Time Will Tell for Davis

I've been bashing Mike Davis for some time now, especially when decided to play the part of the IU basketball messiah and resign under the guise of "uniting" the program with the fans. I've ripped him several times times here, here, and here.

Now that he's officially the new head coach of the University of Alabama-Birmingham, others outside of Hoosier Nation are taking notice of these things. The Birmingham News columnist Ray Melick has this to say:

Davis is also a better coach than he is often perceived. But is he a good fit for the program? That's the question UAB must answer.

With Davis, people who have worked with him and around him in the Big Ten keep going back to the same issue - emotional immaturity. One Big Ten basketball official said Davis was the most "immature" coach in Division I basketball, which is saying something when you consider the personality of most Division I coaches.

Davis wore his emotions on his sleeve, and it often interfered with the success of his program. Those emotions were visible in games when Davis couldn't let go of a bad call. When things went against him, he seemed to quit coaching in order to keep
complaining, and at times his teams seemed to quit with him.

Off the court, the whole world watched Davis live out a martyr complex as the coach Indiana didn't want. You know the old saying, "Just because you're paranoid, it doesn't mean everyone isn't out to get you?" While Davis did seem paranoid at times, there were also people at Indiana who did not want him to succeed.

But the main reason Davis finally left Indiana was not because people didn't want him to win, but because his teams didn't win enough, didn't play with a consistent effort, and people got tired of putting up with the brooding and pouting that Davis often did when he was questioned or second-guessed.

Bingo.

Time will tell if Davis turns out to be UAB's messiah or just another stop on his "Be Happy for Me, I'm a Martyr" tour. The locals have certainly welcomed him with open arms and waving palm fronds. Particularly C.M. Newton, Davis's form coach at Alabama:

"Mike's teams at Indiana ran," said C.M. Newton, who coached Davis as a freshman at Alabama. "Now they didn't play the full-court pressure that Mike Anderson's teams played, and he's more of a half-court defensive coach. His will be a fun type of game to watch, jam it inside and go inside-out."

Yeah, well good luck with Davis's style of basketball. We in Hoosier Nation still haven't figured out what the hell we were watching. But like a bad accident, I won't be able to resist checking on UAB. You know, just to make sure I was right about Davis.

Sushi Band-Aids and Other Fun Toys

Just go to Archie McPfee Toys, Gifts & Novelties and enjoy.



My personal favorite? The Jesus Playing Hoops Statue:



Jesus busts out the sky hook, an almost unstoppable move, especially when playing basketball against a couple of little kids. Let everyone know JC is the MVP of your team and place this 7" ceramic statue in your home or office.