Antoine Davis is set to lead the University Detroit Mercy into the Division I Horizon League Tournament, but that's not the reason why his name is in the news. The Titans basketball player is making waves in the college scene by inching closer and closer to one of the most revered records in the history of the sport. Davis is within striking distance of LSU legend Pete Maravich's all-time NCAA scoring record of 3,667 career points.
But as with all things sports, there's a catch.
Context Paints Two Pictures For Pete Maravich and Antoine Davis' Records
Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images
Let's clear this up from the jump: I'm not a fan of asterisks in sports. In my opinion, an asterisk feels more like a punishment in the baseball, football or basketball history books. It's not helpful, nor does it shine a light on the incredible feat that took place. Simply put, an asterisk doesn't fulfill its intended purpose of adding context to a record. That's what I like. I love context. And when it comes to Davis breaking Maravich's record, there's a lot of context surrounding that feat.
Ask any college hoops player who ever took the floor for Texas, Alabama, Maryland, Houston, Kentucky, Indiana, Kansas or IUPUI (Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis), and they'll tell you that scoring 3,600 points is crazy. In fact, including Davis and Maravich, only 11 men's basketball scorers have ever crossed the 3,000-point mark in their college careers, with only five doing so in the 21st century. That's a lot of field goals.
However, with regard to context, of those 11 players, Davis has played in the second-highest number of games. Depending on how far Detroit Mercy's head coach and Antoine's father, Mike Davis, can take his team in the Horizon Tournament, Davis could actually have the most games played. On the other side of the coin, Maravich played in the fewest games. To add even more context, Pistol Pete is the only player on the 3,000 career points scoring list to complete the feat in fewer than 100 games, setting his NCAA record in only 83 games.
Another thing that sets Davis and Maravich apart is a change in the way the game was played. When Maravich set his record, all he had were free throws and field goals to rack up points. For the Calihan Hall scoring king, Davis had the use of the 3-pointer, something that had not been implemented into the game during any regular season or NCAA Tournament games that Maravich played in. But it's not as if Davis has used the 3-point shot to climb the rankings, right?
Well, it just so happens that Davis is the NCAA Division I record holder for 3-pointers, passing Wofford's Fletcher MaGee with over 580 threes made.
Already we're seeing how Maravich's total point record looks different from the one that Davis is on pace to break. But that still shouldn't take away from the fact that what Davis has done is astounding. Records are meant to be broken, and I'm sure that Jacob Gilyard's steals record will fall in the next 50 years, as will Tom Gola's rebound record and Bobby Hurley's assist record.
Records are Meant to Be Broken
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The NBA has changed the way the game of basketball is played from the AAU level through the high school and college games. The 3-point shot is here to stay, and it's given the sport new life. So if you're griping that Davis got his record in games against Purdue Fort Wayne, Wright State, Oakland and Youngstown State, remember that the game has changed drastically since Pistol Pete exploded on the scene with LSU. Change is good for the game — it's how we get players such as Michael Jordan, Steph Curry and Giannis Antetokounmpo.
There will be more players like Antoine Davis in the next few decades changing the way the game is played. Context can show us how much the game has evolved, but it shouldn't be used to punish incredible players who are simply playing the game within the established rules.
If you're upset about Maravich's record being taken down by Davis, that's fine. However, I do have an old adage for you that may clear up your feelings:
"Don't hate the player, hate the game."
