5. Jake Davis is the perfect role player for Illinois
The star power on the Illinois basketball team is phenomenal. We have so many weapons that will bite you if you let them run wild.
All of the stars are going to get the credit for the wins because they are putting up the most production on the court. But let’s not gloss over the fact that we have some good role players too. The main guy I am eyeing is Jake Davis.
I think Davis is the perfect role player for the Illinois basketball team. He could have gone anywhere or even stayed at Mercer and averaged 14 points per game. Instead, he took a chance and came to Illinois. He is coming off the bench and giving this program some crucial production too.
In the game against Minnesota, Davis was huge. Davis came off the bench and gave the Illini seven points, two rebounds, and one block in 15 minutes of action. Those numbers might not jump off the page, but there is a lot that goes into Davis’ game.
Davis doesn’t just stand around and let the game happen around him. He is always moving and is active, especially on the glass. Early in the game, Minnesota was hanging around. Davis hustled and got an offensive rebound and put it back up for two points. He then came back down the court and had a block on a Minnesota player.
In a span of roughly three minutes in the first half, Illinois went from being tied 16-16 with Minnesota to being up 22-18. In that stretch, Davis had four points, two rebounds, and a block.
Every game, you will see this kid hustling around the court and doing the little things for Illinois to win. Davis is exactly what this program needs. We have enough big dogs, we have enough Scooby-Doos. Illinois needs more Scrappy-Doos. Davis is a Scrappy-Doo.