to join DSU's coaching staff.
“But by the time I understand the 50 playbook and certain drills, I'm playing catch up all the time. . . . As you watch and learn, they're phenomenal. There's a difference in speed. They're different lengths.”
In addition to Davis, the Hall of Fame also includes Carlton Moss Sr. He was a standout sprinter at PS Dupont High School from 1969 to 1971 and then became a Delaware State prospect. Reggie Barnes, an All-MEAC running back at Delaware State in the late 1980s who went on to have a successful professional career in the Canadian Football League. Ray Bias played quarterback at Newark and Delaware State and later coached at Newark and was a Senior Olympic softball champion. John Wallace, William Penn University graduate and world weightlifting champion. George Stanley Hicks attended Milford College in football, wrestling, and track and field, and was also a football player and wrestler at Delaware State University.
Darryl Hicks was also a standout lineman and wrestler at Milford College and an All-American wrestler at Morgan State University. Samuel Shepard played basketball at Delaware State University and went on to have a long professional career in Venezuela, where he played for the national team in the Olympics and World Championships. Alfred Reed, a Sussex Central football player and star sprinter who went on to play at Delaware State University; Laurel Island native Marcus Gillespie was a star football and baseball player at Georgetown's Jason High School and had a tryout with the Phillies before military service intervened. Kenneth Knox Sr. excelled as a quarterback at Sussex Central and drew attention from Major League Baseball scouts. Gene Packham graduated from Jason High School at Laurel University where he played basketball and baseball and also played at Delaware State University.
Contact Kevin Tresolini at ktresolini@delawareonline.com and follow him on Twitter @kevintresolini. Support local journalism by subscribing to delawareonline.com and DE Game Day Newsletter.
