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OGDEN — For most of his life, Davion Berry has bucked the odds and been his own person.
Every single stereotype that you could associate with a star basketball player from Oakland, Calif. — well, get ready to throw it out the window. Berry, who is in his senior season at Weber State, strives to go against the grain in a variety of ways. And it all started with wanting more in life than many of his childhood peers.
“I was never really in the streets or the gang-bang, or any of that,” Berry said. “The goal was to get good grades, get a scholarship and make our parents proud. We (Berry’s friends) all made a pact, and the pact was you have to go to college and get a degree. We wanted to set our own path, the right way.”
Some might question how a player from California might make his way to Ogden and Weber State, and the path started with former Weber State guard Damian Lillard. Berry and Lillard were AAU teammates, and they both strove to be Division I basketball players.
"This is my senior year; I can't hold back. If I hold back, it's going to be haunting me. I just want to make sure I'm playing the best basketball I can," said Weber State senior forward Davion Berry.
Weber State coach Randy Rahe recruited both, and Lillard came to Ogden. However, when it came time for Berry to sign his letter of intent, his grades prevented him from playing for the Wildcats, so he was forced to sign with Division II Cal State-Monterrey Bay.
After becoming an All-American at Monterrey Bay and raising his grade-point average, he again looked at playing for Rahe at Weber State.
“Word got out that he wanted to transfer, so once we got permission from (CSMB) to speak to him, we recruited him,” Rahe said. “It was kind of a natural fit — Damian (Lillard) was here at the time. … He came here, he redshirted a year, and the rest is history.”
Even after seeing his dream of playing Division I basketball come true, Berry still had some maturing to do. While his stat line last season was impressive (15.2 ppg, 3.8 apg) his potential was far from being realized.
“He’s really grown up, not just as a player but as a person,” Rahe said. “Last year, he had some times where he wasn’t totally engaged in practice. And he came from a high school and Division II background where he wasn’t held accountable. We brought him in here and held him accountable, and … it was kind of a shock to his system.
“And now this year, with everything I’ve seen, he’s engaged in practice every day, he’s engaged in his teammates. His whole focus is on the team and winning.”
This season, Berry has become the consummate teammate and leader. The Wildcats have won five consecutive games, and a lot of that is due to Berry’s stellar play. He was named the Big Sky Player of the Week for the week of Jan. 19 and averaged 24.3 points a game during the stretch.
Yet he said the success came from thinking about his teammates and not himself.
“I just wanted to dive into my teammates,” Berry said. “This is my senior year; I can’t hold back. If I hold back, it’s going to be haunting me. I just want to make sure I’m playing the best basketball I can.”
Another reason for Berry’s success is his relationship with Rahe. Berry said he was somewhat surprised at the loyalty that Rahe has shown him over the years, including the years when he was playing Division II basketball.
“At the time, I didn’t know that he was a loyal man like that,” Berry said. “But, coach Rahe is really a loyal guy. I love him; he’s treated me like a son here. And there’s no other place I’d rather be.”
The dedication and maturity this season have come about for a few reasons: first, Rahe’s encouragement; second, the fact that Berry is a senior; and third, the fact that he has a 4-year-old son who depends on him.
Berry said the pressure of being a parent has motivated him.
“I knew that if I don’t pay for his bills, he (doesn’t) eat,” said Berry, referring to his son, Davion Jr. “He helped me change my life a lot. It’s been a great experience to have my son with me and him seeing me play basketball here.”
While the pressures of his life have made Berry a more driven, focused person as he’s gotten older, he still hasn’t forgotten how to have a good time. He frequently talked about his love of video games and of all sports in general. And he described himself as easy-going and fun-loving.
Rahe said Berry’s attitude is great for team chemistry.
“His teammates feel him engaged in caring about them,” he said. “Especially for the young guys, when they feel that Dev cares about them and is trying to help them, they play better. I think he’s really good for the guys, as far as keeping them loose.”
With an upcoming road stretch that includes games at Northern Arizona, the Wildcats are looking to Berry to continue to set the pace — something Rahe believes will continue to happen.
“He just needs to keep playing the way he’s playing — he doesn’t need to change one thing,” he said. “What he can do is to continue to lead the young guys as our schedule changes, and I think he can lead by making sure our young guys are prepared for what they are going to see. Focus on your team and focus on your teammates, and don’t worry about what’s happening to you.”
