As the boys' basketball state tournament starts this week, it's almost a given that the teams with depth, talent and especially experience are the teams that are going to be able to negotiate their way through the field.
When it comes to Davis, the experience always is a factor in the Darts' ability to advance.
One of the more amazing statistics heading into the Class 5A tournament is this: The Davis program, over 10 years, has had five, count them, five non-senior starters. It's a tribute to a number of factors. The Darts have wave after wave of players who expect to contribute as upperclassmen and when their times come, they are ready.
"The most important thing is that their times will come and they know it," Davis coach Jay Welk said. "It's just the system here. We have so many players to choose from and so many good players that it's tough for kids to contribute before they're seniors."
This is the third consecutive season that the Darts are starting five new players in a season. Two years ago, Jackson Stevenette's crew advanced to the Class 5A semifinal game where they lost in double-overtime to Lone Peak on a Tyler Haws jumper as time wound down.
Last season, James Cowser was a main force as Davis again advanced to the semifinal round and again was bounced by an eventual champion, West Jordan. This year's team is led by Tallon Burton, Landon Horne and Josh VanWeezep.
The program has great chemistry. In other programs, the pressure to try to earn a scholarship with just one year of extended playing time may lead to selfish tendencies. At Davis, the scoring is spread out, the Darts are one of the best passing teams in the state on a year-by-year basis and Davis uses precision and execution to beat its opponents.
The Darts still send players to the next level. Brian Green is at Utah State. Nick Martineau, a speedy point guard, is coming off a mission and will be at BYU next week, and Stevenette is at Southern Utah.
"I would put the program's ability to send kids to the next level up with anyone's in the state," Welk said. "We may not have people at every major school, but we have plenty of kids playing at the college level."
The players know that playing at Davis is competitive, and it's a process. And the payoff that comes from waiting their turn trumps the lure of seeking stardom as underclassmen.
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