While Twin Brother Shines, Jordan Davis Grows His Own Game
EVANSTON, Ill. – It was the Monday after Thanksgiving, and Johnny Davis was the toast of campus. The most valuable player of the Maui Invitational, thanks in large part to his then-career-high 30 points against No.12 Houston, Davis was congratulated by scores of UW students who cheered him from their home television sets.
Depending where on campus they were, however, some of those students didn’t realize they were congratulating Jordan Davis, who is eight minutes younger than his older brother.
It’s a nice little perk for the Wisconsin sophomore forward, being the identical twin of someone who is one of the midseason favorites to be named college national player of the year, and one that he takes in stride.
“To be honest, I say thank you and I just walk away,” Jordan said of the mistaken identity. “Johnny would say that if it was vice versa. We don’t take it personal because people have a hard time telling twins apart.”
While Jordan will likely stay in his brother’s shadow for the remainder of the season, it’s not stopping him from developing his game to the point where it stands on his own.
Davis is one of a handful of key swingmen for Wisconsin (14-2, 5-1 Big Ten) – which jumped up five spots to No.8 in yesterday’s AP poll in advance of tonight’s matchup at Northwestern (9-6, 2-4) in Welsh-Ryan Arena. Because of injuries and illness, Davis has rotated between the scout team – mimicking the shooters of UW’s opponents – and trying to find his rhythm at the back of the rotation.
And while he’s averaging just 1.2 points over his 14 appearances, Davis has learned that good defense and ball security earn playing time.
“He’s solid,” head coach Greg Gard said. “Takes care of the ball, typically will have to chase shooters around a little bit, be efficient, and just play. Not try to overthink it. Sometimes younger guys get to that point that they think a lot, try to do things perfect rather than just play. Just helping him through that, but he’s given us good minutes when he’s been out there.”
Entering college last season believing he was just OK with his defense, Davis has grown from full-on reserve to manning the back of the rotation, playing anywhere from a couple minutes to logging double-digit minutes in consecutive December games. No matter his length of time on the court, Davis finds a way to make an impact.
He played only the final 13 seconds against Providence in November, but he hit a 3-pointer on his first offensive possession to make it a one possession game, giving the Badgers a fleeting chance.
In UW’s 74-69 upset at No.3 Purdue two weeks ago, Davis gobbled up two rebounds and registered a steal in just four first-half minutes, when the Badgers desperately needed their guards to rebound, considering how entangled their forwards were with Purdue’s big men.
“Coach Gard always says you never know who is going to be ready, so be ready to have your number called,” Davis said. “I’ve been fortunate to have my number called, and I always come ready to play.”
Jordan was the same way in high school with his brother, although his star was originally brighter on the football court where he was a receiver and Johnny was the quarterback. Jordan was such an intriguing football prospect that he had several Division-1 football offers his junior year, including one from Wisconsin coach Paul Chryst.
“If he was in trouble, just throw it up to me and I’ll save the day,” he said.
Despite some message board conspiracy theories that UW offered Jordan to secure Johnny’s commitment, both brothers had separate recruitments. UW’s staff was patient with their evaluation of Johnny, scouting him for several months before offering him. Because of football and injuries, Jordan had to play catch up. He did by becoming the best defensive player on his team. Jordan was offered 18 months after his brother and the two committed in June 2019.
“I think I got better,” said Jordan, who finished his high school career with 1,101 points, 470 rebounds, 270 assists, and 187 steals. “I was fortunate that they offered me a scholarship.”
Able to play in unlimited games last season due to the blanket eligibility waiver, Davis played 13 games as a true freshman, but the real value came from watching how seniors Brad Davison and D’Mitrik Trice worked through offensive screens and employed short memories, not letting bad shooting stretches shy them away from being aggressive.
The growth is evident with Davis’s confidence in his on-ball defense, allowing him to harass shooters and chase players through screens. It’s a skill he hopes to keep growing so he can forge his own identity.
“I took a lot of notes off those guys, picking their brain, and that really helped me coming into this year,” Davis said. “Somewhere I can contribute, not only defensively because I think I’m a great defender, is hitting more shots and being aggressive, like penetrating, looking to kick, drawing defenders and make plays. I just got to be a basketball player.”
_________________________________________________
*Chat about this article in The Badgers' Den
*Check out our videos, interviews, and Q&As on our YouTube channel
*Subscribe and listen to the BadgerBlitz.com podcast (as seen on Apple, Google, Spotify and wherever you listen to podcasts)
*Follow us on Twitter: @McNamaraRivals, @JakeKoco, @TheBadgerNation, @RaulV45
*Like us on Facebook