Niagara’s Swiss Army knife returns
The Niagara River Lions are bringing back their captain for his third season of Canadian Elite Basketball League action.
Antonio (AJ) Davis Jr. signed with the team in late February along with Khalil Ahmad, Jahvon Blair and Eddie Ekiyor. The four represented the team’s top four scorers in the 2023 season.
The 6-foot-9 forward from Burford, Ga., said it was an easy decision to return for another season of action with the River Lions.
“Niagara has been like a second home to me for the past two summers,” the 29-year-old said. “We all have the same goal of winning, getting better and it’s great vibes all the time.”
Last season, the son of former NBA all-star Antonio Davis, averaged 10.6 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 27.6 minutes of playing time for the River Lions. His importance to the team went way beyond the stats line.
“My role in the past has been to be a leader,” said the former scholarship player at University of Central Florida. “I try to be as vocal as possible and do whatever the team needs to win.”
He has enjoyed his time in Niagara and the basketball environment it provides him.
“We have a group of people that care and work hard. Everybody loves to work and we all make each other better. Everybody is held to a high standard no matter what your role is. Most importantly, everybody’s main goal is to win.”
Niagara and Davis have yet to experience the joy of winning a CEBL championship and that feat is at the top of his wish list.
“That’s why I play. To win.”
His favourite part about playing with the River Lions are the friends he has made in Niagara.
“Not only my teammates but I know so many of the fans and sponsors that support us. The whole community wants to see us win and continues to support us.”
This past winter, Davis has been playing with the Leuven Bears of the BNXT League in Belgium where he has averaged 12.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game.
His time spent in Niagara in the summer is always a great preparation for his overseas seasons.
“Being in Niagara allows me to compete at a high level while keeping me in game shape and also developing me as a player and person.”
Niagara River Lions head coach and GM Victor Raso is glad to have Davis back in the fold.
“I wanted AJ back for the same reason I wanted Khalil, Eddie, Jahvon, Kimbal and TJ (Lall) back. These guys have kind of made this place home. We don’t have a lot of professional players that come out of the Niagara region whereas some of our competitors have a lot of pros who are from their local market,” he said. “We have to find ways to create a culture of caring and AJ will be going into his third season with us and we know he will be at the top of the record books eventually and probably this coming year in the top five in points, rebounds and a whole bunch of different categories.”
Raso loves that he cares.
“He cares about this place and I want guys that care. I would rather continuously do it with people who I know and trust and who care about the organization, the community and their teammates,” he said. “It is hard to get guys to care, especially in such a short time, and I know that they respect the job the front office does and the job that I do and in return they give us care that doesn’t always happen across the CEBL.”
Raso describes Davis as a Swiss Army knife.
“He can bring the ball up for us at times, he can be a post matchup and he can space the floor as a shooter. This year, he will be covering a lot of guards more so than in the past but if he needs to play the five for us in a pinch, he can do that. If he needs to be the point guard, he can do that too. He really does a lot for us and I’m not sure what AJ’s best skill is but he impacts the game in a whole bunch of different ways.”
Niagara opens the season May 24 on the road against the Brampton Honey Badgers. Its home opener versus the Honey Badgers will be played Thursday, May 30 at 7 p.m. at the Meridian Centre.
Season tickets, voucher packs and group tickets are on sale now. Visit www.riverlions.ca/tickets for more information.
