From Boys to Men: Lee County Basketball Coach Gifts his Players a Black Suit

LEESBURG, Ga. (WALB) -. “I feel prideful, very prideful, I feel confident when I wear the suit”

If you ask DJ Taylor how he feels when he wears the suit, he’ll tell you that. Coach Davis felt it on his heart to provide each of his players with a black fitted suit. He says he wanted his players to experience what he felt when he was a young boy.

“10,11 years old, usher board in church. It’s kind of like you graduated from just a white shirt and tie to a suit. When you get that suit it kind of makes you feel upright, you know mannish so to speak.”

Coach Davis surprised the players with a suit fitting one day after practice. They road to Phillips Man Clothing to get there correct measurements.

For center Mark Saaddeh the process was more than a fitting to him. He recently moved here from out of the country. The entire process from getting fitted to sporting the suit down the hallway made him feel welcome into the trojan family.

“It’s my first time here. I’ve been her for four months. In Lebanon we don’t have a coach buy us a suit. I enjoyed coming here and getting to know Coach Davis and all of these men,” said Saaddeh.

All off the coaches received a gray suit while the players wear an all black ensemble. Why black?

“ Black just makes everything look good. So like a black suit is just like the top tier of suits that you can always have,” said senior center Harrison Skinner.

Coach Davis believes black is a classic. “Escorting guys into manhood. I think in the past we’ve been escorting guys in the wrong way with sneakers and whatever the fad is, so I wanted to do something traditional and something that’ll have some longevity to it.”

Some of the players favorite things about having matchup suits is when they can wear them together at school.

“It’s awesome. I like it a lot. Especially when we all look the same. We’re all like one. I like it a lot,” said guard Andrew Knight.

For Skinner, the suit makes him feel powerful. “I feel amazing in the suit. Like walking down the hallway everybody looking at you. Oh you look good this and that like it just gives me power, feels like I’m on top.”

“Today I met my teammate in the hallway and we like walk and I see all the people just look at us. Like oh same suit. Like you feel proud when you see that, and especially like when I wear suit it’s like I’m a man.” siad Saaddeh.

I think it’s safe to say that many of the players felt the way little Kirven did many years ago. And like the old saying goes when you look good you do good. The trojans are ranked number one in there region, but for Coach Davis the idea of getting his players suits was beyond basketball.

“And just for them to take that step into manhood. To me that’s more important than winning a game.”

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