[Stardust]

When a Lexington doctor told Knott County Central's Zack Davis last season that he would never play basketball again because of knee problems, Davis heard the prognosis, but he didn't heed it.

Davis sought a second opinion. He went to Chicago and met with the team doctor of the NBA's Bulls, who told him he could keep playing if he could put up with the pain.

The rest of the story is that Davis, after enduring four knee surgeries before and during his junior year, played a great game in the Sweet Sixteen on Thursday.

The thick-chested 6-foot-2 senior had 19 points, six rebounds and four assists in leading the Patriots to victory over Boone County in Rupp Arena.

Davis's trade-off for having the meniscus removed from both knees is that they're heavily wrapped for practices and games, and he spends 30 minutes in a 30-degree whirlpool after playing.

"It shocks it," he said, shivering at the thought.

Davis was also told he will probably have chronic arthritis in both knees when he gets older. But he said it's all worth it for getting to play in the state tournament again after seeing what it was like as a sophomore.

"This is what I worked for, why I came back after all the knee surgeries," he said. "This is the best atmosphere ever."

Davis said that when he's on the court, he doesn't notice the pain. "Once you get all that adrenaline pumping, you don't think about it."

When Knott Central is finished with the Sweet Sixteen this week, it will be the end of basketball for Davis.

But he's got a lot more going for him than hoops. He scored a 33 on the ACT, and he will probably attend either Columbia or UK and major in chemical engineering.

Read more here: http://www.kentucky.com/2012/03/15/21121...rylink=cpy