JACKSONVILLE – Brace yourself, Atlanta.
You’re about to embrace Glen “Big Baby” Davis when he arrives with his LSU teammates tomorrow for their Thursday night Sweet 16 date with Duke.
And if you’re lucky, he’ll be there all week.
Davis, a 6-9, 310-pound sophomore forward for the Tigers, who advanced by defeating Texas A&M in a 58-57 thriller Saturday night in Jacksonville, was born for the stage.
The bigger the stage the more this kid with the Shaquille O’Neal looks – right down to the smirks and rolling of the eyes – will thrive. He has a golden personality and can work a room like a seasoned comedian.
“I love to entertain,” he said.
Despite his resemblance to Shaq and the fact that he’s playing at the same school where Shaq excelled before going on to NBA stardom, Davis’ nickname has nothing to do with Shaq.
It came from when he was a 9-year-old playing pee-wee football, where because of his size he had to play against kids some three years older and, when he felt like he was being bullied by the elders and reacted, his coach would yell, “Stop crying, you big baby.”
Still, the comparisons between Davis and Shaq continue.
“It’s always good to be compared to the big guy, but I want my own foot in immortality,” Davis said. “I want to be ‘Big Baby’ for the rest of my life, not ‘Baby Shaq.’ I just want to have my own stamp, you know?
“I’m my own guy. I got my own twist, my own flavor, kind of like a little gumbo. I got all kind of crabs and shrimps and turkey meat and spices. I got a good, you know, twist. Yeah, [Shaq’s] a big, lovable guy also, but I think personally I’m better looking.”
Davis’ 24/7 upbeat personality is nothing short of remarkable considering his difficult background.
His mother, Toyna Davis, has battled drug addiction throughout her son’s life, sometimes disappearing for days and leaving Glen and his younger sister LaJazzia to steal food from the neighborhood store. That led to Glen and his sister living at a foster home, a shelter and finally with his grandmother.
All the while, Glen has never blamed his mother or stopped loving her. He still visits her regularly and talks about her often. He, in fact, has a tattoo of her face on his chest.
“All my flair, my personality, comes from her,” he said.
Davis, who averages 18.5 points and 9.8 rebounds per game, was asked if he was ever recruited by Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski.
“I’m not a Dukie kind of guy,” Davis said smiling. “Coach K wouldn’t dare recruit me. Do I look like a Dukie guy? No, I don’t look like a Dukie guy. I kind of talk like a Dukie guy, but I don’t look the part.”
Asked if he thinks Krzyzewski will know who he is on Thursday, Davis nodded his head and said, “Yeah, he will.”
Said LSU coach John Brady: “Glen didn’t grow up like most people. He’s had it tough. And for him to have the outlook and personality he does with how he’s grown up is remarkable. It’s a great story.”
You’re going to love this guy, Atlanta.