By Derek DeBurger
Before Wednesday’s game against Arkansas State, the University of Louisville released a statement that guard Koron Davis had been dismissed from the basketball team.
The whole saga surrounding Davis had been a drawn-out and confusing one. It started when Davis, a junior college transfer with almost no scouting information about his time in junior college, had committed to the Cards — not because head coach Kenny Payne saw something in him — but off of a suggestion from associate head coach Danny Manning.
Davis saw limited minutes against Simmons College in the first exhibition game of the season and never saw playing time again. Starting with the Nov. 15 game against Coppin State, Davis was absent from the bench altogether. When asked about it in the postgame press conference, Payne said “it was my decision not to have him come today. He’s not in any trouble. I will not address it right now.” The vague nature of his comments only made people more curious.
When Davis didn’t make the trip to New York with the rest of the team, Payne said “he’s not in any trouble. That’s all I’m going to say about it.”
In his postgame press conference following the Nov. 26 game, Payne offered more information about Davis that didn’t clear much, saying “me and Koron got to sit down and talk about what’s best for him and what’s best for us. It’s my decision. Really, no real update. That’s it.”
When a picture of Davis sitting in the crowd for the Nov. 29 game against Bellarmine circulated on social media, no explanation was given as to why he was at the KFC Yum! Center but not with the team. It wasn’t until Payne’s media availability this past Friday that he commented on the incident, saying “I have nothing to say about Koron Davis. Koron Davis is not in trouble. I didn’t know he was at the game, but if he was, that’s fine with me. He’s a part of this team right now.”
U of L’s statements on Koron Davis’s transfer-turned-dismissal
At 1:24 p.m., Davis posted to X, formerly known as Twitter, a picture revealing that he had received a 3.4 GPA this past semester. This picture only added more confusion to the situation as it eliminated academic ineligibility as a reason for his absence. Davis also posted that he would attend the women’s and men’s games on Wednesday’s doubleheader.
At 2:47 p.m., U of L Sports Information Director Zach Greenwell released a statement about Davis that read—“University of Louisville junior guard Koron Davis has informed the program that he intends to transfer. We support him and wish him well in the future.”
Finally, at 6:38 p.m., the university released a second statement saying—”Prior to the program issuing a statement this afternoon, Louisville junior guard Koron Davis was informed that he had been dismissed from the men’s basketball team. Davis has expressed that he intends to continue his college basketball career and would pursue opportunities at another institution. We wish him nothing but the best.”
When asked about Davis multiple times in Wednesday’s postgame press conference, Payne refused to answer only referencing the statement.
The only thing this has accomplished, other than to remove a scholarship from Davis, is to embarrass the program and the university. If Davis wasn’t good enough to play then just don’t play him and tell him to transfer at the end of the season. If Davis was a bad locker-room influence, then say that and his dismissal would be understandable. The vagueness and non-answers have only let imaginations run wild in the worst way.
Now that there is some clarity, I only feel dirty and sad for Davis. I hope he can get an athletic scholarship wherever he goes next.
Photo Courtesy // WDRB
