Courtesy of Morgan State Athletic Communications
BALTIMORE, Md., Feb. 23, 2021 – A Bear in Albania.
Former Morgan State men's basketball guard Stanley Davis will be starting his professional basketball career soon as he signed a deal with Vllaznia Shkodra (Superliga).
Vllaznia is based out of Shkoder, Albania, and competes in the Albanian Basketball Superliga of the Albanian Basketball League and the Balkan International Basketball League.
Davis knows the kind of player he is and what he can bring to Vllaznia.
"I bring toughness and grit to the team," said David. "I have an ability to score the ball anywhere. I also rebound at a high rate at the guard spot and defend at a high level."
"On and off the court I feel as though my experiences at Morgan helped shape my character and development. Sitting out almost a year from playing, my character and basketball kept me sane and ready for this opportunity. Other than that, I thank God, family and my close circle for keeping me focused on the main target, which was officially becoming a pro basketball player."
A native of Chester, Pa., Davis played all four years for the Bears and finished his collegiate career ranked No. 24 on the school's all-time scoring leaderboard with 1,044 points and ranks 15th on the all-time rebounding list. He's just the 13th player in school history to have over 1,000 points and over 500 rebounds.
"We are excited to see Stanley take the first step on his professional basketball journey," Bears head coach Kevin Boradus said. "Stanley is a very talented player who practiced hard and played hard."
"We are thrilled to see his high work ethic being rewarded. I look forward to what the future holds for him," said Broadus.
In his final season, he was a 2020 All-MEAC Third Team selection and ranked among the league leaders in a number of statistical categories: No. 8 in rebounding (6.0), No. 9 in scoring (13.7), No. 12 in assists (2.5), No. 6 in free throw percentage (.784) and No. 13 in field goal percentage (.465).
The prospect of living in Europe is exciting for Davis.
"In all honesty, I'm excited about learning to live and carry myself as a pro," he said. "Coming from Chester (Pa.) is not easy, most who know about my city knows what it's like. I'm just excited to make it out and live to see more than 18 years of life... Europe will be a great experience. God is an awesome God."