Confidence is critical on the basketball court and Wylie guard Donaven Davis carries it in buckets full. 

With the Wylie Pirates gearing up for another potential playoff run, Donaven Davis will lead the way as the next elite Pirate point guard. 

The junior guard took over the starting job from Kobe Wiggins, who graduated after being named district MVP and first-team his junior and senior seasons, and has led Wylie into the second seed in 9-6A.

Davis currently leads the team at 13.9 points per game and is second in assists and rebounds for the season. Closer to the end of the year, he’s increased his scoring output as his team has needed him, averaging 16.7 points per game over his final six games of district play. 

His best game was a 24-point outburst in a win on Jan. 28 over Naaman Forest that helped the Pirates clinch the second seed in the district. As he’s increased his production, Davis knows he can be key to the Pirates playoff success.

“I think I’ve grown a lot in confidence from last year since he left,” Davis said. “I just wanted to come in and fill the shoes as best as I could and I think it’s been a pretty smooth change.”

Coach Stephen Pearce said in the offseason that Davis would take on a much bigger workload this season. He’s seen a lot of growth from his point guard as the season has gone on and said he has the team’s complete trust to run the offense on the court.

“He’s come a long way,” Pearce said. “He’s learning how to be a leader, he’s learning how to run the team and it’s showing now in district play. There were some bumps along the way, but he’s hitting his stride and showing what he can do.” 

Since taking over the lead guard spot the key to his success has been attacking in transition. 

He’s currently scoring almost three points per game off of turnovers and does most of his work distributing on the break. 

While improving as a game manager on the court, Davis operates with the ball almost with a sixth sense, understanding the perfect time to push the team on the break and when to pull it back and settle down the Pirates. 

“I don’t really think about how to approach those situations,” Davis said. “If I see it or feel it, I just go, but if there’s a little doubt, I’m okay with slowing things down and running our offense.” 

Davis has shown an inside-out game that most guards need to succeed in today’s game. 

For the season, he leads the team with 7.1 points in the paint per game but also has been able to extend his range. He averages 36 percent shooting from beyond the 3-point line for the season on almost three attempts per game.

“His shot has gotten a lot better,” Pearce said. “His decision-making has been excellent too. He always knows when to make the right pass or take it to the basket. There’s still work to do on the defensive end, but he’s put a lot of effort and work on that end as well. He’s become a well-rounded player after coming in as a young kid who could score the ball.” 

Davis and his teammates were gearing up for the postseason and faced Rockwall last Monday in the bi-district round of the playoffs. The Yellowjackets eliminated the Pirates last season in the first round and beat them on Dec. 7 in what coach Pearce called the team’s worst performance. 

Davis still feels confident in himself and his teammates, knowing their progress can lead them to a victory.

“We just have to play hard the whole game,” Davis said. “If we play hard, play our game and have fun, I think we can beat them. We started pretty slow the last game and we were just there. We have to be aggressive.” 

To read the full story, see next week’s issue. For more news and sports stories, see The Wylie News in print or online. Support your community newspaper for less than $40 a year.

By Kyle Grondin • kgrondin@csmediatexas.com