Broncos prepare for Davey
The calls have been coming in to Dick Davey for close to two weeks. Friends, colleagues and even former players have let him know they’re coming for the Stanford associate head coach’s much-anticipated return to Santa Clara on Tuesday night.
The 66-year-old Davey coached the Broncos for 15 seasons and worked on the staff for 30 years overall before the school made a change following the 2006-07 season – when Davey was West Coast Conference coach of the year.
“It’s a little scary,” Davey said Wednesday night, sitting in the stands at Maples Pavilion before Stanford’s 66-57 over Northern Arizona. “It’s a special place for me, but it’s not where I’d love to go. I like basketball, so I obviously don’t mind going to the game. You don’t want to go a place where you’re trying to beat somebody. I love that school and I love the kids who are in that program. You have a little bit of remorse there, but I like what I’m doing and where I’m doing it, so you can’t get too upset.”
Davey, who became known for his personable style and argyle sweaters, led the Broncos to three straight WCC titles in the mid-90s and a 251-190 overall record in his 15 seasons.
He said he has retired his signature sweaters in favor of a suit and tie now that he’s at Stanford working under first-year coach Johnny Dawkins.
Davey will probably get the biggest applause of anybody at the Leavey Center.
“I hold him in the highest regard. Spending time with Coach Davey, I’ve enjoyed it so much – not just the coaching but the friendship that we’re developing,” Dawkins said. “He’s a terrific, terrific man. It’s no surprise he’ll get an amazing applause. I’d be shocked if he didn’t.”
Davey’s current players are excited for him to be recognized.
“He’s been there so long and he coached Steve Nash,” Landry Fields said. “He deserves any ovation he gets.”
Join the 60 Club
North Dakota State’s Ben Woodside moved into some exclusive company last weekend when he scored 60 points in a 112-111 triple-overtime loss to Stephen F. Austin.
Woodside, who got half his points in 35 free-throw attempts, became the 25th player to score at least 60 points in a game between Division I teams. The last one was Eddie House of Arizona State, who had 61 points in a 111-108 double-overtime victory over California on Jan. 8, 2000.
The last player do it in regulation was Askia Jones of Kansas State, who had 62 in a 115-77 win over Fresno State in the NIT quarterfinals on March 24, 1994.
Put it up for Dukes
Aaron Jackson, Duquesne’s lone senior, had one of those dream games.
The 6-foot-4 guard scored a career-high 36 points in the Dukes’ 94-75 victory at Radford on Dec. 10.
Jackson, whose previous career best was 22 points, was 15 of 17 from the field, including 5 of 6 from 3-point range, made his lone free throw and had five assists against just one turnover in 38 minutes.
His .882 field-goal percentage tied the school record set by Ruben Montanez at Saint Peter’s on Feb. 17, 1973.
What makes the performance more impressive is that it came a week after he was held to a season-low six points at Pittsburgh.
“I didn’t leave the gym until I made 100 3s, and it paid off,” he said of practice after the Pitt game.