Overland’s De’Ron Davis is one of the best players to ever play basketball in Colorado. He’s headed to Indiana next fall. (Jack Eberhard/JacksActionShots.com)
Danny Fisher is an Aurora guy. From his playing days at Hinkley, helping to lead the Thunderbirds to their first state title in hoops in 1994 during his senior year, to now being the head coach of the Overland Trailblazers, Fisher knows what basketball means in that city. So when the opportunity came to coach the Trailblazers, he jumped at the chance.
Just as he had helped to inspire Hinkley’s run of success in the 1990’s, three state championship appearances and two titles, Fisher hoped to build another Aurora school into a powerhouse.
And who better to build a program around than De’Ron Davis?
Davis was a freshman then, a 6-foot-9 and 240-pound forward considered one of the nation’s elite players for his age, during Fisher’s first season at Overland. Davis joined forces with childhood friends like Jervae Robinson, Reggie Gibson and Tyler Stevenson, fellow first-year standouts, not to mention talented sophomores like Austin Conway and Ryan Swan.
The seeds were planted. The goals were set.
“They brought a lot of high expectations, but their presence coming into the building, even as freshmen, brought a new wave, a breath of fresh air and something for people to look forward to,” Fisher said.
“We came in thinking four state championships, undefeated all four years, some crazy stuff,” Davis added with a laugh. “But when we played that first game and saw how fast it was, we really had to set back our goals. After that final four game when we lost to (Denver) East (in 2013-14), we knew we were going to do something special, though.”
During Davis’ freshman season, Overland was one of the youngest teams in the state, but still finished with a 15-10 record. ThunderRidge ended their season in the second round of the Class 5A state tournament.
In his sophomore year, they upped the ante and won the stacked Centennial League, posted a 20-7 record and reached the 5A semifinals.
Davis helped lead Overland to the 5A championship last season. (James Bradbury)
Then, with Davis and Gibson in their junior seasons, Conway and Swan in their final high school campaigns, the Trailblazers roared to the 5A state championship by going through Denver East in the semifinals and ThunderRidge in the finals.
Now Overland carries the label of defending state champions. And, among all the talented players in recent years at the school with D-I recruits like Conway (Wyoming) and Swan (Air Force), none have stood taller — literally or figuratively — than the 6-foot-10 power forward.
“If there’s such a thing as a backbone, he is the backbone of this program,” Fisher said. “I think as the years pass he’ll be looked at as the backbone of Overland basketball. Hopefully he’ll go on and do what we all think he’s capable of doing with basketball as a career and it’ll make his impact here that much stronger and that much more visible.”
One of the most highly touted players in Colorado history, Davis is ranked as the No. 33 prospect in the nation in the 2016 class by Rivals.com. ESPN has Davis at No. 47. 247sports.com has him No. 38.
With offers from high-major programs from all around the country, not to mention invites to numerous all-star camps over the years, Davis signed with Indiana in November. But before taking his talents to the Big Ten, he’s writing his final chapter in a storied career at Overland.
Just as they did a season ago, Davis and his teammates are experiencing some adversity, though.
After winning the prestigious Platinum Division at the annual Tarkanian Classic in Las Vegas, going 4-0 in the tournament, and rising to No. 7 nationally in the MaxPreps computer rankings, the Trailblazers lost at Regis Jesuit 66-60 on January 5.
Then, without the services of Davis, who picked up two technical fouls in a blowout win over Mullen, Overland lost to Centennial League rival Eaglecrest 57-45 on January 8. Interestingly enough, last year this team also lost to Regis to start the season and, a little later, was taken out by Eaglecrest when Davis was nursing a minor injury.
“It’s these adverse moments that kind of get us to where we want to be, I’m hoping,” Fisher said. “I wish we didn’t have to struggle like that to get there, but unfortunately sometimes that’s the journey.”
Overland, after holding firm as the unanimous No. 1 ranked team in the 5A poll throughout the early part of the season, dropped to No. 4 behind Rangeview, Eaglecrest and Regis Jesuit this week. The Trailblazers have a 9-2 record.
With a slightly different team from last year, Robinson and Stevenson are back after attending a school in Oklahoma for their junior seasons, Overland is still figuring out their roles and developing chemistry with this group.
They once again feature as much or more talent as anyone, but every year is still a process. Of course, they can rely on their backbone the rest of the way. Davis is averaging 15 points, 9.3 rebounds, 4.5 blocks, shooting 55 percent from the field and 79 percent from the free throw line. He has a chance at breaking the Colorado record for most career blocks and will likely climb into the top-10 on the career list for rebounds.
Fisher thinks Davis has a chance at making this a career at the highest level.
“Honestly he has an opportunity to go to the Big Ten and be an impact player immediately,” Fisher said. “In terms of ability, understanding, build and makeup, I think the sky is the limit. He could be the next big-time pro to come out of here.
“I think he’s going to have a hell of a challenge going into Bloomington next year and trying to compete for a starting job and be an impact player, but I think that’s something that’s realistically in reach. After that it’s just a matter of how much you want to make this work for you.”
De’Ron Davis. (James Bradbury)