By BY BRUCE HIXON – SPORTS EDITOR
It is understandable why most people in this area may not recall former Jefferson Davis Community College Warhawks basketball player Kelvin Davis.
Davis hasn't suited up in a JDCC uniform since 1979 and he hasn't suited up in any basketball uniform since he finished his collegiate career at Alabama State in 1981.
Long after most players Davis' age turn in their shirt, shorts and sneakers, the 47-year-old is trying find his skills again and a spot with the Atlanta Vision of the American Basketball Association.
Davis started to pursue his dream last winter when he met Vision's team owner Quentin Townsend at an Atlanta Hawks game.
Davis showed the Vision coaching staff enough skills at that tryout to earn a return trip to the team's veterans camp that will be held next month. Davis is one of 26 players who will try to earn one of the Vision's 15 roster spots.
If Davis does indeed land a spot with the Vision, he will be what is believed to be the oldest rookie to play pro basketball anywhere in the world.
Davis, who currently serves as a minister in the Fayetteville region, knows he still has a lot of work to do to make his dream possible.
Despite his age, Davis said he still brings many skills to the floor.
dish the ball off well. Another strength that surprises a lot of people is my rebounding. I've got about a 22-inch vertical jump that allows me to get a lot of rebounds. What I can't get from jumping, I can often get by positioning, which goes back to experience. The biggest thing I love to do is play defense.”
On the flip side, Davis said the biggest thing he needs to work on is his footwork.
Davis indicated his wife, Stephanie, and their five children, have been big supporters of his attempt to make the Vision.
Davis, who graduated from the former Lyeffion High School located just northwest of Evergreen where he averaged 21 points a game as a senior, said he has fond memories of the two seasons he spent at JDCC. Davis averaged about 11 points a game in his two seasons with the Warhawks.
Davis, who still has family in the Evergreen area, was a key contributor at Alabama State and helped that team to a 27-1 record during his junior season.
Alabama State was hit hard by graduation after that season and won only 15 games during Davis' senior year.