Davis was born in Hope, Arkansas.[1] He lived with his grandparents in Bradley, Arkansas, from when he was in the first grade because he wanted to stay close to his friends.[2] His parents lived with his 10 siblings in Houston, Texas.[2]
Davis attended Bradley High School in Bradley and was a three-year starter on the basketball team.[3] He averaged 32 points, 9 rebounds and 11 assists per game during his senior season and led the team to a 34–1 record.[3] Davis was a two-time all-state shooting guard.[2]
Davis aspired to play for the Arkansas Razorbacks but was not recruited by them nor other major colleges.[2][4]
College career
Davis began his collegiate career at Bossier Parish Community College where he was in the starting line-up for his two seasons there.[3] He averaged 19.3 points and 4.4 assists per game during the 2001–02 season while the team recorded a 23–10 record.[3]
On May 29, 2002, Davis signed to join the Troy State Trojans.[3] He was recruited by assistant coach David Felix and committed to the program because of their fast-break offensive style of play.[3] Davis was shifted to point guard when he joined the team.[4]
Davis averaged 11.0 points per game during the 2002–03 season as the Tigers qualified for their first NCAA Division I tournament appearance.[5]
Davis was selected by the Fayetteville Patriots in the sixth round of the 2004 NBA Development League draft.[9] He started the 2004–05 season in Spain with Alerta Cantabria and scored 15 points in three games before he was released.[1] On November 18, 2004, Davis was named to the roster of the Patriots.[10] He averaged 3.7 points and 2.6 assists per game in 42 games played with the Patriots during the 2004–05 season.[11]