Indiana University Athletics
DIPRIMIO: Another Gear – Jackson-Davis Aims for Big Second Year
8/6/2020 12:42:00 PM | Men's Basketball
By: Pete DiPrimio
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Unfinished business?
You'd better believe Trayce Jackson-Davis has it.
A pandemic robbed this potential one-and-done standout of NBA draft opportunity, but delivered a Cream and Crimson encore.
Hoosier Nation gives thanks.
The 6-9, 245-pound Jackson-Davis is back for a second Indiana season, and success is there for the taking.
Will it be easy?
Of course not.
This is Big Ten basketball, elite basketball, full of dynamic teams (Michigan State, Iowa, Illinois and Wisconsin) and players (Luka Garza, Aaron Henry, Rocket Watts, Ayo Dosunmu, Geo Baker and Kofi Cockburn), and only the most resilient will thrive, talent be darned.
Jackson-Davis has all of the above, the work ethic to make the most of it, and a coach determined to ensure he does.
If that happens, look for Indiana's 20-12 record from a year ago to get a huge upgrade.
"Very few players in America are as impressive or as productive as him," coach Archie Miller says, "and I think he just has to up the production."
Then Miller offers specifics.
"He's got to be a dominant, dominant rebounder for us. Scoring, there's got to be some different ways he can attack.
"One thing I've challenged him more so than anything is he has to become an elite defender. He has to be much more disciplined and much more aggressive. He's got to be way more confident than he was a year ago defensively for our team to make another jump."
As a freshman last season Jackson-Davis led IU in scoring (13.5), rebounding (8.4) and blocks (1.9) en route to earning third-team All-Big Ten honors. He had 12 double-doubles, scoring as many as 27 points and grabbing as many as 17 rebounds.
That generated buzz Jackson-Davis would join Romeo Langford as one-and-done Hoosiers under Miller. Instead, Jackson-Davis skipped entering the NBA draft. Coronavirus concerns made working out for professional teams impossible, so what was the point? Last spring he announced via social media that he had "unfinished business" as a Hoosier.
"I didn't really know with the Corona deal how that would play out. Knowing there was probably not going to be workouts and I needed workouts to help my (NBA) stock, so I decided it would be easier to come back for a second year."
A second season means eliminating last season's biggest flaw -- non-productive games that had nothing to do with youth and experience
The days of opponents packing in defenses and turning Jackson-Davis into the invisible man are likely over. Figure he won't let it happen. The Hoosiers won't let it happen.
Jackson-Davis' No. 1 off-season priority suggests why.
"I've been really working on my jump shot and stretching the floor. It's going to be a big key for me this year."
It's been his main focus since the Covid-19 quarantine hit in mid-March.
"That's all I've been working on -- my jump shot. I've been shooting the ball a ton."
As far as summer voluntary workouts, Jackson-Davis was part of the second group of basketball players to return to campus. The biggest difference from previous workouts, he says, was wearing a mask.
"At first, it was a little awkward," he says, "but you get used to it so it's not as bad now. I'm just grateful to be out there, honestly."
Jackson-Davis needs space to do what he does best. If he gets it, look out.
"I think having more space to play and more guys around him will make him better on ball screens and help him be more of an offensive weapon on the run," Miller says.
"The pick-n-roll game. He's going to have to branch out a little bit where he's going to have to face the basket and drive people, which he's good at. He's going to shoot a little bit. Getting to the foul line as much as he did last season. We want him to be better in every area."
Senior forward Joey Brunk saw it during summer workouts.
"I think Trayce is more confident on the perimeter than he has been. I think he has improved with his right hand and he looks more comfortable with his right hand around the basket. I think that's a big thing for him to work on and improve.
"For Trayce, the sky is the limit. He's improved and I think he's just going to continue to make jumps."
Jackson-Davis saw the advantage of good shooting Big Ten big men last year with the way Kaleb Wesson of Ohio State, Jalen Smith of Maryland and Daniel Oturo of Minnesota helped their teams.
"The Big Ten is brutal and not being able to space really hurt me last year in certain parts of my game and teams being able to just pack it in," he says. "As I watched Kaleb Wesson, Jalen Smith and Daniel Oturo being able to step out and shoot the ball, it really opened up the offense. A lot of their players did well from that. I thought that was a big part for us this year."
Here's another big part -- Miller expects to play three guards to produce an up-tempo approach that should benefit Jackson-Davis and the Hoosiers.
IU will need more consistent perimeter scoring from veterans such as Aljami Durham, Rob Phinisee, Armaan Franklin and Jerome Hunter, with help from a freshman class of 5-star guard Khristian Lander, Anthony Leal (Indiana's Mr. Basketball), Trey Galloway and Jordan Geronimo that ranks 13th nationally by 247 Sports.
"Guards being able to drive the ball," Jackson-Davis says. "There will be less clogged areas especially coming off of ball screens. It also allows the bigs to have more freedom. We can pop to the top of the key and really play off each other. That's what we've been working on."
Jackson-Davis looms as a team leader, but not necessarily the main one. That role, he insists, will go to Brunk.
"Joey's probably going to be our most vocal leader this year. Just the way he attacks every day. The way he's on people -- not in a bad way -- but just wanting them to be the best they can be. I'm probably going to feed off his energy a lot this year."
Still, Jackson-Davis will have his say. He insists he'll be, "More vocal since it's my second year and playing the minutes I did as a freshman. Especially to the younger guys -- just try and get them on track."
That includes Lander, who skipped his high school senior season in Evansville to become a 17-year-old college freshman driven to duplicate Jackson-Davis' first-year excellence.
Guidance is needed, and Jackson-Davis is already providing it.
"(The freshmen are) really locked in right now so we have to keep up with that," Jackson-Davis says. "Especially with Khristian since he'll be a big piece for us this year."
Leadership includes Jackson-Davis, "trying to bond with teammates.
"We just stick around each other. I think it's helped a lot. Getting to know each other, especially the freshmen coming in. I feel our team really welcomed them in with open arms. That's going to help us through the year, just building that team chemistry."
Adversity will hit the Hoosiers this season, as it does every season Overcoming it, Jackson-Davis adds, means, "Trying to make sure our team stays together.
"We had some rough patches last year, but as of now our team is really locked in and focused on the goal. A lot have teams have been shut down (because of Covid-19), but we've been able to ride the wave and have five good weeks of training. We just have to keep that up."
Beyond basketball, Black Lives Matter and the protests that resulted from the death of George Floyd reached Bloomington and Indianapolis. Jackson-Davis, Brunk and other Hoosiers participated.
"Joey wanted to come with me and see how it was. He said it was really powerful and it really was super powerful. Being in Indianapolis, your hometown and just marching and standing for something and showing unity. I thought it was really just a great experience."
That reflects what might be Jackson-Davis' biggest advantage – the quality of his character.
"His attitude and who he is as a person is going to allow him to keep growing and getting better and better," Miller says.
"He's such a team guy. He's so coachable. He's easy to be around. Very few people in my time around (haven't clashed with teammates or coaches). He doesn't butt heads with anybody. That's just who he is.
"Unquestionably, he is the guy everyone is going to look at. We're going to put a lot of pressure on him, but we put a lot of pressure on him last year, too. He had a lot of pressure on him as a freshman. I thought he delivered pretty well.
"He's got to take it up that one more gear and the expectation at least for him to help us contend for the Big Ten. Inevitably, he should be a guy that's being considered for one of the best players in all of college basketball."
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Unfinished business?
You'd better believe Trayce Jackson-Davis has it.
A pandemic robbed this potential one-and-done standout of NBA draft opportunity, but delivered a Cream and Crimson encore.
Hoosier Nation gives thanks.
The 6-9, 245-pound Jackson-Davis is back for a second Indiana season, and success is there for the taking.
Will it be easy?
Of course not.
This is Big Ten basketball, elite basketball, full of dynamic teams (Michigan State, Iowa, Illinois and Wisconsin) and players (Luka Garza, Aaron Henry, Rocket Watts, Ayo Dosunmu, Geo Baker and Kofi Cockburn), and only the most resilient will thrive, talent be darned.
Jackson-Davis has all of the above, the work ethic to make the most of it, and a coach determined to ensure he does.
If that happens, look for Indiana's 20-12 record from a year ago to get a huge upgrade.
"Very few players in America are as impressive or as productive as him," coach Archie Miller says, "and I think he just has to up the production."
Then Miller offers specifics.
"He's got to be a dominant, dominant rebounder for us. Scoring, there's got to be some different ways he can attack.
"One thing I've challenged him more so than anything is he has to become an elite defender. He has to be much more disciplined and much more aggressive. He's got to be way more confident than he was a year ago defensively for our team to make another jump."
As a freshman last season Jackson-Davis led IU in scoring (13.5), rebounding (8.4) and blocks (1.9) en route to earning third-team All-Big Ten honors. He had 12 double-doubles, scoring as many as 27 points and grabbing as many as 17 rebounds.
That generated buzz Jackson-Davis would join Romeo Langford as one-and-done Hoosiers under Miller. Instead, Jackson-Davis skipped entering the NBA draft. Coronavirus concerns made working out for professional teams impossible, so what was the point? Last spring he announced via social media that he had "unfinished business" as a Hoosier.
"I didn't really know with the Corona deal how that would play out. Knowing there was probably not going to be workouts and I needed workouts to help my (NBA) stock, so I decided it would be easier to come back for a second year."
A second season means eliminating last season's biggest flaw -- non-productive games that had nothing to do with youth and experience
The days of opponents packing in defenses and turning Jackson-Davis into the invisible man are likely over. Figure he won't let it happen. The Hoosiers won't let it happen.
Jackson-Davis' No. 1 off-season priority suggests why.
"I've been really working on my jump shot and stretching the floor. It's going to be a big key for me this year."
It's been his main focus since the Covid-19 quarantine hit in mid-March.
"That's all I've been working on -- my jump shot. I've been shooting the ball a ton."
As far as summer voluntary workouts, Jackson-Davis was part of the second group of basketball players to return to campus. The biggest difference from previous workouts, he says, was wearing a mask.
"At first, it was a little awkward," he says, "but you get used to it so it's not as bad now. I'm just grateful to be out there, honestly."
Jackson-Davis needs space to do what he does best. If he gets it, look out.
"I think having more space to play and more guys around him will make him better on ball screens and help him be more of an offensive weapon on the run," Miller says.
"The pick-n-roll game. He's going to have to branch out a little bit where he's going to have to face the basket and drive people, which he's good at. He's going to shoot a little bit. Getting to the foul line as much as he did last season. We want him to be better in every area."
Senior forward Joey Brunk saw it during summer workouts.
"I think Trayce is more confident on the perimeter than he has been. I think he has improved with his right hand and he looks more comfortable with his right hand around the basket. I think that's a big thing for him to work on and improve.
"For Trayce, the sky is the limit. He's improved and I think he's just going to continue to make jumps."
Jackson-Davis saw the advantage of good shooting Big Ten big men last year with the way Kaleb Wesson of Ohio State, Jalen Smith of Maryland and Daniel Oturo of Minnesota helped their teams.
"The Big Ten is brutal and not being able to space really hurt me last year in certain parts of my game and teams being able to just pack it in," he says. "As I watched Kaleb Wesson, Jalen Smith and Daniel Oturo being able to step out and shoot the ball, it really opened up the offense. A lot of their players did well from that. I thought that was a big part for us this year."
Here's another big part -- Miller expects to play three guards to produce an up-tempo approach that should benefit Jackson-Davis and the Hoosiers.
IU will need more consistent perimeter scoring from veterans such as Aljami Durham, Rob Phinisee, Armaan Franklin and Jerome Hunter, with help from a freshman class of 5-star guard Khristian Lander, Anthony Leal (Indiana's Mr. Basketball), Trey Galloway and Jordan Geronimo that ranks 13th nationally by 247 Sports.
"Guards being able to drive the ball," Jackson-Davis says. "There will be less clogged areas especially coming off of ball screens. It also allows the bigs to have more freedom. We can pop to the top of the key and really play off each other. That's what we've been working on."
Jackson-Davis looms as a team leader, but not necessarily the main one. That role, he insists, will go to Brunk.
"Joey's probably going to be our most vocal leader this year. Just the way he attacks every day. The way he's on people -- not in a bad way -- but just wanting them to be the best they can be. I'm probably going to feed off his energy a lot this year."
Still, Jackson-Davis will have his say. He insists he'll be, "More vocal since it's my second year and playing the minutes I did as a freshman. Especially to the younger guys -- just try and get them on track."
That includes Lander, who skipped his high school senior season in Evansville to become a 17-year-old college freshman driven to duplicate Jackson-Davis' first-year excellence.
Guidance is needed, and Jackson-Davis is already providing it.
"(The freshmen are) really locked in right now so we have to keep up with that," Jackson-Davis says. "Especially with Khristian since he'll be a big piece for us this year."
Leadership includes Jackson-Davis, "trying to bond with teammates.
"We just stick around each other. I think it's helped a lot. Getting to know each other, especially the freshmen coming in. I feel our team really welcomed them in with open arms. That's going to help us through the year, just building that team chemistry."
Adversity will hit the Hoosiers this season, as it does every season Overcoming it, Jackson-Davis adds, means, "Trying to make sure our team stays together.
"We had some rough patches last year, but as of now our team is really locked in and focused on the goal. A lot have teams have been shut down (because of Covid-19), but we've been able to ride the wave and have five good weeks of training. We just have to keep that up."
Beyond basketball, Black Lives Matter and the protests that resulted from the death of George Floyd reached Bloomington and Indianapolis. Jackson-Davis, Brunk and other Hoosiers participated.
"Joey wanted to come with me and see how it was. He said it was really powerful and it really was super powerful. Being in Indianapolis, your hometown and just marching and standing for something and showing unity. I thought it was really just a great experience."
That reflects what might be Jackson-Davis' biggest advantage – the quality of his character.
"His attitude and who he is as a person is going to allow him to keep growing and getting better and better," Miller says.
"He's such a team guy. He's so coachable. He's easy to be around. Very few people in my time around (haven't clashed with teammates or coaches). He doesn't butt heads with anybody. That's just who he is.
"Unquestionably, he is the guy everyone is going to look at. We're going to put a lot of pressure on him, but we put a lot of pressure on him last year, too. He had a lot of pressure on him as a freshman. I thought he delivered pretty well.
"He's got to take it up that one more gear and the expectation at least for him to help us contend for the Big Ten. Inevitably, he should be a guy that's being considered for one of the best players in all of college basketball."
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