Ralph Davis

Ralph E. Davis Jr. (September 7, 1938 – May 30, 2021) was an American professional basketball player who played two seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and was a starter on two NCAA Final Four teams at the University of Cincinnati.

Early life Davis was born in Vanceburg, Kentucky, the son of Ralph E. Davis Sr., a self-employed businessman, and Anna Louis (Plummer) Davis. He played basketball at Lewis County High School in Vanceburg. He scored 1,810 points for the Lions and averaged 26.4 points and 18 rebounds per game as a senior. He was an all-district selection for three years. As a senior in 1956 he was named second team all-state by Louisville Courier-Journal as he led the Lions to the Eastern Kentucky Conference title. He was also an honor student.

College career Davis attended the University of Cincinnati, where he was a three-year starter for the Bearcats and coach George Smith.

As a sophomore in 1957–58, he averaged 7.9 points per game as the Bearcats posted a 25–1 record and won the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) title led by fellow sophomore and future Hall-of-Famer forward Oscar Robertson and future longtime NBA player Connie Dierking. and was also named second-team All-American by Converse. The Bearcats went 28–2, again advancing to the Final Four and again finishing third.

As a rookie in 1960–61, he played in 73 games, averaged 16.6 minutes, 2.4 assists and 1.2 rebounds per game as a reserve guard for the 33–46 Royals. In November 1961, the Packers had traded Davis to the St. Louis Hawks in a multi-player deal, but the trade was rescinded by NBA Commissioner Maurice Podoloff.

In 1962 he was officially traded to the St. Louis Hawks, but he did not play and his NBA career ended after two seasons. In 1998, he was inducted into the Greater Cincinnati Basketball Hall of Fame. In December 2010, Lewis County High School held a ceremony to retire Davis' number.

Career statistics

NBA Source

Regular season Year Team GP MPG FG% FT% RPG APG PPG Syracuse 73 16.6 .401 .654 1.2 2.4 5.4 Chicago 77 25.9 .413 .689 2.1 3.2 10.4Career 150 21.3 .409 .677 1.7 2.8 8.0