On Saturday night, after a day of sightseeing with his parents at the University of Dayton with Dayton Flyers coach Archie Miller and his staff, Davis gave the coaches his verbal commitment. The 6-foot-4, 170-pound guard from Dutch Fork High School in Irmo, S.C., is the first member of the class of 2017 to pick the Flyers.
Davis will make it official on national signing day in November.
“The main reason was it like a family atmosphere,” Davis said Sunday after a flight home to South Carolina. “All the coaches and players, it was like a family. I’m big on family, so that stood out to me the most. The campus is kind of small, and everything’s right there for you. And I have a good relationship with the coaching staff.”
Dayton started recruiting Davis in the spring, he said. Assistant coach Allen Griffin made the first call. Dayton offered him a scholarship July 11.
By that point, the offers were rolling in for the three-star recruit. Davis received offers a year ago from Eastern Carolina, South Alabama and Presbyterian, but his play with Team Loaded in AAU basketball opened the eyes of more high-profile programs. Virginia Tech, Xavier, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Butler, Kansas State, Virginia Commonwealth, Charlotte and others offered him scholarships.
In the end, Dayton, Butler and Kansas State stood out from the rest. Davis visited Butler on Aug. 7. He didn’t visit Kansas State. He knew going into his visit to UD he would commit quickly if he liked it.
Dayton’s coaches told Davis they were losing four seniors — they have four scholarships left with the commitment of Davis — and the 2017 class was a big one for them.
“I could come in and play and learn my first year,” Davis said. “I thought that would be good for me.”
Now Davis can concentrate on his senior year. Dutch Fork returns seven seniors. Davis, who debuted with the varsity as an eighth grader, surpassed the 1,000-point milestone early in his junior year.
Coach Matt Brown expects him to break the school’s career scoring record with ease. Murphy Holloway, who played at Ole Miss from 2008-13, owns the record with 1,487 points.
“In my opinion, he’s going to be the best basketball player to come out of Dutch Fork,” Brown said. “We’ve been here for 20-25 years now. He comes from a great family. Jordan’s a very quiet kid. He’s, ‘Yes, sir. No, sir.’ He doesn’t care if he scores 30. He doesn’t care if he scores 10. He just wants to win and help the team get better, which is a rarity of a player his stature. You don’t get that a lot. He’s a good kid.”
Davis averaged 22.6 points, 5.7 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 2.0 steals per game last season. He was named the Class 4A Player of the Year.
Brown, who’s from Fort Wayne, Ind., has been telling Davis about the importance of basketball in the Midwest for years and is excited his top player will get to experience it. Brown even prepared Davis for his visit to UD. Brown coached at UD Arena in 2008 when he was an assistant coach at Charlotte.
“I always brag to my team (about Midwest basketball),” Brown said. “All five years he’s been with me, he’s heard it. He’s excited to be a part of a basketball program that’s on that level where you make the (NCAA) tournament. The city of Dayton shuts down and goes to the games and is just really involved. He’s excited, and I’m excited for him.”
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