Badgers men's basketball: In stepfather, Nigel Hayes has wingman for life

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Beware of a mischievous duo roaming the streets of Madison on weekends the University of Wisconsin men’s basketball team is in town.

Names: Nigel Hayes and Albert Davis Sr., but they have several aliases. Rarely do they admit to actually being Nigel and Albert, even when the former is stopped by fans and asked to confirm that he is, indeed, the Badgers’ star senior forward.

Nope, he’s Thomas, and this is his friend Roger. Not just his friend, but his best friend. Sometimes, they’re coach and player. Other times, they’re father and son, only Nigel — oops, Thomas — will keep a straight face as he insists that he’s the dad and Roger/Albert is his kid.

They pulled off that gag and the one where they convinced someone they were twins.

“If you say it convincingly enough,” Hayes said, “people believe a lot of things.”

[Bronson Koenig hopes rest will pay off down the stretch]

Like the time the two walked into a Domino’s Pizza in Madison and were paying for their meal at the counter. Easy transaction, right? Not with Hayes and Albert.

All it took was the two exchanging a look to start the show. One took the lead, the other followed without skipping a beat. By the time they left the joint, they had convinced the woman behind the counter that a change had been made by the United States government and the $2 bill was no longer being issued.

Talaya Davis wants to make it clear this is a two-person act and she wants no part of it. When Thomas and Roger do their thing, the mother of Nigel Hayes and wife of Albert Davis Sr. is usually in the background, rolling her eyes and shaking her head at the shenanigans being pulled off by two men she loves dearly.

“I call him my wingman and he calls me his wingman,” Hayes said. “We have talks sometimes. We’ll say something and my mom will be like, ‘What are you boys talking about?’ We’re like, ‘Wingman talk, don’t worry about it.’ ”

Look past the Thomas-and-Roger show and you’ll see a special relationship, with Albert wearing many hats: friend, mentor, basketball coach, life coach.

And while Albert’s official title is stepfather, it’s a label that requires clarification: In Hayes’ official biography on UW’s website, his parents are listed as Talaya and Albert Davis.

“We joke a lot,” Albert said, “but underneath all that there’s a connection.”

Start of something

It wasn’t always this way.

Hayes’ memories from the early 2000s are cloudy — he was just a boy — but he recalls being skeptical of Albert when he began dating Talaya. There was no way Hayes, a mama’s boy to the core, was going to let this new man get between him and Talaya.

When Albert would try to hold Talaya’s hand as they were walking, Hayes would come up between them and break up the public display of affection. When they’d pucker up for a quick kiss, Hayes would stick his hand between their faces. When they moved closer to snuggle up on the couch for a movie, Hayes would plop between them as a barrier.

“Heck,” Talaya said, “he still does that.”

But the resistance didn’t last long. If there’s one other thing Hayes remembers vividly from his childhood, it’s that it didn’t take long to be won over by Albert.

The best move Albert made was to be himself. He was genuine and, best of all, not offended by a boy working his hardest to make sure Albert and Talaya kept a safe distance between one another.

“He’s always been very protective of his mom, like glued to the hip,” Albert said. “I love that about him.”

What Hayes saw in Albert was a man who put the needs of Talaya and her kids first on his list, so it was easy to trust his gut instinct and accept a stepfather into his life with open arms.

What struck Hayes the most was the sacrifices Albert made despite working the third shift as a laborer at the Chrysler Assembly Plant in Toledo, Ohio. Talaya has four children and, over the course of six years that included junior high and high school competitions, Albert missed a total of two games.

Last weekend was a perfect example of the lengths Albert will go for Talaya and her children. The couple bought new phones for Hayes and his younger sisters Alaya and Alana and spent Friday delivering them.

From Toledo, they went to Adrian, Michigan, to drop off one phone, then to Athens, Ohio, to drop off another. Finally, it was on to Madison to deliver one to Nigel and watch him play Sunday against Maryland.

After his night shift at Chrysler ended at 6:30 a.m., Albert took a short nap before spending the next 12-plus hours in the car. He drove the entire way, even though Talaya insisted her husband should get some rest for part of the trip.

And, of course, Talaya and Albert will be in attendance at Value City Arena tonight when the No. 16 Badgers (22-5, 11-3 Big Ten) face Ohio State (15-13, 5-10).

“There’s nothing (Albert) won’t do for them,” Talaya said Sunday from her seat at the Kohl Center shortly before her son finished with 21 points and 10 rebounds in the Badgers’ 71-60 victory over Maryland, “and they know that.”

Big role

If he harbors any resentment toward his biological father, Hayes doesn’t show it. There hasn’t been any contact between the two since shortly after a divorce in 2000 made Talaya a single mother until Albert’s arrival.

From the outside, it might appear strange that neither side has attempted to rekindle the relationship in the past 17 years, particularly considering Hayes’ rise to fame during a run at UW that included back-to-back Final Four appearances.

It’s not weird at all to Hayes, who says he doesn’t think about his birth father until somebody brings up the topic. Plus, it’s not like there’s a void to fill in his life: Albert filled that a long time ago.

Hayes will end his UW career among the all-time leaders in points, rebounds and assists, and there’s a chance he’ll end up being on the floor for more wins than any other player in program history. He’s also left his mark in community service and is on track to graduate in May with a degree in business finance and investment banking.

“I have no idea where I’d be right now without him,” Hayes said. “I wouldn’t be here, I can say that with 100 percent certainty. I call my mother the queen of the universe — she does a lot for me — but he’s really the reason why I’m able to sit here now.”

Albert and Talaya Davis have been married since 2002. Every year when it comes time to celebrate their anniversary, Hayes says that he’s going to extend Albert’s contract another year.

It’s all an act, though. Deep down, Hayes knows he has a wingman for life.