Led by talented college signees, Davidson Day prepares for another strong season

The Davidson Day boys basketball team beat the long odds of producing a college signee.

Now, it’s on to beating opponents.

The Patriots on Nov. 9 celebrated three of their senior players signing National Letters of Intent to play in college next season – point guard Rashun Davis (Radford), forward Richard Brown (Army) and guard/forward Dorian Albritton (Virginia Military Institute).

Three players. Three NCAA Division I scholarships.

The talented trio signed together on stage in the school’s Gordon Theater, with the entire upper school on hand. Proud parents and coaches were nearby, and Davidson Day coach Ron Johnson reminded the crowd how rare this achievement was.

“According to the NCAA,” Johnson said, “Only 8 percent of high school athletes earn any type of athletic scholarship, and that percentage decreases significantly when you look at the number of athletes who earn a Division I scholarship.”

Johnson noted that in four years, seven Davidson Day athletes have signed with Division I schools. By comparison, his high school in New Jersey had more than 2,000 students, and he recalled four signees in four years.

“So, for a school as young as ours, and for a school our size, having seven Division I signees in four years is pretty remarkable,” he said. “Today is an incredible day, an exciting day, for not just the athletes, but for Davidson Day School.”

All three players said they were happy with their decisions and relieved that the recruiting process was behind them.

“It was stressful,” Davis said. “I liked the attention, but talking to the coaches and letting some of them down (by not picking their college was difficult). I think I got the right choice. I liked everything about Radford.”

The 5-foot-10 Davis averaged 12.2 points, 4.4 assists and 3.1 steals last season, when the Patriots were 22-10.

“Right away, I was impressed with his confidence and his heart,” Johnson said of Davis. “When you attempt to play basketball at a highly competitive level, it can be extremely challenging. When you’re less than 6 feet tall, it can be even more challenging. But not so much for Rashun. He has been able to use his quickness and skill level to his advantage.”

Brown, a 6-5 forward, fielded college offers after solid spring and summer seasons. His recruiting schedule had to battle for space in his sterling off-court regimen: National Honor Society member, student council treasurer, representative on the school honor council, a student ambassador and member of the improv theater.

“I was very happy to commit to West Point because of all the opportunities and connections that the school could give me in the future,” Brown said. “I had a lot of great schools recruiting me, and I liked all of them, but I knew that an opportunity such as West Point doesn’t come around very often.”

Albritton, 6-4, averaged 11 points and five rebounds last season. He, too, is a National Honor Society member.

“It’s a great feeling to know that the hard work I’ve invested provided me with a number of college options,” Albritton said. “It was a challenging process, but I felt that VMI sets me up for success beyond graduation. Also, I was very impressed with the coaching staff. I really like their style of play.”

Said Johnson: “Dorian’s work ethic, competitive spirit and desire to achieve are second to none.”

The trio was able to exhale a few minutes after the ceremony, and each mentioned the “amazing” defense that Johnson wants the Patriots to play.

They know that the scholarships, each a wonderful accomplishment, don’t insure success on the court this season. That’s going to come through hard work and cohesion.

“We’ve been working on our defense,” Davis said. “We know it’s important. And like Coach says, we want it to be amazing.”