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Jakeem Davison, former point guard for The Calhoun School, fondly remembers his glory days as a high school super star. After graduation, he attended Troy University briefly before taking a job to help his younger brother make it through school and never pursued playing the hoop at a higher level.

Looking back now, Davison feels that he failed to take full advantage of his athletic abilities. As the new Tigers head basketball coach, he has set a goal to help student athletes achieve their greatest potential and to mold them into better athletes and better citizens.

“I have knowledge for the game,” Davison said. “I didn’t take advantage of my capabilities and skills as a player. I regret not playing basketball at the college level. I want to encourage other players to maximize their potential.”

Lowndes County Athletic Director Nickles Rankins said Davison, whose brother J.D. recently signed a two-way contract with the Boston Celtics, has the drive and the heart to take the Tigers to the next level.

“He is a young, motivated coach,” Rankins said. “He knows the game. He’s a former student athlete at Calhoun. I feel like he’s going to have that Tiger pride as he starts this new opportunity to continue to build on The Calhoun School’s basketball legacy.”

Davison graduated from Calhoun in 2015 and began coaching junior varsity basketball as well as assisting with the varsity team two years later, when J.D. was in ninth grade. As a big brother, he wanted to help make a difference in his younger brother’s outcomes.

“I wanted to guide J.D. through school, to not do the same things I did,” Davison said. “It started with an individual workout. I didn’t have a trainer and I wanted him to help him in the areas I didn’t have someone. So, when I started working out with him, a couple of other players came along, then the whole team came along.”

The new coach is already establishing goals for the team, for on the court and in the community.

“I want to help them on and off the court and help them grow up to be young men who accept responsibilities,” Davison said. “We want to do a lot of community service. I also want to give them pointers in life, to explain the advantages and disadvantages men have in the word, especially in a small community. I want us to win a championship too, but that’ll be a work in progress.”

According to Rankins, Davison’s experiences give the coach the “hometown boy” advantage needed to help the Tigers reach their athletic goals.

“As a product of The Calhoun School, I think he is going to bring a lot of excitement to the basketball team,” Rankins said. “I’m excited to see what the future holds for our team.”