June 24, 2005

SAN DIEGO - Getting to the 2005 NCAA Leadership Conference at Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex in Florida turned out to be tougher than Trimaine Davis thought it would be. San Diego State's senior forward missed his flight and was an hour and a half late.

That was the only bad turn his trip would take. Davis said it was a great trip and it was better than he thought it was going to be.

"I didn't know what to expect," Davis said. "Once I got there, it was a lot more than I expected it to be and it was a lot more comfortable than I thought it would be, too. There were so many different people there and people I've seen before on TV. Everybody there was cool and relaxed. It felt kind of like a family reunion."

The most beneficial aspect of the conference for Davis was being around 400 student athletes who play different sports and were from different colleges across the country who all shared the same passion and drive to reflect leadership and commitment beyond sports.

Davis said that all of the student athletes there were all-star athletes for their sport at their school.

"Normally when you're in the situation of being around those star athletes that pride and the ego takes place and the chest gets a little bit higher," Davis said. "But everybody was so humble and appreciative that we were out there at Disney World. Everybody was so excited to meet different people. The only time we talked about our sport was when somebody asked us what sport we played, but that was it."

All the student-athletes were broken up into teams where they talked about the topic of leadership. Among what was discussed were the different aspects of a leader, how to make an all around better leader and the question of leaders being born or made.

It was teaching leadership not just for these athletes to use while playing sports during their college tenures, but to provide them with knowledge to excel after college as well.

"We learned things that everybody needs to be successful," Davis said. "You have to be able to present yourself in a powerful but not intimidating way and how to interact with others in a way to make yourself known without coming off as obnoxious."

Davis said his favorite part of the conference was the numerous guest speakers in attendance. Grant Hill and his father, Calvin Hill, were two of the guest speakers. Davis said going to Disney World was also one of the best parts of the trip.

Basketball is only one of the activities that Davis is involved with around SDSU and the community. It's because of his dedication to numerous organizations that the conference did not change much about him, but it has increased his passion for basketball and his other commitments. Davis has served as the men's basketball representative on the SDSU student advisory board. He was also the founder of Ko-Ailition, an organization of African-American student-athletes.

Heading into the conference, Davis was looking at it as something to just get it done with and out of the way. He wasn't really interested and he thought it was going to be a lot of dry and stiff conversations. However, after he got there he quickly got excited about the conference and he said he was glad that he made the trip.

"It's a great experience," Davis said. "It's a real eye opener and it's something you'll always remember for the rest of your life. And there's also a free trip to Disney World, too."