"Stop crying, you big baby."
It would seem that such a harsh command-uttered here by a Pee Wee football coach to a rotund nine-year old playing in a 12-year-old league-would usually spur resentment or hurt from its recipient.
But for Glen Davis, LSU's large and certainly in charge sophomore center, the strict imperative evoked a lovable nickname that has stuck: Big Baby. It is a nickname that Davis even relishes and definitely prefers to an alternative handle linking him to former LSU great Shaquille O'Neal.
"I want it to be 'Big Baby' for the rest of my life, not Baby Shaq, or Shaquille or whatever," Davis said last week. "It's always good to be compared to the big guy, but I want my own foot in immortality."
The comparisons to O'Neal are not at all surprising. At 6-foot-10, 310 pounds, Davis is a load inside-similar to 7-foot-1, 325-pound Shaq. After averaging 18.6 points and 10 rebounds per game so far this season, Big Baby claimed the SEC Player of the Year award, just as the Big Aristotle did as a sophomore in 1991. Davis has even replicated O'Neal's easy-going and humorous nature with the media, especially in his dealings with the comparisons.
"I'm my own guy," Davis said. "I got my own twist, my own flavor, kind of like a little gumbo. I got all kind of crabs and shrimps and turkey meat and spices. I got a good, you know, twist. Yeah, [Shaq's] a big, lovable guy also, but I think personally I'm better looking."
The ease with which Davis has accepted his accolades belies the immense effort put in to making himself a better player this year. Last season, Davis enjoyed the luxury of playing alongside star sophomore forward Brandon Bass and claimed SEC Freshman of the Year honors. But when Bass decided to enter the NBA Draft last summer, Davis quickly went from second fiddle to the primary option on a talented but young team.
The first task for Big Baby was to become slightly less big. Davis' weight hovered around 350 pounds his freshman season, often hindering his level of play late in games. Davis made a commitment to bring down his weight in the offseason, following a strict diet that cut out his beloved chocolate-chip cookies and included organic oatmeal.
The results from Davis' 40-pound weight loss have been apparent-the sophomore has displayed surprisingly quick post moves this year, prompting Duke senior Lee Melchionni to call him a "315-pound ballerina." But Big Baby said the weight loss was no small sacrifice, especially choking down the oatmeal.
"It has no taste and the texture is horrible-like those eating contests on 'Fear Factor,'" Davis said before the season. "It's just you vs. the oatmeal."
In addition to remaking his body, Davis has had to alter his role on a team that features seven freshmen and just one senior. Besides leading on the court, Davis has been credited by his head coach, John Brady, for keeping the Tigers' young squad loose during LSU's first trip to the Sweet 16 since 2000.
"There's nothing sacred in our locker room," Brady said last week. "Try to get serious with that team, and Glen will break that all down in a heartbeat. But they've been good for me. It's a good group to coach. I just hope the traveling road show can continue."
Whether or not the LSU's season does continue may depend largely on the battle between Davis and Duke big man Shelden Williams in tonight's Sweet 16 clash. Both players have come up big so far in the NCAA Tournament, as Williams and Davis have averaged 23 points and 16 rebounds, and 21.5 points and 10.5 rebounds, respectively.
Despite the big stage and premier opponent, Davis is certainly not over-thinking the matchup.
"My assignment is to play the biggest and best post man on each team, and he's the best post player on their team, so I just have to do what I'm supposed to do to get the ballgame won," Davis said Monday.
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