Thornton Academy’s Will Davies makes a pass over South Portland’s Jaelen Jackson during the Class AA South championship game on Feb. 25. Davies, a senior, averaged 20.1 points, 7.3 rebounds and 7.3 assists this season. Carl D. Walsh/Staff Photographer

When Will Davies entered Thornton Academy as a 5-foot-3 freshman, he wasn’t worried about whether he would be able to compete on the basketball court. He’d seen his older brother have a growth spurt in high school and reach 6-2.

“I knew I’d at least get to that height,” he said.

Bob Davies, Will’s dad and Thornton’s boys’ basketball coach, said he knew his youngest son would measure up – regardless of how much he grew.

“He was always a guard and he was still a good basketball player. He could handle the ball, shoot the ball,” the elder Davies said. “He controlled the game. Even as a little kid, he controlled the game.”

Will Davies was 6 feet tall by the end of his sophomore year, when he was on the varsity squad during the COVID-shortened 2020-21 season. Now 6-3, he has become a multifaceted force who can control a game in even more ways.

On the break, Davies can see small cracks in defenses and find his teammates for open looks while also knowing when to find his own shot. A returning Varsity Maine All-State selection, he led Class AA South in assists this winter for a second straight season, averaging 7.3 per game. He also led the league in scoring (20.1 points) and was third in rebounding (7.3). Including three playoff games, Davies averaged 19.7 points, 7.1 rebounds, 6.9 assists and 1.5 steals while shooting 56% from the floor.

Davies is our choice as the 2023 Varsity Maine Player of the Year for boys’ basketball. He also was honored as the Maine Gatorade Player of the Year and Maine Mr. Basketball. Also receiving serious consideration for the Varsity Maine honor were Mr. Basketball finalists Brady Saunders of Brewer and Silvano Ismail of Cheverus, and South Portland senior Jaelen Jackson, who led the Red Riots to a second straight Class AA title.

“He’s my player of the year,” Bonny Eagle Coach John Trull said of Davies. “He’s smart. He scores. And he’s better defensively than most people give him credit for.”

Winning the Maine Mr. Basketball award in March had special meaning for Will Davies. His father, Bob, won the award in 1994 while at Old Orchard Beach High. Michael G. Seamans/Morning Sentinel

Oxford Hills Coach Scott Graffam was another coach who tabbed Davies for Player of the Year honors, calling him simply, a “one-man team.”

While Graffam’s comment is of course exaggeration, Davies was clearly the focal point for a 17-4 squad. Thornton fell to South Portland in the South final, one night after Davies knocked down a running one-hander at (or possibly just after) the buzzer to beat Bonny Eagle in a wild semifinal. In two regular-season wins against South Portland, Davies scored 30 and 26 points. In the latter game, a runaway home win, he had 11 assists, many setting up wide-open 3-pointers.

In the regional final, when Davies struggled with his own shot en route to 15 points, similar passes resulted in teammates making just 2 of 14 3-pointers in a 55-44 loss.

The Mr. Basketball award had special significance for Davies. Bob Davies was the 1994 Mr. Basketball winner when he was a senior at Old Orchard Beach. The Davies are the first father-and-son winners of the award.

“That was probably the coolest, just because of being the first father-son duo to ever win, which was pretty awesome,” Will Davies said.

The loss to South Portland would turn out to be the final game at Thornton for both father and son. Bob Davies made the decision to retire after 20 seasons as Thornton’s varsity coach, with a 258-130 career record.

Rather than dwelling on a loss – or a particular win, for that matter – Davies said what he’ll remember from his senior season are the personal connections.

“I just look at the friendships I’ve made and the bonds with people I’ve had, even the assistant coaches I’ve grown close to, and it’s definitely been a highlight of my life,” Davies said.

Davies said he has a strong desire to play college basketball, hopefully at the scholarship level. Where that might be is still undecided. Davies just turned 18 on Thursday.

A year at prep school to further develop is an option.

“He’s still a pup. No sense in rushing through life,” said Bob Davies.