Antoine Davis had a shot of a lifetime.
In the closing seconds of Detroit Mercy’s 71-66 loss to host Youngstown State in a Horizon League men’s basketball tournament quarterfinal matchup, the fifth-year senior launched the final 3-pointer of his NCAA career.
Davis missed history by three points.
Old-school purists are relieved.
If Davis had hit the final-second trey, he would have matched “Pistol” Pete Maravich’s NCAA all-time scoring mark of 3,667 points. To some, the record should remain sacred, considering the eras are so different. Maravich, who played for LSU from 1967-70, didn’t compete with a 3-point arc or a shot clock. And Davis played in 60 more games.
Despite the purists’ pleas for protecting Maravich’s mark, Davis should be lauded for his 3,664 career points. He carried a mid-level program through the COVID-19 pandemic and came up one triple shy of sharing a piece of history.
Now that his NCAA career is complete, what is his next step?
NBA scouts wonder.
Antoine Davis Can Shoot But NBA Scouts Want More
Davis can shoot from long range. NBA range, that is. His other NBA-level assets?
He has some things to prove.
Davis thrives in the Horizon League with crossover dribbles and step-back 3-pointers. His specialty is the catch-and-shoot jump shot. His second-best quality? The catch-and-shoot jump shot.
Despite being the second-leading scorer in NCAA history, Davis is not guaranteed to be picked in the 2023 NBA Draft. The 6-foot-1 guard can score in bunches, as NBA executives appreciate, but his lack of diverse skills is a red flag for scouts.
So is Davis’ age. Not many general managers are lining up for 23-year-old jump-shooting rookies with questionable defensive instincts.
If Davis is not drafted, he likely will have his choice of organizations bidding for his G League services. In the right scenario, Davis could sign a two-way contract and work on fine-tuning fundamentals other than shooting 15,000 jump shots a week.
Cool feature on Antoine and 'Pistol' Pete on ESPN! Catch the Barbasol HL Quarterfinal at No. 1 YSU tonight on ESPN+. #GoTitans #TheChase
Video ➡️ https://t.co/mOhnyhHKCR
— Detroit Mercy Titans (@detroittitans) March 2, 2023
Davis Had Good, Bad Outings
Davis may be a prolific scorer, but he did endure some off-nights.
His Dec. 20, 2020, performance ranks among his worst.
During the COVID-19 challenged campaign, which featured conference teams competing in back-to-back contests, Davis’ outing in his 66th game proved as empty as the stands.
Against Wright State, Davis went 3 of 18 from the field, including 0-for-7 from beyond the 3-point arc. He barely kept his streak of double-digit scoring alive with a late second-half jumper. The streak reached 144 straight games during his finale Thursday.
But most times, Davis’ outings went like his 81st game for Detroit Mercy.
During the 2021 Horizon Tourney opener against Robert Morris, Davis needed 24 points to reach 2,000 for his career. He reached the milestone with a 3-pointer with 19 seconds left in the first half. His scoring surge continued in the second half, finishing with 45 points, which broke the tournament record of 44 set by Xavier’s Byron Larkin in 1987. Davis’ 10 treys also set a tourney mark.
Will Davis’ long-range shooting translate into a Hall of Fame career like Maravich’s?
NBA scouts wonder.
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