Many didn't expect senior center Paul Davis to make it to his Senior Day.
A highly touted recruit coming out of high school, Davis was supposed to declare for the NBA Draft after his freshman season.
Then again after his sophomore season. Then speculation arose again during last season's Final Four run, but he stayed and jokingly assured everyone that this would be his last season.
Maybe even in his own mind, Davis didn't expect to stay all four years.
"I was walking up the tunnel with Adam Ballinger after one practice, and I was like, 'How can you do this for four years?,'" Davis said. "But I'm already here."
Even though he ranks among MSU's all-time best big men, it has certainly been a roller-coaster ride.
"I don't think any year … I played to my potential at all, … considering the things that I've done," Davis said. "But I wouldn't change anything that I've done here just because of how I've grown. You can't average 20 and 10 through four years of college and really not be a better player because you have to go through those lows and highs to see what kind of person you are."
The years have gone by quickly for Davis, though. He remembers when he and senior guard Maurice Ager were roommates in their freshman year, how Ager brought in Astroturf to carpet their dorm room and how the trash and pizza boxes kept piling up.
"You definitely didn't want the health inspectors coming into our room," Davis quipped.
"We kept stacking each little piece of garbage on top and made sure it didn't fall. It was your usual freshman thing."
Their bond and friendship has lasted throughout their tenure.
"Me and Mo always had this comfortable feel around each other," Davis said. "We just know each other inside and out, especially on the court. There's a chemistry."
Ager instantly found a bond with Davis, as the two have similar personalities.
"We're both laid-back dudes," Ager said. "It was cool staying with him."
Although his NBA draft stock might have been higher when he was younger, Davis is still projected to be a first-round pick, possibly benefiting from the fact that high school players are no longer allowed to declare for the draft combined with a weak crop of international players.
As for his relationship with head coach Tom Izzo, the two have jokingly talked about writing books on each other, but one of the biggest things Davis has learned about Izzo in four years is: "He's always right. He is, he really is. He's always right on what he says," Davis said.
Both Davis and Ager have set examples for the younger players both on and off the court.
"Both guys have been incredible people to the program," Izzo said. "There's never been an issue academically or socially that I've had to deal with either one of those guys, and that's nice to say."
