There are moments in life when experiences define and shape one’s journey as a person. For Stacy Davis, this summer has been life changing as the Pepperdine senior prepares for his final year in college beginning Aug. 24.
Davis has played an integral role in the positive growth of the Pepperdine men’s basketball program for the past three years. The two-time All-West Coast Conference first-team recipient is on pace to become the program’s all-time leading scorer, trailing only Dane Suttle by 395 points. Safe to say, Davis has been, and will continue to be, the cornerstone for a program that has risen to new heights.
While Davis has received plenty of accolades and recognition thus far in his Pepperdine career, the 20-year-old shared recently that this summer has changed his life for the better, and he wouldn’t have traded it for anything.
First, Davis attended an NCAA Student-Athlete Leadership Conference in Orlando, Fla., where he joined 300 athletes and administrators from across the country to discuss leadership, the qualities of being a leader and how to portray leadership.
Last month, Davis was invited by Athletes in Action (AIA) to go abroad to East Asia to play against international competition while sharing his faith and Christianity. AIA is an organization that ‘uses sports as a platform to help people answer questions of faith and to point them to Jesus.’
“It was such an honor to be invited by Athletes in Action to go to East Asia. To not only develop and dive deeper into my faith, but also to play basketball and to showcase my faith through basketball,” Davis said. “This was a great opportunity for me to not only develop my faith, but also myself. It allows for a lot of introspective analysis. It helped me answer and understand certain things.”
For two weeks in East Asia, Davis and his teammates played eight games against professional teams, and won all eight contests. When he wasn’t on the court, Davis met new friends, enjoyed sightseeing and learned about the day-to-day lifestyle of a foreign culture.
“It was amazing. It’s more than a game. There’s life after basketball,” Davis shared. “I got to experience another culture, meet people, and it was humbling to see the lifestyle people live and it was really eye-opening. It was another side of life I didn’t expect.”
Davis created new friendships with his guides Ethan, LJ, Emily and Mark, who were, Davis described, “excited to serve us.” He was so moved by the love and care from the guides that Davis gave back, providing them with $100 and plenty of Pepperdine basketball clothing to wear.
“They have so much good in them,” he said.
This was the first time Davis traveled out of the United States. He gained a new understanding of life while traveling through East Asia, grasping life’s challenges and appreciating what he had back at home in the States.
“It’s so easy to take things for granted living here. There, it was a culture shock. It was important for me to see that, especially going into my senior year,” Davis said. “The trip was 40 percent basketball and 60 percent getting to know myself and developing as a young man. Looking back, that was more important than playing basketball. I came back with a new perspective in life.
“I’m very blessed, my whole team is blessed and my coaches are very blessed to not only be a part of college basketball, but to be at Pepperdine.”
Once he returned home, Davis took time to reflect upon his experiences and how he would like to share those valuable memories with his coaches, teammates and classmates. One life-lesson that stood out has been coping with anger and how to react more resourcefully when frustration or angst arises.
“Don’t allow yourself to be angry so fast. It can change who you are. Anger changes you into a completely different person,” Davis explained. “I read something that the first man who comes to anger is always the loser. I’ve been really thinking about that. I’m trying to be calm and cool about everything. I value that and want to share that with my teammates.”
He was very grateful to Head Coach Marty Wilson and Lauren Reid, the team’s athletic academic advisor, for providing him with the two special opportunities.
“I’ve been very fortunate to have people look out for my growth as a person. I feel very blessed,” Davis said. “It’s been the best summer of my life.”