(Photo by Bill Allen/NJ SportAction) caption: TURNING UP THE HEAT: Hun School boys’ basketball player Mikerson Laurent, right, puts on the defensive pressure in a game earlier this season. Last Saturday, Laurent and the Raiders produced a superb defensive effort against Mercersburg Academy, giving up just six points in the second quarter and 28 through three quarters on the way to a 65-44 win. Hun, now 7-9, plays at the Hill School on January 30 and at Rutgers Prep on February 2.

Recovering From Severe Leg Fracture, Davis Returns to Help Hun Boys’ Hoops

Bill Alden

It was a gruesome injury reminiscent of the compound leg fracture that ended Joe Theismann’s NFL career in 1985.

Taking part in a preseason drill this past August for the Hun School football team, DeOliver Davis landed strangely after making a catch and suffered a broken left ankle which corkscrewed his foot in the wrong direction.

The 6’2, 170-pound Davis was operated on with doctors inserting a plate and screws to support his leg.

While playing football last fall was out of the question, Davis, who also stars in basketball, determined to get back on the floor for the Hun boys’ hoops team.

“I just knew everything was going to be OK,” said Davis, a junior from Philadelphia whose older brother, Doug, currently stars for the Princeton University men’s hoops team.

“Coach [John] Law on the football team told me the doctors were going to fix me. I always knew I would come back; nothing was going to hold me back from playing basketball.”

Davis’ confidence proved to be well-founded as he returned to action for Hun in late December.

Last Saturday against visiting Mercersburg Academy, Davis got his first start of the season and made an immediate impact, draining a 3-pointer in the first minute to give Hun an early lift on the way to a 65-44 rout of the Blue Storm.

For Davis, making it back to the starting line-up was a special moment.

“It was wonderful; it was frustrating not playing but now I can put that in the past,” said Davis, who ended the game with seven points and two assists.

“Hitting that shot felt good, it set a tone. We really played as a team, without the team we would have never won the game.”

With Hun having lost three of its last four games before its exam break, the team needed a big win.

“Coach [Jon Stone] gave us a couple of days off and we came back strong,” said Davis, who is called “Ollie” by his teammates.

“We lost to Solebury last week and it was kind of tough getting over that loss. We had a pretty good week of practice and just came out and did our job.”

With some positive reinforcement from his brother, Davis stayed strong as he went through an arduous rehab program for the surgically repaired left leg that started in October.

“Doug was in my corner the whole time,” recalled Davis. “He was in the hospital with me and told me to keep the faith.”

Davis has faith that he will get back to full speed. “I wouldn’t say I am 100 percent,” said Davis, who made a couple of hard drives and soared for some rebounds in the win over Mercersburg. “I am about 85 percent; the doctor said I would get full flexibility in the spring.”

Hun head coach Stone believes that Davis is nearing his pre-injury capabilities.

“When you are coming back from an injury like that, it takes time to get a rhythm,” said Stone, whose team improved to 7-9 with the win over Mercersburg.

“I think he is starting to show signs of where he was this summer; that’s the goal. I still don’t think he is the Ollie of old yet but he’s getting close.”

Even at less than 100 percent, Davis brings a lot to the table for the Raiders.

“He can really shoot; that’s one of the things he does well,” said Stone. “But he is more than that and that’s where he can really help us.”

For Hun collectively, pulling away to the one-sided victory was a big help to the team’s confidence which had been shaken by a number of heartbreaking losses.

“We did have a tough stretch before exams,” said Stone who got 22 points from R.J. Griffin in the victory over Mercersburg with Egheosa Edomwonyi adding 13 and Jon Lee chipping in 12.

“We had a little time off which probably helped; we had a little time to recoup and our guys responded today. That was the first non-tight game we have had all year; most of the games have been five points or less.”

In Stone’s view, it was Hun’s defensive intensity that broke the game open.

“I do think our defense was the difference today and that’s what really got us going,” said Stone, whose team gave up just six points in the second quarter and 28 through three quarters.

“We had a lot of hands in passing lanes and a lot of deflections. We talk about that a lot as a team. That was the difference because a few times we didn’t execute well offensively.”

With Davis back and Edomwonyi having recovered from leg and shoulder injuries, Stone is hoping his team’s performance against Mercersburg is a harbinger of things to come.

“I think we can do well; we still have to come together,” said Stone, whose team plays at the Hill School on January 30 and at Rutgers Prep on February 2.

“We have a ways to go. We still have a lot of great pieces here and a lot of great pieces in terms of the personalities and chemistry. I think as long as we keep improving, we should be in pretty good shape.”

Davis, for his part, is looking to be a key piece of the puzzle for Hun.

“I am just trying to get the rebounds, hit the open shots, and set my teammates up,” said Davis.

“Jon is doing a good job and R.J. is hitting shots; I just feed off those guys. I am just trying to do my part.”

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