Indiana University Athletics
Jackson-Davis Continues to Grow On and Off the Court
12/10/2020 3:54:00 PM | Men's Basketball
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - There's nothing tougher in a game than being the man with a target on your back, the guy the other team is focused on stopping. Everyone knows you're their first, second, and third priorities, and you're going to get all the attention from defenses.
Some wilt under the pressure. The best players rise to the occasion.
Trayce Jackson-Davis fits in that second category.
Jackson-Davis scored 25 points to go with 17 rebounds, including seven offensive boards, during Indiana's 69-67 overtime loss at Florida State. He played 40 minutes and added a pair of blocked shots while also converting 9-of-12 shots from the free-throw line, including a pair of clutch freebies that tied the game at 67.
IU's struggles from the perimeter allowed Florida State to pack the paint, giving Jackson-Davis a bit less room to operate, but he produced anyway.
"He was ready to play," head coach Archie Miller said. "Games like this, you need your best players obviously excited and motivated. He gives everybody confidence. He did an unbelievable job of pursuing the ball all night as evidenced by his rebounding numbers. He was a warrior for us. Clearly he's showing right now that he's one of the best players in college basketball."
TJD continues to mature as a player. Jackson-Davis said he realized that FSU's size was going to be an issue for the Hoosiers when it came to rebounding, and he has been disappointed early in the season with his own performances on the boards. After grabbing 11 rebounds in the season opener vs. Tennessee Tech, Jackson-Davis posted a total of 17 rebounds in his last three games.
Against Florida State, he knew he had to be more assertive.
"I knew it wouldn't be easy for our guards to come in and get rebounds," Jackson-Davis said. "I knew I had to pick it up for this game. I tried to put a really big emphasis on starting the game by getting boards and then getting my motor going."
Jackson-Davis credited his teammates for getting him the ball in a position to score. He liked the way his team defended Florida State, handing out a grade of B-plus for the team "D."
He has always been a mature kid, but Miller has noticed his star taking the next step.
"He has just got to keep growing," Miller said. "He has got to keep being a positive leader, which he is. He has got to continue to be motivated to take this team to another level. I think everybody else has to rise up as well. Trayce was great tonight, and I going to probably ask him to do a lot more."
The Hoosiers are a relatively young team, one with just three seniors on the roster. One is a walk-on. Redshirt senior Joey Brunk has yet to play this season with a back injury. Guard Aljami Durham is starting, but he can only do so much on his own. Without a bevy of senior leaders, young players—especially young stars—need to step up their leadership.
Jackson-Davis has done just that. For the FSU loss, that leadership manifested in anger.
"When I got in the locker room, I was angry," Jackson-Davis said. "I was really mad. I'm trying to be different this year. To be different, we have to win these games, so I kind of got into some guys. But at the end of the day, it's all love."
Miller understood the passion. He mentioned how upset the locker room was following the loss, and it was understandable. The players poured their hearts out, and they came up two points short.
"That locker room was vastly different than a lot of locker rooms I've been in here," Miller said. "That was a very, very upset team. It comes down to rebounding the ball a lot of times and our inability to get some scrappy ones or inability to get some big ones, especially late. It's disappointing, but it's something we can control. We'll continue to work on it and get better We have a together group, and we're looking forward to obviously getting home."
Jackson-Davis will next be targeted by North Alabama, IU's next opponent. If his play over the course of this season is any indication, Jackson-Davis will be ready to raise his level of play and get back to winning.
Some wilt under the pressure. The best players rise to the occasion.
Trayce Jackson-Davis fits in that second category.
Jackson-Davis scored 25 points to go with 17 rebounds, including seven offensive boards, during Indiana's 69-67 overtime loss at Florida State. He played 40 minutes and added a pair of blocked shots while also converting 9-of-12 shots from the free-throw line, including a pair of clutch freebies that tied the game at 67.
IU's struggles from the perimeter allowed Florida State to pack the paint, giving Jackson-Davis a bit less room to operate, but he produced anyway.
"He was ready to play," head coach Archie Miller said. "Games like this, you need your best players obviously excited and motivated. He gives everybody confidence. He did an unbelievable job of pursuing the ball all night as evidenced by his rebounding numbers. He was a warrior for us. Clearly he's showing right now that he's one of the best players in college basketball."
TJD continues to mature as a player. Jackson-Davis said he realized that FSU's size was going to be an issue for the Hoosiers when it came to rebounding, and he has been disappointed early in the season with his own performances on the boards. After grabbing 11 rebounds in the season opener vs. Tennessee Tech, Jackson-Davis posted a total of 17 rebounds in his last three games.
Against Florida State, he knew he had to be more assertive.
"I knew it wouldn't be easy for our guards to come in and get rebounds," Jackson-Davis said. "I knew I had to pick it up for this game. I tried to put a really big emphasis on starting the game by getting boards and then getting my motor going."
Jackson-Davis credited his teammates for getting him the ball in a position to score. He liked the way his team defended Florida State, handing out a grade of B-plus for the team "D."
He has always been a mature kid, but Miller has noticed his star taking the next step.
"He has just got to keep growing," Miller said. "He has got to keep being a positive leader, which he is. He has got to continue to be motivated to take this team to another level. I think everybody else has to rise up as well. Trayce was great tonight, and I going to probably ask him to do a lot more."
The Hoosiers are a relatively young team, one with just three seniors on the roster. One is a walk-on. Redshirt senior Joey Brunk has yet to play this season with a back injury. Guard Aljami Durham is starting, but he can only do so much on his own. Without a bevy of senior leaders, young players—especially young stars—need to step up their leadership.
Jackson-Davis has done just that. For the FSU loss, that leadership manifested in anger.
"When I got in the locker room, I was angry," Jackson-Davis said. "I was really mad. I'm trying to be different this year. To be different, we have to win these games, so I kind of got into some guys. But at the end of the day, it's all love."
Miller understood the passion. He mentioned how upset the locker room was following the loss, and it was understandable. The players poured their hearts out, and they came up two points short.
"That locker room was vastly different than a lot of locker rooms I've been in here," Miller said. "That was a very, very upset team. It comes down to rebounding the ball a lot of times and our inability to get some scrappy ones or inability to get some big ones, especially late. It's disappointing, but it's something we can control. We'll continue to work on it and get better We have a together group, and we're looking forward to obviously getting home."
Jackson-Davis will next be targeted by North Alabama, IU's next opponent. If his play over the course of this season is any indication, Jackson-Davis will be ready to raise his level of play and get back to winning.
Players Mentioned
Center
/ Men's Basketball
Guard
/ Men's Basketball
Forward
/ Men's BasketballFB: Nico Radicic - Spring Practice No. 11
Tuesday, April 21
FB: Drew Evans - Spring Practice No. 11
Tuesday, April 21
FB: Bray Lynch - Spring Practice No. 11
Tuesday, April 21
FB: Spring Practice - Curt Cignetti Press Conference
Thursday, April 16