Camden Davis eats the same meal before every Hudson boys basketball contest — salmon and potatoes.

“It sounds simple and weird,” Davis said. “But, that is just my go to.”

The 6-foot-5 senior forward is not quite sure when the ritual meal started, but he knows for certain he ate it before a game against Denver on Jan. 6, 2023.

Davis went off for 34 points on an 11-of-15 shooting night from the field (2-of-2 from deep) and secured 14 rebounds, including seven offensive boards. The double-double helped to lead the Pirates to an 81-63 win over the Cyclones.

Since that Friday night, Davis eats the same meal — salmon and potatoes — the night before each game.

Before the Pirates’ 79-54 win over Union to advance to the 2023 Class 2A substate 3 championship, Davis ate salmon and potatoes. He recorded a 24-point, 15-rebound double-double.

Before the Pirates 71-38 win over Janesville in the 2023-24 season opener, Davis, who posted 24 points and eight boards against the Wildcats, ate salmon and potatoes.

And, before he set the Hudson boys basketball all-time career scoring record on Saturday, Davis ate salmon and potatoes.

Davis needed 13 points to break the record heading into Saturday’s contest with Center Point-Urbana.

He managed 21 against the Stormin’ Pointers to break the previous record of 1,346 career points held by Jason Bauer, who played for Iowa after leading Hudson to a 1A title in 1993 and a third place finish in 1994 in 2A.

Davis knew he was close to breaking the record, but, following a 21-point game in 75-40 win over Dike-New Hartford, Hudson head coach Sean Leonard informed the Pirates’ prolific scorer just how close he was.

Nothing changed about Davis’s approach.

“I did not want to make a scene or all that,” Davis said. “I did not want it to be about me. I wanted the team to get the win in the first place. So, it was nice to get it, but we needed the win first.”

Davis got his wish.

The lack of a scoreboard with individual player scoring totals at Center Point-Urbana High School made breaking the record a bit of a surprise though Davis said he realized he made history when murmurs made their way around the arena before the crowd erupted in applause.  

After securing the win breaking the record, Davis, who also owns the Hudson all-time rebounding record which he broke as a junior, did not undersell the achievement’s importance.

“It means a lot to me,” Davis said. “It took a whole lot of hard work from me and my teammates. Them pushing me to where I am today. As a team, they support me. They do a whole bunch of stuff for me and with me. It means a lot to all of us.”

On Monday, during the Pirates’ Senior Night festivities, the school honored Davis with a commemorative basketball which Bauer presented to Davis.

“I was glad that all the people there were there to support,” Davis said. “And, see … what team I was playing with and who I am playing with.”

After an 18-point outing on Monday night against AGWSR, Davis stands at 1,373 career points — and counting.

Before he was a double-double machine for the Pirates — and before the debut of salmon and potatoes — Davis made his mark early on as a freshman.

Leonard, an assistant with the Pirates in Davis’s freshman year (2020-21), said the Hudson coaching staff planned to have all players — freshmen through seniors — practice together for the first three days. Then, the coaches would divide the players into varsity, junior varsity, etc.

“It was not more than half an hour into that first practice that year I asked the head coach, ‘Hey, who is that kid?’” Leonard said. “He said, ‘It is Camden Davis.’ I said, ‘Yeah, he needs to be up practicing varsity with us.’”

A 6-foot hybrid forward/guard Davis’s high-motor stood out to Leonard during that first practice.

Four years later, Davis recalls that he could not help but feel a little nervous heading into that first practice.

“I was not very big,” Davis said. “I felt like I was a scrawny little kid out there playing against adults. It was just a different feel. But, I made my groove and I fit into the team.

“I did not want to make a mistake and then they all get on me for it. But, the senior class my freshman year was really nice. I was friends with all of them. I got along with them and they believed in me. They saw potential in me.”

Davis started 12 games his freshman season and finished as the Pirates’ No. 3 scorer, averaging 6.3 points per game.

The next year, his role changed drastically.

“He became — kind of — the guy as a sophomore,” Leonard said. “His sophomore year, we started three or four sophomores. We really relied on that sophomore group … with Camden being the most vital part of that. His role changed and he was ready for it.”

Davis tripled his scoring average to lead Hudson with 18.0 points per game, and an average of 8.5 rebounds per contest, while starting all 23 games.

“I had to make a statement for the team and for me,” Davis said. “I just had to step up and play my game and help my teammates play their game. Just play as a whole.”

Davis continued to be the go-to player for Hudson as a junior scoring 19.7 points per game to go along with an average of 10.6 rebounds — breaking the rebounding recording during the Pirates’ postseason run.

And, as a senior, Davis pushed his scoring average to 20.8 and his rebounding average to 10.9.

According to Leonard, a commitment to putting extra work plus a dedication to nutrition played a key role in Davis ability to transform into the player he is today for the 15-1, third-ranked Pirates.

“I am always working on everything,” Davis said. “Being the best with my abilities.”

As for his nutrition, Davis credited his mom, Northern Iowa assistant volleyball coach Kim (McCaffrey) Davis, who played volleyball at UNI from 1997-2001, with helping with that aspect of being an athlete.

“She has kind of helped me find a good nutrition, recovery — all of that stuff,” Davis said. “She helps a lot with that.”

Though his mom helped him determine the right diet, Davis is the one who prepares the salmon and potatoes.

“It comes in a box from Sam’s Club and I just throw it in the oven,” Davis said.