4. Jake Davis is a great role player
Great teams need players who can lead and those who fill in the gaps and do the little things to help the team.
Illinois has plenty of players who think they are the guy. While most of them should be role players, nearly all of them think they are stars. And then you have someone like Jake Davis.
Davis came to Illinois after a great freshman year with Mercer. He could have gone anywhere or even stayed at Mercer and been the No. 1 option. Instead, he picked the Illini and knew he was going to ride the pine.
Brad Underwood has been gaining more and more trust with Davis. The transfer only saw double-digit minutes in one out of the first nine games this season. That number has now skyrocketed. He has seen double-digit minutes in eight out of the past 10 games for the Illini.
On Thursday night, Davis continued to earn trust. He logged a season-high 20 minutes for the orange and Blue. While the box score won’t blow you away, Davis does more than just stuff the stat sheet. He is someone who does whatever the team needs of him.
Against the Cornhuskers, Davis finished with three points, four rebounds, and one assist. He was 1-of-4 from three-point range as well. Even when Davis isn’t giving Illinois massive numbers, he is hustling everywhere. He goes for rebounds and gives the opposing team headaches.
Davis’ four rebounds were a season high. He isn’t just in this for himself, and Illinois needs more players like Davis. He has so much heart, and I hope Underwood continues to give him minutes.