Ex-Kentucky Wildcat Anthony Davis will be a “Franchise-Changer” for New Orleans Hornets

Officials from the Hornets will not comment on the value that the Player of the Year will bring to their squad next season but that’s not stopping others in the New Orleans area from speaking.

Speaking to Dan Patrick on Thursday, Davis said he’s looking forward to winning championships for the Hornets.

Anthony Davis didn’t use to be a basketball player that would be able to change a franchise.  Nope.  He used to be 6’2” before the growth spurt that took place between his freshman and senior year of high school.

In all his years of scouting high school basketball players, Dave Telep said Davis was in his top 10.

CBS Sports basketball writer Gary Parrish doesn’t know where he would rank Davis but he told me that Davis is “really good” and thinks he will be a “franchise-changer.”  His words, not mine.

Perspectives Charter Coach Cortez Hale explained to me in an interview that when he took over for the team during Davis’ sophomore year of high school that Davis was going be a special player.

“I realized Anthony was a special player when I started coaching the team his sophomore year, I saw him in practice and I kept asking the other coach who was the kid and how come I have never heard of him and was he being recruit by anyone,” Coach Hale said in an interview.  “I just saw the determination and the hard work ethic that Anthony had to be the best player at all times.  No matter, if it was a 5 on 5 game or just a 1 on 1 drill.  He always had the competiveness in him to always be first in everything he did, meaning he was first in the sprints, first in line to do a new drill and first to speak up when a teammate was doing wrong.  After that first practice, I called the Athletic Director and told him that ‘this kid Anthony Davis is going to be very special and is going to be the first big-time D1 player out of Perspectives.’”

Hale explained that he thought Davis would make it to the NBA but never foresaw the year that Davis would have at Kentucky.

“I always thought Anthony would make it to the NBA, just because of his determination and drive to never settle and be the best player and person he could be,” Hale explained to me.  “Also, he told me when we first talked his sophomore year that he wanted to make it to the NBA and that was his lifelong dream and I could just see that he was very determined to make it to the NBA one day no matter how long it took him and also hitting a huge growth spurt helped out a little bit. Ha-ha. To be honest with you, I never thought he would be a #1 pick just because he was not known player thru high school like Kidd-Gilchrist or Rivers and was being seen by the NBA scouts.  I also did not think he was going to have the year that he had at Kentucky, I just thought he was going to have a good freshman year and not a outstanding and M.V.P year like he did, but I am very proud of him.”

Who does Anthony Davis remind people of?  Bill Russell?  Kevin Garnett?  Maybe even Kevin Durant?  It depends on who you ask.