Image Credit: TRU WolfPack Athletics/Andrew Snucins

By Adam Donnelly

BIG JOE DOWN UNDER

Former WolfPack basketball stand-out wins MVP award in Australian pro league

Sep 13, 2022 | 4:09 PM

KAMLOOPS — Basketball fans in the city may recognize the man wearing number 9 in blue in the video posted below. That’s him grabbing a board for the Pakenham Warriors. It’s “Big” Joe Davis, the TRU Men’s basketball all-time leading scorer.

After half a season on the WolfPack bench as an assistant coach, Davis made the move Down Under in early 2022. Suffice it to say, it was a good move for Joe.

“I’m pretty… I’m still having a hard time trying to believe it because I just never would have guessed,” Davis says. “I’m pretty proud of it. I came here to achieve that. They gave me a little hardware.”

That hardware is no joke. Davis was named MVP of Basketball Victoria’s Big V B D2 League in 2022. He was also the league’s Top Scorer, averaging more than 24 points per game along with more than nine rebounds.

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He attributes a lot of that success to his time with the TRU WolfPack.

“Like we always say with [WolfPack Head Coach Scott] Clark — being a pro is your approach to the game,” Davis says. “You kind of realize you’re ready and when preparation meets opportunity, you kind of have an opportunity to have a little success with the team.”

“When kids play for you, you kind of tell them, hey, being a pro isn’t being paid. It’s your approach,” Clark says. “How you look after your body, how you prepare for practice, how you prepare for games. Really, you’re either preparing or competing — those are the two things athletes are doing.”

Clark recruited Davis out of Westsyde Secondary, where he thrived under the guidance of Ryan Porter.

“While [Davis] wasn’t a highly recruited player, he had some characteristics that were going to allow him to be successful,” Clark remembers. “He’s a guy you use as a standard-bearer in terms of his approach. He may have averaged around six minutes a game as a freshman. Five years fast forward, he’s a second team Canada West All-Star.”

While Davis’ playing career is just beginning, he’s setting himself up for a coaching career down the road. Joe has recently been selected to run the junior men’s development program for Pakenham.

“I think we’re going to have 15 teams this year, from U12 to U18,” Davis explains. “It’s really exciting for me. I get to run tryouts and host coaching clinics, and do a lot of the stuff I realize, as I get older, I feel more and more passionate about.”

“Joe loves the game of basketball. If you love that game, you want to stay with that game,” Coach Clark says. “We know at some point, a guy’s jumper dries up — I can assure you that my jumper is no longer there.”

And while right now, everything is coming up Joe, there’s been one huge adjustment to his move Down Under.

“I lived with my Mom in Westsyde up until I moved here,” Davis says. “She’s always been super supportive and always been a phenomenal cook and best friend I have at the house. That’s definitely the biggest adjustment, is not having Mom here.”