Prospect Spotlight: Ben Davidson (2018)
Towards the end of last season, St. Clair guard Ben Davidson came down with a condition in his eyes that stymied his junior campaign, and changed his outlook a bit for his senior season.
Davidson had ulcers in his eyes, rendering him “completely blind” for six days, and causing him to miss two games late in the season, right before playoffs started.
When he was cleared to play during districts, he was a shell of himself. Davidson says that’s what hurt the most.
“Last year was a huge disappointment to end the season. I tried to play in districts but it just did not work, I couldn’t see anything. It was hard,” said Davidson.
“A lot of people that probably went to that district game against New Haven, you probably would have thought I was terrible. And I just want to prove to people that I’m not the player they saw in that New Haven game.”
Davidson headed to the University of Detroit hospital for treatment. It took a month for his eyes to get back to normal.
The tough ending to his junior season, added to fuel to his fire.
“I told myself I wasn’t going to let myself or my teammates feel the way we did. So this is the hardest our program has ever worked in the offseason. And it’s definitely going to be worth it, I’m expecting big things,” said Davidson, a Ferris State commit.
“I just had a sick feeling in my stomach, knowing that when it mattered most, I wasn’t going to be able to perform. It just got me motivated that I only have one season left, and I want to show people what I’m really made of.”
When the season ended, and Davidson was back to 100 percent, he was right back to training, and says he’ll be back and better than ever this winter for the Saints.
“I think I’ve improved my jump-shot tremendously. I’ve been training a lot with my coach, and get up at 6:15 in the morning to do that about five days a week,” he said.
“I think the jump-shot is the main thing that was missing from my game, and I’ve really improved on that. My goal is to shoot over 45 percent from 3-point this season.”
The 6-foot-3 guard spent his spring and summer playing with Grand Rapids Storm 17U, and says the not having the pressure of performing for college coaches was a welcomed change. Davidson focused more on getting his teammates the ball, and playing a true point guard role.
“I knew that I wasn’t the one trying to get a scholarship, so I tried to focus more on being a team-player, sharing the ball more, getting my assists up and my turnovers down,” he said.
“I really had nothing to prove to college coaches, because I knew exactly where I’m going (Ferris State), and that’s exactly where I want to go.”
Now, as he heads into his senior season, Davidson is eager as ever to get things underway.
“My role this year is going to change. We have more ball handlers now, so I’ll probably play off the ball more — which is fine, because that’s what I’ll be doing in college,” he said.
“I’ve been on the team since I was a freshman, and I only have one year left, so I’m just going to give it all I’ve got.”