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A Community Connector
November 15, 2012 11:49 pm ET by Steven Langston

In every recap, all of us and each of us try to capture an experience that might not receive much attention outside the city limits. Some of us are or were lucky to cover those experiences on behalf of our alma maters. Joe Davis, the men's basketball beat reporter for the State Hornet, Sac State's student paper, is one of those individuals.

Though in his first semester at Sac State, Davis has been able to build connections with players and the community. As a Northern California native, he always chose Sac State as his team when playing video games. Now a student, he hopes he can continue to spread those connections with athletes and fellow students through his articles and his weekly radio show on KSSU.

While overseas in the Army, Davis noted that school ties served as a strong form of identification among soldiers. That experience might have also helped him find and maintain his role within the Sac State Athletic community. With the start of the new season and as football winds down for most of the schools, basketball becomes a great way for the diverse alumni, faculty, students and community members to witness the products of teamwork and striving toward a common goal.

One of the important tenets Davis holds for covering a team is to show the hard work, heart and respect the players have for basketball and their teammates within practice. By providing respect for the players, one builds connections with the players and the community at large. After writing a profile on a player, Davis was e-mailed by the player's father and was able to meet in-person before the game against Cal State Bakersfield. Each practice also allows the continual testing of the team dynamic that, while irksome and confusing in November, could provide the ability to make crucial plays in early March. By showing respect in coverage, one can also develop more meaningful connections with players, which can allow for better stories to be told.

Davis is also excited for the opportunities to see his school play schools from above the Red Line and provide exposure of the school to a larger area. The power and notoriety that come from a football upset by a Southern Conference member drew Davis's attention toward college athletics. Further interest in college basketball has come from the understanding that regardless of means, media attention and size, any school has the same opportunity to compete for the National Championship. With success and attention also comes the ability for the invested student fees to help honor and develop the efforts of both parts of the term student-athlete.

Sac State has opportunities to get Red Line Upsets Friday the 15th against Utah and in Tempe against Arizona State on December 1st. With victories over larger schools and a BracketBuster game, Sac State hopes to continue building its resume. Joe Davis hopes to cover those efforts not just for those on campus but also for alumni across the country.