ANDERSON, Ind. -- Ron Hecklinski couldn’t believe what he was hearing.
The Anderson High School boys basketball coach routinely was hosting NCAA Division I recruiters throughout the 2005-06 season, and he was baffled by their recurring refrain.
Senior DeJovaun Sawyer-Davis, who would share THB Player of the Year honors with Pendleton Heights’ Vaughn Duggins, wasn’t athletic enough to play at the top collegiate level — at least according to the coaches.
“I said, ‘You gotta watch how this kid plays,’” Hecklinski said. “Athleticism has nothing to do with how he plays.”
Sawyer-Davis eventually landed in Division II of the NAIA with Fort Wayne-based St. Francis. And he’s been making the Div. I recruiters look silly ever since.
The Cougars (26-9) will play sixth-ranked Oklahoma Wesleyan (30-4) in the national semifinals tonight at Keeter Gymnasium in Mount Lookout, Mo.
In St. Francis’ three postseason wins, Sawyer-Davis has averaged 25 points. He scored 18 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, recording his 15th double-double of the season, in a 79-73 win against No. 10 Cornerstone in Saturday’s quarterfinals.
He poured in 43 points during a first-round victory against Black Hills State.
“DeJovaun Sawyer-Davis is one of the highlights of my coaching career,” Hecklinski said. “He’s just a kid who knew no boundaries when it came to playing the game of basketball or his work ethic. I couldn’t be happier for him.”
Sawyer-Davis led Anderson to a 24-2 record during his senior season. He’s the strong, silent type — preferring to let his actions speak louder than words.
“How can you ever be in practice and not go hard and look Dey in the eye when he’s the hardest worker out there?” Hecklinski said. “He’s one of the best leaders I’ve ever been around, and he never said a word.”
The Tribe’s coach believes that same attribute has aided St. Francis’ run this season.
He said Sawyer-Davis is the type of player who makes others around him better.
The junior began his college career at Indiana Wesleyan, a rival of St. Francis in the Mid-Central College Conference, and he’d made one previous trip to the NAIA Div. II postseason. Sensing his teammates might be a little tight at the start, Sawyer-Davis set the tone early against Black Hills State, a Final Four participant in 2009.
He capped his offensive explosion with a 3-pointer to put the Cougars ahead for good with two seconds left. No. 11 St. Francis won 86-83.
“Black Hills State was really helping on the dribble penetration,” St. Francis head coach Jeff Rekeweg said after the game. “They helped on the drive, and that left DeJovaun open. If there is anyone we want shooting the basketball in that situation it’s DeJovaun.”
Hecklinski is proud of all his former star player has accomplished. But none of Sawyer-Davis’ heroics have caught him off guard.
“Nothing surprises me about Dey,” he said. “Nothing he ever does surprises me. He can accomplish whatever he puts his mind to.”
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