Raiders corner Anthony Averett and Woodbury’s Alexis Davis share athletic, sibling ties

While wearing an Alabama football T-shirt to basketball practice might not seem significant without any context, it is when Alexis Davis does it.

Davis, a senior standout at Woodbury High School, is looking to leave her mark on a Division I program just like her older brother, current Las Vegas Raiders cornerback Anthony Averett, did. As a two-time national champion at Alabama, Averett is an inspiration for Davis as she prepares to head to St. Bonaventure to play basketball.

“I’ve always looked up to him,” Davis said. “Him playing at a high level at the University of Alabama and then going to the league makes me dream higher, makes me dream bigger.”

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Despite playing different sports, Davis is seeing similar success in basketball as her brother did in football at the same age. Having Averett as part of her athletic journey has had its advantages, says Davis’ father, Maurice Davis.

“The skills and exercises that Anthony does when he comes home in the summer, the kids [Alexis and younger brother Maurice Davis Jr.] emulate it,” Maurice said. “So they get a little edge on what to do and how to do it, get bigger, stronger, faster through the things that he’s learned from Alabama and the NFL. So they get a little jump, a little head start off of that.”

It isn’t just Averett that helps Alexis train, as both her parents, who played a huge role in improving her game, are former basketball players. Maurice and Carmen Davis competed at Salem Community College, with Maurice moving on to play at Rowan.

This meant the year that COVID-19 hit, there was a house full of athletes with whom Alexis could work to improve her game. The house turned into a training center.

“During the COVID year, [Averett] was home. We were all home, like everybody else was,” said Alexis’ mother, Carmen Davis. “And they sent him workout equipment, things of that nature so he could stay in shape and that helped translate into them as well.”

Added Alexis: “We turned our movie theater into a gym, so I was just working out every single day, Monday through Friday. Working on my explosiveness, building that strength. Getting bigger, faster, stronger, and then after that, me and my dad, we’re outside working on my basketball game.”

The hard work Alexis has put in with her family has translated into success on the high school hardwood. The 6-foot guard/forward currently is in the conversation to be the best player in New Jersey this season and is on track to record 2,000 career points and 1,000 rebounds.

While Alexis now plays at Woodbury, where her older brother starred on the football field and her mother was a physical education teacher for over 15 years, she spent the first two years of high school playing for Glassboro, her father’s alma mater.

“On paper, she has a legacy at Glassboro, too,” Maurice said. “She scored 1,000 points her sophomore year, so she should be up on the banners in Glassboro for a 1,000 and then in Woodbury … if she gets to 2,000, she should have two banners.”

With the South Jersey star heading to St. Bonaventure, she will have the chance to represent her family at the next level.

Staying relatively near her family was a key factor in Davis picking the Bonnies over 17 other offers she had, including Virginia Tech and Pittsburgh.

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“It’s still on the East Coast. I’m a few hours away from home, and I’m going to be able to showcase my skills,” Alexis said. “With our conference, I’m going to be able to play the schools around here, La Salle, St. Joe’s. Even if it’s our home games, it’s a 40-minute flight; a 5-, 6-hour car drive. So still being close to home it’s a blessing.”

For Alexis Davis, the impact of family, from her parents to her older brother, will always be a part of her basketball career and her life off the court, too.

“Our children are very close, her and Anthony. They are 10 years apart, but you wouldn’t be able to tell that,” Carmen said. “He has set a great foundation for our children on how to work hard and understand that nothing comes easy; you’ve got to work hard, nothing is given to you. And their relationship is foolproof.”