The LSU men’s basketball team may not be in the “big dance” of the NCAA Tournament this March, but junior forward Glen Davis will be doing some dancing of his own in April. Davis is scheduled to appear in the Big Buddy Program’s “Dancing with the Stars” on April 21 in the PMAC. It may be Davis’ last PMAC appearance, as he has not yet announced if he will enter the 2007 NBA Draft. Other participants include Mayor-President Melvin “Kip” Holden, Walk-On’s owner Brandon Landry, 96.1 The River’s radio personality Jodi Carson and other community leaders. Big Buddy Program executive director Gaylynne Mack said the national “Dancing with the Stars” television competition inspired the first-ever dancing Big Buddy event. Big Buddy sells upper level seating for $15 and tables of 10 for $2000 per table. “We’ve never had a fundraising event of this magnitude,” she said. Mack said Davis was an obvious choice for the competition. “We knew that he loved children,” Mack said. “We wanted fun people, and he seemed like a happy, lively person.” Davis said he watched the national “Dancing with the Stars” competition and rooted for Emmitt Smith, former Dallas Cowboys’ running back and eventual winner. Davis said he’s practices swing dancing skills with his Big Buddy-appointed dancing partner. “You gotta pick the woman up,” he said. “You gotta make sure you don’t drop her.” Swing dancing music may be out of Davis’ comfort zone. He said his musical interests change with his mood, but current favorites include more hip-hop oriented songs, Nelly Furtado’s “Promiscuous” and Akon’s “Smack That.” Sophomore forward Magnum Rolle said he has seen Davis dance but never in a competition format. “Have a net ready to catch her,” Rolle said of Davis flipping his partner. Sophomore guard Garrett Temple said he expects a winning performance from Davis. “Glen is a great dancer,” Temple said. “I grew up with Glen. Glen is pound for pound the best dancer on this team.” Temple said he and Davis frequently dance at parties, where on-lookers are sometimes shocked to see such a large men moving in rhythm. “When they see him … it’s like, ‘Wow.'” Mack said Holden and Davis both suggested they didn’t need dance lessons for the contest. “[Davis] said, ‘Dance lessons?'” Mack recalled. “He said, ‘I already know how to dance.'” But freshman guard Alex Farrer has some doubts about Davis’ ability. “He’s got some skills for a big man, but that’s nothing I’d pay to see,” Farrer joked. “Garrett knows him better than I do, but from what I’ve seen, it’s gonna be pretty gruesome.” Rolle, Temple and Farrer said they would be cheering Davis on from the audience. “I gotta be here to watch this,” Temple said.
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