Steve Brooks has a sore throat.

His Ypsilanti program is preparing for its first state quarterfinal game in more than three decades, and Brooks caught a sickness that’s been going around his team. His voice, raspy to begin with, won’t project much.

“They won’t hear me tomorrow,” he said after Monday’s practice.

Yet he says that without concern as his team prepares for a 7 p.m. matchup with defending state champion Saginaw High at Grand Blanc High School. Because on the floor will be a player who already says many of the most important things Brooks might say during play: LaVonte Davis, Ypsilanti’s 6-foot-7 senior forward.

On defense, Davis quarterbacks from his spot in the paint, making sure everyone is positioned right and calling out screens.

On offense, he’ll call out opposing defenses as the team’s getting set up.

“He helps them out, he’s really got a great knowledge of the game,” Brooks said. “I really think he’ll be a coach someday.”

Becoming a coach is already in the plans for Davis. After playing at Northwood, he hopes to be a graduate assistant, then move into coaching.

And he’s getting a start on this year’s team as its leader and one of only two seniors that sees regular minutes. Tuesday, he’ll be leading the Phoenix up against a team that’s ranked No. 6 in the Associated Press rankings, with a 22-3 record on the year.

“We want to go through a team like that,” Davis said. “We want the best team, we want to earn a state championship, we don’t want anything given to us.”

Davis said he knew coming into the year that it would be up to him to take on a leadership role, and he was ready to take the mantle after spending the last two seasons on varsity.

And his role extends beyond calling out formations on the floor. Davis has taken on the task of helping the younger Ypsilanti players improve in practice, remembering how former Ypsilanti big men Mamadou Ba and Marcus Palmer treated him.

“They really showed me the ropes a little bit, they took me under their wing,” Davis said. “They beat on me a lot in practice, they beat me up, got dunked a couple of times in practice, but all that showed me ‘This is how a big brother has to act.’”

His biggest project: Ypsilanti’s talented junior forward Jaylen Johnson. Davis talks with pride in his voice when mentioning Johnson’s standout performance in the district tournament, including 22 rebounds against Skyline and 17 against Huron.

“I feel like he’s my little brother,” Davis said of Johnson. “I can keep him as focused as possible.”

Davis’ stats, meanwhile, are often modest -- Brooks has had to remind him to not neglect his own play when he’s directing traffic on the floor. And the team has taken after him -- all five starters averaged double figures in league play, but none emerged as a dominant scorer.

Ypsilanti managed to take a step forward this year despite losing six seniors from a team that went 17-4 last year. Brooks said he’s seen the benefits of having a strong senior leader and a cast of younger players willing to be molded.

“They buy in, they allow themselves to be coached,” Brooks said. “We’ve got the right veteran in LaVonte, in terms of the senior leadership, but a lot of times this is new to most of them guys. They don’t really know what to expect, so they’re kind of even keeled.”

And those players are being led by a veteran who's already been inspired to go into coaching himself.

“Just being around coach Brooks so much, and seeing how he’s changed my life, I really just want to go and help kids the way he’s helped me,” Davis said.

Kyle Austin covers sports for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at kyleaustin@annarbor.com or 734-623-2535. Follow him on Twitter @KAustin_AA.