La Salle guard Hank Davis a smart addition to the team

LA SALLE'S Hank Davis has appeared in two games this season, playing a total of five minutes. He missed his only shot, and picked up one foul.

He still says he's living his dream.

"Definitely," insisted the 5-11 junior walk-on, without hesitating. "This is what I wanted to do. When you're an athlete, something would be missing if I wasn't part of a team. It's something I love. I always like to be busy working anyway. So when I got this opportunity I couldn't turn it down.

"When I came here, they'd just had that Sweet 16 run. To keep my career going was just awesome."

And how many of his teammates can say they're published authors? The biology major, who wants to go to medical school, had his research appear in the journal Adolescent Health and Wellness. It was titled "Student Athletes: Keeping the Balance." In part he wrote: "Understanding and developing the proper perspective and mentality is key to revealing the magic behind enjoying the multifaceted college experience."

The reigning Big 5 Scholar-Athlete of the Year has a 3.75 grade-point average. He played basketball and tennis at Cherry Hill East. His father, Steve, was a four-year letterwinner in tennis at La Salle. Coming out of high school, Davis drew interest from some Division III programs. But he chose to follow his dad and deal with whatever that meant as far as getting on the court was concerned.

"It was a great decision," said Davis, a guard who has scored four points in his Explorers career. "The best thing is, coach (John Giannini) doesn't treat me any different. In practice I'm on the scout team, going up against the starters. So I get my time. He makes me feel like I'm just like everyone else.

"Growing up, I was used to being one of the main guys. But the things I've seen, the places I've been, there's nothing better than that. It's really worked out. Everyone's aware of my schedule. They'll make jokes about it. Even now, over spring break, I'm carrying books around, studying for something. With labs and everything, it's pretty packed. But I like that. I think being on the team helps my academics. And I've developed a lot of special bonds. It's hard to put a value on that. I think I'm lucky in that sense."

The Explorers have only won eight times this season. But two of those came in their last three games. They'll play 11th-seeded Duquesne (16-15) in Wednesday night's first round of the Atlantic 10 Tournament in Brooklyn, N.Y. The Dukes beat them by 27 in late January in Pittsburgh. Still . . .

"We've never given up," Davis said. "It's been a learning experience. You take it as maybe we can turn it into something good for next year. Coach G has this line that losing a game is tough, but it almost prepares you for life. You have to get over it, move on and keep working hard."

Speaking of which, Davis is part of an extracurricular research team put together by one of his professors. They're using lab rats to assess the effect of binge drinking on the brain.

"We're going after the truth about permanent brain damage," he said. "It's cool, because even if I don't necessarily pursue it, what I'm learning is a different technique. Not a lot of other undergrads get that chance. I didn't even know about it, until I was approached to join. We're trying to publish something no one's ever seen before. There's only about six or seven of us. It's got a lot to do with neurons, stuff that most people wouldn't be interested in. But that's what we're doing."

He's taking the med-school exam in June. He's been studying for it since December. So he'll be packing his books for this trip. "That's the plan," he said. And who knows? Maybe he'll even get to be part of the stat sheet.

"That's the best feeling in the world," he acknowledged. "People go crazy when I go in, because I never go in. Even when I'm checking in, they're starting.

"Now that's fun."

kernm@phillynews.com

@mikekerndn