Ralph Davis’ life in basketball is a story worth telling.
He went from the little town of Vanceburg, where he starred for the Lions in the 1950s during one of the 16th Region’s grandest eras, up the river to Cincinnati where he played in the same backcourt with the great Oscar Robertson on a pair of Final Four teams.
He played in the NBA with and against the likes of Jerry West, Lenny Wilkins and Robertson, among others. Davis was drafted with the 17th overall selection in the 1960 NBA Draft by the Cincinnati Royals and he also played for the Chicago Packers, an NBA expansion team in 1961, before retiring from professional basketball during the 1962 exhibition season.
Tonight in the old high school gymnasium at Lewis County, between games of a girl-boy doubleheader, Davis will become the first player in school history to have his number retired.
There are moments, snapshots in time, that stand out in Davis’ mind throughout his celebrated basketball career. Some are good and some are, well, just memorable.
One of those came in 1953 when Davis was a freshman on the first Vanceburg team to reach the regional finals — the next one didn’t happen until last season.
“Ashland beat us 112-49,” he said. “The score remains burned in my mind.”
That loss is still the most lopsided in regional championship history. The Tomcats were undefeated and ranked No. 1 in the state, but were stunned in the opening round of the Sweet 16 by Paducah.
It’s a team that many believe was as good as any in Ashland’s storied history and that’s saying a mouthful.
“They beat the hell out of us,” Davis said. “That score stands in my mind forever. He (Vanceburg coach Bob Wright) and George (Conley), Ashland’s coach, were good friends but you couldn’t tell it by that score.”
Davis said his time with Wright was instrumental in him becoming the passer that led to
a brilliant career with Robertson in college. “I credit my passing ability to Bob Wright,” he said. “He knew when to pass, how to pass and where to put the ball.”
Wright and Davis have carried a lifelong friendship. Davis came to speak at the 1961 Ashland Tomcat banquet after Wright directed that team to the state title.
Davis never made it back to the regional championship with Vanceburg although he had a celebrated high school career, scoring 1,810 points. His senior year, when former UK player Shelby Linville was the head coach, Davis averaged 26.4 points and 18 rebounds a game.
He was second team All-State by The Courier-Journal and third team All-State by the Herald-Leader. He also played in two East-West All-Star Games, including one in Ashland where a combined Ohio-West Virginia team played Kentucky. One of the West Virginia stars was Jerry West.
“I played in high school and college All-Star games and against him in the pros,” Davis said of West. “Jerry West is a good friend of mine.”
In 1960, Davis played in an East-West college All-Star game in Madison Square Garden. There were 11 All-Americans out of the 20 players on the two rosters. He was teamed again with Robertson and played against West and Wilkins.
In the game at the Garden, Davis was named MVP after collecting 15 points and 14 assists.
As a high school player, he had a late growing spurt. He grew six inches between his sophomore and senior year, rounding out at 6-foot-4.
From 1953 to 1956, he played against powerhouses in the region from Clark County, Ashland and Olive Hill.
“There was a bunch of good ones in the 16th Region,” he said. “I was going through the scrapbook the other night and finding names like Rex English at Carter City, Bert Greene and J.D. Kiser at Olive Hill and so many others. There were some great basketball players and teams in the region.”
Davis said playing with Robertson was the thrill of a lifetime. “I played with the best player in our era,” he said.
Robertson may have been the best player of any era.
Robertson was outscored by a teammate three times in his college career. All three times it was by Davis, his co-captain.
“Playing with him was the greatest experience throughout my career,” Davis said. “I could tell you things. You’d say that’s not true, that can’t be true, some of the amazing things he did.”
The Bearcats were 79-9 with the tandem of Robertson and Davis in the backcourt.
Davis was named All-Missouri Valley Conference three times, was twice named honorable mention All-American and was selected to the Converse All-American second team as a senior.
When he graduated from UC in 1960, Davis was No. 6 on the all-time scoring list and No. 2 on the assist list.
Yes, Ralph Davis was a decorated college basketball player.
Now it goes back to where it started in Vanceburg, in a little town where his father owned a sporting goods/appliance store and officiated high school basketball, including some of his son’s games.
Ralph Davis Sr. also officiated with George Conley and Sid Meade, among others, during a remarkable era of high school basketball in eastern Kentucky when the coaches and referees were personalities that warranted watching as much as the games themselves.
“Even when we were playing, schools would ask for him to ref,” Davis said. “They knew he would be fair.”
As for having his No. 11 jersey retired at his old high school, Davis was humbled. “That’s quite an honor,” he said. “I’m really pleased with it.”
Lewis County is proud of its basketball heritage and the accomplished Davis may be its most treasured prize. Tonight they’ll formally thank him for being just that.
MARK MAYNARD can be reached at mmaynard@dailyindependent.com or (606) 326-2648.
