Basketball
Jake Davis: The leader of Illinois Basketball
Davis has found a way to impact the game far beyond just shooting the three-point shot
Jake Davis is the leader of the Illinois basketball team.
After winning their sixth straight game of the season, the Illini seem to be clicking on all cylinders. Team chemistry is starting to solidify, and everyone seems to have a solidified role. Illinois looks ready to take on the tough parts of its Big Ten schedule and has looked impressive in different scenarios. A key nugget during the broadcast and post-game video last night, however, revealed an interesting tidbit. A tidbit on who Brad Underwood thinks is the leader of this up-and-coming team.
Not Kylan Boswell, the senior point guard and heart of the team’s defense. Not Keaton Wagler, the freshman phenom who is shooting up NBA Draft boards.
Jake Davis, a junior forward known for his corner-three-point shots.
More than just a three-point shooter
Jake Davis is a key part of the Illini offense despite just averaging 4.5 points per game. He obviously provides excellent spacing to create driving lanes for Keaton Wagler, Andrej Stojakovic, and Kylan Boswell. However, he always seems to move the ball to the right spot and the ball never sticks. For example, a key play of the win over Northwestern was Davis knowing that Tomislav Ivisic had a small guard guarding in him while Northwestern was making a run. Davis quickly threw the ball into Ivisic’s hand, which led to an and-one to put the Illini back up eight points.
Davis serves as the ultimate glue guy on the court and seems to really be establishing himself as a leader of this team. In fact, Brad Underwood shared with BTN that Jake Davis is the leader of this team. Through the last seven games, Davis has played 17.8 minutes per game. I fully expect that trend to continue as Illinois heads into the depths of its Big Ten Schedule.