“Optimism,” “selflessness” and “leadership” are all character traits accredited to junior point guard Jordan Davis by his friends and teammates. Davis, the recent staff-voted best student athlete, has made a tremendous impact on the men’s basketball team in terms of leadership and chemistry in the mere months that he has been playing for UT.
“He brings a contagious amount of selflessness that rubs off on the entire team,” said Austin Rettig, a sophomore guard. “He can see every player on the court and get them the ball in a position to score, and that’s something we lacked the previous two seasons.”
As a transfer student from the College of Central Florida in his first year at UT, Davis has risen to a position of leadership by playing each and every game with the confidence and skill of an experienced leader.
“I mostly try to lead by example,” Davis said. “I try to play as hard as possible and lead my team in effort.” For Davis, this means going above and beyond in his duties as a point guard to secure wins for his team.
“He does more than what he’s responsible for,” Rettig said. “For example, what other point guard in the conference is snagging 18 rebounds in a game? None.”
In order to improve both his own and his teammates’ skills and stats, Davis is always looking for the opportunity to help the players score in the most convenient way possible.“I like to get out into the fast break as much as possible in order to get my teammates dunks and easy layups,” Davis said. “I always think about the next play and try not to worry about the negative things.”
Davis’ personality and skill level have been shaped by the various playing experiences that he has encountered since high school. He has played for a Division 1 team, took a year off and then won a national championship with the College of Central Florida.
“Part of his job on the court is to be an extension of the coaching staff, which he is,” said Assistant Coach Justin Pecka. “He understands where everyone is supposed to be on the court and is able to help put his teammates in position to be successful. He is just a naturally positive person, and that helps when things don’t go as planned.”
Ultimately, it is Davis’ encouraging attitude that keeps him so well-respected amongst his teammates and peers.
Tess Sheets can be reached at tessa.sheets@spartans.ut.edu.