The Buick Human Highlight Reel: Ricky Davis and the Triple Double of Desire

by Patrick Vint on Nov 10, 2011 10:00 AM CST in Iowa Hawkeyes Basketball

Ricky Davis may have only spent a year at the University of Iowa, but his impact on the school will go on forever. Davis played shooting guard during the 1997-98 season, averaging 15 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists. He went undefeated against Iowa State in his career, he got to play in the first round of both the Big Ten tournament and the postseason NIT, and he even started a few times. He was never happy, though, because college basketball offered little opportunity to give back to the community, and even fewer opportunities to record a triple double. After all, Davis' stated purpose was for two things: Helping his community and recording triple doubles.

Davis moved on to the NBA in 1998 after having been selected by Charlotte with the 21st pick in the draft. Still, he found the opportunities to pursue his dreams lacking. Davis spent almost five years shuttling between teams, from Charlotte to Miami to Cleveland, looking for an opportunity to help people and record some serious triple doubles. Finally, on March 16, 2003, while the Cavaliers were hosting Utah, and despite being a horrible team that would win only 17 games, Cleveland was winning by 24 points late. After a timeout where he diagrammed a play designed to give money to sick kids, Ricky was informed he was only one rebound from his holy grail: His first career triple double. Ricky saw his golden opportunity, and took advantage.

Yes, Ricky Davis took the inbound pass, turned to his own hoop, intentionally missed a shot, and attempted to grab the rebound to secure his triple double and complete every achievement in the game, thereby freeing him up to work in soup kitchens and lead canned good drives and donate 18 cents a day to that Santa Claus dude in Africa on the television. DeShawn Stevenson, not knowing Ricky's grander motives, took umbrage with the act and tackled Davis to the floor. Stevenson's coach, Jerry Sloan, later told reporters, " I was proud of DeShawn and I would have knocked him down harder. They can put me in jail for saying that, but that's the way it is." The Cavaliers fined Davis $5000 for his "unsportsmanlike behavior", money that was presumably donated to charity. Somehow, Davis had managed to do the impossible: Not only had he almost gotten a triple double, but he had selflessly given a local charity enough money to buy a used Buick.

That's why Ricky Davis, master of the triple double, is so deserving of his spot on the Buick Human Highlight Reel. He is a wonderful basketball player and, even more than that, he is a wonderful human being.

To see the rest of the Buick Human Highlight Reel, and even share a story of your own, go to ncaa.com/buick. This post is sponsored by Buick.

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In 1996

When I was 15 and had just moved to Boston from Des Moines, I wrote Bill Simmons—who wrote for something called Digital City Boston on AOL and had maybe a dozen readers—to tell him to keep an eye on Iowa that season because Ricky Davis was “going to be the next Michael Jordan”. He wrote back (back then, he always wrote back—again, he had a dozen readers) to say that he would keep an eye on him.

Anyway.

by Notclevr on Nov 10, 2011 10:26 AM CST reply actions

You should write him again and include this link.

With Jordan seeming extra selfish during these lockout negotiations, you might have something there.

"Let me finish or I will hammerpunch your clavicle." -Steve Youngblood

by SomeJerkPoster on Nov 10, 2011 1:35 PM CST up reply actions

But how

Will he work in a reference to Karate Kid/Teen Wolf?

I ate the blue ones ... they taste like burning.

by HoyaGoon on Nov 10, 2011 4:25 PM CST via mobile up reply actions

I played a round of golf with Ricky and Dean Oliver one summer

The three things I remember about Ricky:

1. He teed up every shot outside about 75 yds.
2. He had a wicked slice.
3. After every hole, when the scorekeeper (can’t remember who it was) would ask Ricky what his score was, Ricky would say, “Um, what was par?”

by The Naked Bootleg on Nov 10, 2011 10:28 AM CST reply actions 7 recs

That's the most Ricky story ever. Love it.

You got no fear of the underdog; That's why you will not survive!

by YouCanPutYourEddsInIt on Nov 10, 2011 10:46 AM CST up reply actions 2 recs

YESSSSS

by NorseHawk on Nov 10, 2011 11:07 AM CST up reply actions

What was par?

Rec

Das Stochern gewinnt.

by Blackheartnopants on Nov 10, 2011 11:13 AM CST up reply actions

Honest mistake

I grew up in Davenport and loved high school sports. Tavian Banks and Tim Dwight were so much fun to watch and you knew they had huge college careers ahead of them. But Ricky Davis was something else entirely. At that time he absolutely was the next Michael Jordan. Davenport North was the only game you went to not to cheer for your team but to see another player do things no one else for 500 miles could do.

by McNasty and the Campbellettes on Nov 10, 2011 10:49 AM CST reply actions

reply fail

that was for you, Notclevr.

by McNasty and the Campbellettes on Nov 10, 2011 10:50 AM CST up reply actions

Nice to hear

I figured my teenage Quad Cities sources had just exaggerated, which they probably did, but in retrospect it also makes total sense that Ricky was an incredibly gifted athlete who never had the discipline to push himself to the next level. If he’d had Jordan’s pathological drive or a Jerry Rice work ethic (I mean in basketball, but come to think of it he could probably have played in the NFL if he was as fast as he looked—did he play in HS?)—or even if he’d ended up on better teams with better coaches—then he’d be the best basketball player ever to come out of Iowa.

Well, given that the competition is Hinrich, LaFrentz, Collison, Korver, Hornacek (I say he counts) and now Barnes/Paige/Woodbury (why not?), he’s already in that discussion. But still, he could’ve been incredible if he’d been in a different situation and didn’t have the DNA that makes you ask what par is.

And oh yeah, as a lazy underachieving athlete with nowhere near the same gifts, but plenty of talent for the HS level, I kind of idolized him.

by Notclevr on Nov 10, 2011 1:23 PM CST up reply actions

Ricky Davis fucking owns

Give him his goddamn triple double, NBA.

by NorseHawk on Nov 10, 2011 11:07 AM CST reply actions 1 recs

But could he dunk on Shada? Not clear.

We play tackle football.

by Bellanca on Nov 10, 2011 12:03 PM CST up reply actions

He could dunk on literally anyone or thing.

by NorseHawk on Nov 10, 2011 3:13 PM CST up reply actions

This.

Other records are just as tainted. He legitimately got that rebound, even if it’s a dumb one.

I spent half my life's earnings on wine, women & song. The other half I wasted.

by therealCatnuts on Nov 10, 2011 12:10 PM CST up reply actions

But it was on his own team's hoop!

That’s not a FGA!

by Notclevr on Nov 10, 2011 1:25 PM CST up reply actions

So if he had made it

It wouldn’t have counted?

FREE RICKY

by Nefarious on Nov 10, 2011 2:01 PM CST up reply actions

Defensive rebound!

by NorseHawk on Nov 10, 2011 3:14 PM CST up reply actions

Unassailable logic

In these two posts

"He lowballed us and said: 'Take it or leave it. If you don't take our offer, you are rolling the dice.' I said: 'Consider them rolled.' " - Jim "Huge Brass Balls" Delaney

by ClaybornSmash on Nov 10, 2011 3:33 PM CST up reply actions

By far

The funniest thing I’ve seen all week.

The High Porch Picnic

by mikjones24 on Nov 10, 2011 11:08 AM CST reply actions

I wonder if this is what Buick imagined

with the Human Highlight Reel promo?

"Sometimes the truth gets in the way of a good story" - KF

by The Bacon Explosion on Nov 10, 2011 11:18 AM CST reply actions

I see your Ricky Davis attempted triple-double

and I raise you Jacob Jaacks with his own fantastic triple. The best part, he did it without elbowing a guy in the face.

by hawk6894 on Nov 10, 2011 11:26 AM CST reply actions 1 recs

That's literally the coolest thing I've ever seen JJaacks do.

"Gophers are filthy digging rats"
-one of HFMR's many amazing tags

"It's Northwestern," he explained. "A smart school."
-TMart on jNW reading signals

by Eyeheartfreedumb on Nov 10, 2011 11:52 AM CST up reply actions

Fantastic.

Bonus: His last name is pronounced “Jacks” by the announcer.

I spent half my life's earnings on wine, women & song. The other half I wasted.

by therealCatnuts on Nov 10, 2011 12:12 PM CST up reply actions

I also graduated from Davenport North

although I was about 10 years ahead of Ricky. Still, I knew some folks that knew him “back then”. Apparently he spent a lot of time letting everyone know ~~how much ass he was going to kick in the NBA~~ of his strong desire to help the community. For a few months, his favorite topic of conversation was ~~whether or not he should skip college and go pro right away~~ how he would improve work flow at Davenport soup kitchens if he were in charge.

He may have been one of the first people I ever heard called a ~~giant fucking douchebag~~ Mother Theresa in gym shorts.

"If you need a rah-rah speech at halftime, you’re playing the wrong sport." - Pat Angerer

by Flakbait on Nov 10, 2011 12:13 PM CST reply actions 2 recs

Rec'd

for “giant fucking douchebag” immediately followed by Mother Theresa

White Horn Gold Pants

by DM_Purp on Nov 10, 2011 12:16 PM CST up reply actions

There are many factors that go into a legitimate triple double.

by indyhawk on Nov 10, 2011 12:53 PM CST reply actions

This is for NorseHawk

Via Friend of the Pants storminspank:

Branden Stubbs – I still think Stubbs can play some spot minutes for Iowa. I’m not sure the PG spot is the place for him, though. He is competent in that area, but is forced to bring the ball up with his back to the basket to protect the ball. Some of the other B1G PGs will be all over him. That said, I still like his shot, can hit the deep ball (made one in this game). He was the first walk-on to get into the ballgame for Iowa.

"I want to be a cowboy. I don't want to be a panda. Pandas are boring, stupid and boring. Bad panda!"

by RossWB on Nov 10, 2011 4:37 PM CST reply actions

BBBBBBBBBBBB-STTTTTUUUUUUUUUUBBBBSSSSSS

But fuck storminspank. B-Stubbs will point guard your fucking face off, and hit it from halfcourt just because

by NorseHawk on Nov 10, 2011 5:22 PM CST up reply actions

I do not know how this doesn't have eleventy-billion recs.

I’m giggling a lot right now.

Less memorable than Sam Okey's Hawkeye career.

by Kyle McCann't on Nov 10, 2011 4:38 PM CST reply actions

He cared about the community so much

That on a trip home from Burlington he was passing out money and McDonald’s from the bus to people on the road. His only mistake was when he accidently handed a McDonald’s tray out and it somehow fell into the windshield of the lieutenant governer of Iowa’s wife’s windshield.

by RH's Bookie on Nov 10, 2011 5:10 PM CST via mobile reply actions 3 recs

That Iowa team (97-98)

The team the year before Ricky Davis came to town, led by Andre Woolridge, finished second in the big 10 and went to the 2nd round of the NCAA tourney before losing to the defending champ Kentucky in a close game. The Iowa team the year after Ricky Davis left went to the Sweet 16 in Tom Davis’ final year.

The Ricky Davis team fell apart at the end of the season and got blown out in the first round of the NIT. For one reason – Ricky Davis. I had friends on the team back then, and it was abundantly clear that nobody wanted Davis to come back, because they couldn’t stand playing with him.

by StevenDS on Nov 10, 2011 5:11 PM CST reply actions