Colleges

LSU's jolly giant works to create own legend

Glen Davis draws Shaq comparisons, but his performance has him carving his own niche.

By ANTONYA ENGLISH
Published March 21, 2006

Glen Davis understands the inevitable comparisons, from body type and size to the alma mater. The LSU sophomore center has heard it over and over again.

But with all due respect, he'd like to defer the talk of how much he and his game resemble that of former Tiger and NBA star Shaquille O'Neal.

Yes, both are big men who are agile and can dominate inside. Both have excelled in college. Both have catchy nicknames, with Davis affectionately known as "Big Baby." And each can give comedian Chris Rock a run for his money when it comes to entertaining anyone within earshot.

Yet Davis wants it known, he's no Baby Shaq.

"It's always good to be compared to the big guy, but I want my own foot in immortality," Davis said last week. "I want it to be "Big Baby' for the rest of my life, not Baby Shaq, or Shaquille or whatever. I just want to have my own stamp, you know? I want little kids to say, "Hey that's Big Baby,' not Baby Shaq. Big Baby. Hey, he looks like Big Baby or Glen Davis. So it's always good to be compared to Shaq, he's a phenomenal player, one of the greatest to ever play the game. But, I want to be my own man. BB. Glen Davis."

Over nearly two seasons, Davis has become the man for the LSU Tigers. At 6-foot-9, 310 pounds, he is a force inside and leads the team with 18.6 points and 10 rebounds per game.

No.4-seeded LSU (25-8) plays No.1 seed Duke at 7:10 p.m. Thursday in the Georgia Dome. And it is Davis' presence in the middle that could produce matchup problems for the Blue Devils. Guarding him one-on-one is generally considered a bad idea, so when Davis posts up, teams are forced to double him.

"You just don't see a lot of players like Glen Davis in college basketball," Florida coach Billy Donovan said.

Davis has posted a double double in 11 of the past 13 games and has 37 straight games in double figures in points. He has had a career-high 28 points twice this season, including the SEC tournament quarterfinals.

"Every game, you know what you're going to get," LSU coach John Brady said. "It's not one game where he gets seven or eight and then he gets 25. It's a consistent performance, and I think consistency is the mark of a player that's valuable."

Davis, 20, earned his nickname as a 9-year-old PeeWee League football player who was chided for crying and being "a big baby" when he competed against players at least three years older. His size forced him to play up in the next league.

His football career came to an end his senior year in high school after Brady suggested he focus on basketball full time.

"I was the greatest running back to ever come through Baton Rouge, La.; I was taking it to the house, every Friday night," Davis said. "But then Coach Brady said he wanted me to play basketball. He said you're going to hurt your knees. And I said, "Yes sir, where do I sign at?' So I quit my senior year. No regrets. I'm loving the game of basketball right now."

For good reason.

Davis led the SEC in rebounding and was named SEC player of the year after winning freshman of the year honors last season. But his teammates said he is as invaluable off the court as on. It is Davis who keeps things light, the big guy who can't be serious if he tries.

"He's just a big, jolly ... Glen," teammate and lifelong friend Tyrus Thomas said. "I mean, whenever you're down or frustrated, you can count on him to be just Glen. He's the life of the team. He's the team clown. He's amazing, you know."

"He's a character," said guard Darrel Mitchell, who scored the winning basket in the waning seconds Saturday against Texas A&M to send the Tigers to the Sweet 16. "In practice he's cracking jokes all the time to get us going. When we're going in practice, if somebody fouls him he'll exaggerate it and make all kinds of noise. It's just simple stuff like that that makes us laugh. He's a big, great guy."

For Brady, who is in his ninth season at LSU and a serious man by nature, having Davis and this talented group of best friends has caused him to lighten up and enjoy the ride more. Four of his starters, Thomas, Tasmin Mitchell, Garrett Temple and Davis, grew up together playing AAU ball. Brady has become an honorary member of this tight unit, led by Davis.

"He's beautiful, isn't he?," Brady said after walking in on one of Davis' interviews. "There's nothing sacred in our locker room. Try to get serious with that team and Glen will break that all down in a heartbeat. But they've been good for me. It's a good group to coach. I just hope the traveling road show can continue."

You can catch at least one more show live this week.

[Last modified March 21, 2006, 02:30:40]