But when he started having success at Horizon League-rival Green Bay, the Raiders’ recruiting whiff became increasingly obvious. And he took delight in making them pay for that mistake each time they played.
“Coming out of high school, people were like, ‘Oh, man, Wright State didn’t pick you up!’ I kind of made it personal when we played them,” he said.
“It felt good to drop that many points on them.”
Though the Phoenix won just one of four meetings, the Raiders couldn’t stop him. He was his team’s leading scorer each game, averaged 22.5 points and made 34 of 61 shots (55.7%) and 20 of 30 free throws.
He tallied his career high in front of about 50 family and friends at the Nutter Center as a sophomore in 2020-21, scoring 35 points in 37 minutes in a 90-77 defeat. He went 14-of-24 from the floor, 6-of-7 on foul shots and had the crowd buzzing.
Wright State coach Scott Nagy didn’t need to see Davis toy with his defense that night to know he’d botched it with the 6-foot-2 guard.
“Even his freshman year, before we played them, I’m like, ‘What did we do?’” Nagy said. “I was just dreading facing him for four years.”
Davis became the only league freshman of the year in Green Bay history and was a second-team all-league pick the next year.
He left Green Bay for Missouri before last season. When that didn’t work out, he had a yearning to return home and was willing to forgive and forget.
“We make decisions the best we can. We missed on him for sure. But we were fortunate to have another chance at him,” Nagy said.
“Believe me, I did not want to see him for four years. We were happy we got him.”
Though he’d moved past the recruiting snub, Davis conceded it’s nice to hear Nagy’s admission.
“That says a lot about him and the way he coaches and how he is as a person. He owns up to mistakes he makes,” Davis said.
“I welcomed him with open arms. Me and him, we’ve been clicking since day one.”
Davis has been an ideal fit for the Raiders’ culture. He’s quick with a smile and competes non-stop.
“It’s been great getting to know new players and new coaches. This group of guys — there’s a lot of personality on the team, and I think that will help us on the court,” he said.
His role is “just be a leader, a guy who can go out and do whatever the coach wants me to do — whether that’s scoring, getting a stop on defense or just bringing energy.”
Nagy is his fourth coach in four years, which poses a challenge since all of them have unique systems and ways of communicating.
His first coach, Linc Darner, was fired, as was Cuonzo Martin at Missouri last season. For Davis, it hasn’t been a case of him looking to change schools as it was the schools having changed on him.
“I ain’t never had nothing growing up. I had to fight for everything. Coaches being fired, it’s a tough break, but I know I just have to keep playing my game,” he said.
Credit: Erin Pence
Credit: Erin Pence
His game is so complete that he was a preseason second-team all-league pick along with teammate Trey Calvin. And he’s been everything Nagy expected.
“Every time I saw Amari before he was here, in my mind, I thought he was taller — because he plays bigger, goes over the top of people and finishes well,” he said. “He’s 6-2. That’s all he is. But he plays bigger for sure.
“In the summer, he didn’t stand out much. But now that we’re going 5-on-5 and going full court, he stands out because it just feels like every 15-footer he takes, he makes.”
It seems that way to Calvin, too.
“He can score at a high level,” he said. “He can get to the basket whenever he wants. His mid-range (jumper) is almost 100%. He really helps us on the offensive side, and his defense is getting better, too.”
Even though he’s joined forces with the Raiders, he’s still causing defenders to mutter to themselves in frustration.
Nagy joked that he has to build his players’ confidence back up after Davis scores, reminding them that they’re forcing him into tough shots that few can make.
“I’m trying to work on our defense, and he’s driving and taking contested 15-footers, and everyone on defense is frustrated. I’m like, ‘Hey, don’t worry about it. That’s a good possession for us,’” Nagy said, meaning they’re not allowing good looks at the basket.
“But Amari started asking coach (Travis) Trice, ‘Does coach not want me shooting those shots?’ We said, ‘No, we want YOU to shoot them. Everyone just isn’t going to make them like you are.’”
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