Wisconsin Badgers’ Jonny Davis, likely #9 in ESPN 100, for entry into the NBA Draft

Freshman guard in Wisconsin Johnny Davis He will enter the 2022 NBA draft and give up his remaining college eligibility by hiring an agent, he told Mallika Andrews on ESPN’s NBA Today show Thursday.

“After taking some time off and discussing everything with my family and coaches, I decided to make a lifelong dream come true by going public with the NBA draft with the intent of hiring an agent,” Davis said.

Davis No. 9 prospect on ESPN 100earned the Big Ten Player of the Year and All-American consensus after averaging 19.4 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 2.1 assists in 34 minutes per game.

“This season has been an incredible journey,” Davis said. “People didn’t expect us this season, but the players in the dressing room and our coaching staff have always known that we have the potential to be a special team.

“With so many great teams and players in our league, it was obviously a huge honor to win Player of the Year, but winning the Big Ten in the regular season and playing in the NCAA tournament was so much better. I like to think that the NBA teams have seen a strong player. , competing on both ends of the field in every possession, who will do whatever it takes to help my team win. Every time I step on the floor, I want to be the best player.”

Davis led Wisconsin to the Big Ten, which the Badgers shared with Illinois after losing at home to Nebraska in the last game of the regular season. The Badgers had a 10-point lead in the first half, but gave up the lead when Davis fell with a sudden ankle injury, which continued to hamper him into the postseason.

“I wasn’t 100%, but I felt confident that if I played we would still have a great chance of winning the Big Ten Conference as well as progressing in the NCAA tournament,” Davis said. “I wanted to be there with my buddies to give her everything I had.”

Davis has reached the finals of some of college basketball’s most prestigious post-season awards, including the Wooden, Naismith, and Lute Olson Awards, presented annually to the Division I men’s basketball best player.

Davis grew up in La Crosse, Wisconsin — 143 miles from Madison — and was nicknamed Mr. Basketball in the state. He was also a stellar midfielder and played alongside twin brother Jordan, a wide receiver. Jordan Davis He is a reserve major on the Wisconsin basketball team.

Johnny Davis’ rise from a three-star high school recruit to the best player in college basketball has been a remarkable one. He was part of the USA Basketball team that won a gold medal at the U19 Basketball World Cup in Latvia last summer, but few expected him to appear in the top 10 after just a few months with the Badgers.

“Fitness Trainer [Greg] “Jared and my teammates have believed in me and given me the confidence and opportunity to play a much bigger role out of my freshman season,” Davis said. The United States last summer took my confidence to another level and carried it this season. I trust the work I have done over the years, and have been fortunate to work every day with my strongest defender, my twin brother, Jordan, as far as I can remember.

“I think NBA teams can learn that the path to the NBA is not the same for all players. I didn’t rank high in high school, and I went to Wisconsin to change the narrative surrounding our program. My dad always told me that production will always outperform potential. My focus will still be on playing hard and winning, and that has stayed with me.”

Draw comparisons of NBA scouts to Galen Suggs5 pick in the 2021 Draft, Davis’s freshness, defensive versatility and solidity put him on the NBA’s radars early as Wisconsin beat Houston to win the Maui Invitational in November, with Davis scoring 30 points in the final and winning the MVP honors.

He continued to carry the Badgers’ heavy scoring burden in the Big Ten, emerging as their team’s primary ball coach and one of the top pick-and-roll and middle-range scorers in college basketball, while scoring 37 3-pointers and 155 free throws in 31 games.

“I know the pace and style of play in the NBA is different, but I think that suits my skills very well,” Davis said. “My ability to have the defender, the physique and the strength to finish on the edge, and being a three-tier scorer along with extra spacing in the NBA will give me the opportunity to be successful.

“…I hope to effectively fill whatever role my next team asks of me, which will hopefully lead to our team winning games. I ultimately want to be one of the reasons an NBA team becomes a championship organization.”

The NBA Draft will take place May 16-22 in Chicago, and the draft will be June 23 in Brooklyn, New York.

Jonathan Jevoni is an NBA draft expert and founder and co-owner of DraftExpress.com, a proprietary exploratory and analytics service used by NBA, NCAA, and international teams.