In September I said my piece on the transfer issue in college basketball. In light of today’s news that the NCAA is revisiting the nuts and bolts of transfer regulations, every blog and sports page on the internet is going to have something to say about it. And Run the Floor is no different. Only I said everything that I needed to say in September, so just read that.
Instead, I’ll be using this news to start a new feature at Run the Floor. It’s called ‘the Scarlet T’ and what it is is a check-in with a transfer. Where’d they come from? Where did they go? What happened?
Today it’s Tulane junior Josh Davis.
Davis was a Raleigh kid, and he committed to play for Sidney Lowe and the hometown Wolfpack. As a freshman he played just over 10 minutes a game, and stood out for his hustle and motor rather than his stats. But he came in as part of a talented six man class which made minutes difficult to come by. Then, after CJ Leslie signed during Davis’ freshman year, he saw the writing on the wall.
He and his family decided to look around for a place where he might have a better opportunity to contribute.
That same offseason Tulane had let go head coach Dave Dickerson who had failed to resurrect a program which hadn’t been to the NCAA Tournament since 1995 or any type of post season since an NIT trip in 2000. Tulane pegged the Citadel’s Ed Conroy as the man for the job. Davis and his family met with the new staff and decided that it was the right fit.
Davis had to watch from the bench that first year as the Green Wave got off to a 12-3 (2-0) start before dropping 14 of their final 15. Last year Davis helped Tulane to a 12-4 start before pre-season 1st Team All-Conference guard Kendall Timmons got hurt. Timmons missed the rest of the season and they went 3-12 the rest of the way. But Davis proved how valuable he could be and averaged 11.2 points and 9.2 boards.
The other thing that came about in the wake of Timmons injury was the blossoming of freshman Rickey Tarrant, who ended up replacing Timmons a member of the post season 1st Team All-Conference.
Now, the trio of Timmons, Davis, and Tarrant are ready to resume what they started last year. And sure enough, the Green Wave is off to another hot start. This time they’re 11-3 and are coming off a win over Alabama which is arguably their biggest win in recent memory.
The player who is carrying this team is junior Josh Davis. He leads the conference in both scoring (18.4) and rebounds (10.1). He had 18 and 12 in the win over Alabama. Tarrant picked up right where he left off last year, and even though Timmons has struggled to re-find his form since his knee injury, senior Jordan Callahan is having his best season and is picking up the slack.
It’s year three of the rebuilding campaign at Tulane, and you have to wonder what Ed Conroy’s pitch was to his first recruit. It’s probably safe to assume that it included Davis leaving Raleigh to lead this program back to the post season – which is exactly what appears to be happening.
