ST. LOUIS (1/8/2019) -- The awards continue to pour in for University of Detroit Mercy freshman
Antoine Davis as he was tabbed the Wayman Tisdale National Freshman of the Week for games ending the week of Jan. 6. Davis was selected by CBSSports.com's Matt Norlander, in partnership with the U.S. Basketball Writers Association.
Norlander wrote of the Birmingham, Alabama, product, "This is our easiest pick of the season to date. Davis has been dominating in relative obscurity, but he's unquestionably one of the best freshmen in college hoops. He's our Freshman of the Week in light of averaging 40.5 points and 5.5 rebounds in his past two games last week, highlighted by 48 points against preseason Horizon League favorite Wright State. He followed that up with 33 against Northern Kentucky, maybe the second-best team in the conference."
"Davis is the son of
Mike Davis, the coach at Detroit. This is all turning into one pretty sweet story."
Davis posted 48 points against Wright State - just one shy of the school record and the fourth highest scoring total in a conference game in the 40-year history of the Horizon League. He tied his own school record going 10-of-15 from behind the arc and a season-best 15-of-24 from the field, while grabbing six rebounds.
The five-time HL Freshman and two-time Player of the Week followed that up with 33 points versus NKU, with a 13-of-24 performance from the field and three more 3-pointers to bring his season total to 81 on the year.
Davis is now second in the nation in the country in scoring at 27.3 ppg., and has 11, 20-point games, seven 30+ performances and a pair of 40-point efforts in his first 16 collegiate contests. His 81 triples is seventh in school history as he is pursuing the NCAA freshman 3-point record of 122 by Stephen Curry in 2006-07.
He also has 437 points on the year, third most as a freshman in school history behind Ray McCallum's 446 in 2009-10 and John Long's 445 in 1974-74.
The late Wayman Tisdale was a three-time USBWA All-American at the University of Oklahoma. Following a stint on the 1984 U.S. Olympic basketball team, he played 12 seasons in the NBA before retiring in 1997 to focus on a blossoming jazz music career. In March 2007, he was diagnosed with cancer and, following a courageous and difficult battle that included the amputation of his right leg in 2008, he passed away in May 2009.
The U.S. Basketball Writers Association was formed in 1956 at the urging of then-NCAA Executive Director Walter Byers. With more than 900 members worldwide, it is one of the most influential organizations in college basketball. It has selected an All-America team since the 1956-57 season. For more information on the USBWA and its award programs, contact executive director Joe Mitch at 314-795-6821.
