Illinois Basketball 2024-2025 Scouting Reports: F Jake Davis

A 6-foot-6 Mercer transfer, Davis adds the perimeter shooting and size coach Brad Underwood covets

Illini sophomore guard Jake Davis averaged 9.0 points and 4.5 rebounds as a Mercer freshman before transferring to Illinois earlier this year. | University of Illinois

Every day over the two weeks leading up to Illinois' Nov. 4 regular-season opener at Champaign's State Farm Center, Illinois on SI will share a scouting report for each Illini player listed on the team's official roster. Today, in the third of 14, we shine a light on forward Jake Davis.

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Jake Davis, 6-foot-6 forward

Where he's from

Davis – who hails from McCordsville, Indiana, and the heart of basketball country – attended Indianapolis Cathedral H.S. and won an Indiana state championship as a junior. After impressing as a freshman at Mercer, Davis chose to hit the transfer portal and in April signed with Illinois.

What he's done

As a true freshman with the Bears, Davis started 25 games and paced the team in minutes played. He put up a rock-solid stat line for a player so young, averaging 9.0 points and 4.5 rebounds, and leading the team with 60 3-pointers on 38.7 percent shooting from beyond the arc.

Meet the Newcomer ➡️ Jake Davis#Illini | #HTTO | #EveryDayGuys pic.twitter.com/RKhB2t5Lzz

— Illinois Men's Basketball (@IlliniMBB) July 11, 2024

How he helps

Davis has a knockdown jumper and good range, and his size as a swingman (6-foot-6 and roughly 205 pounds) is a plus, even in the Big Ten. But he will need to prove that he can handle and (especially) defend at this level, and to that end Davis has already begun remaking his body: He is already noticeably leaner and more muscular than when he first arrived on campus in Champaign.

What they're saying

“Jake is an elite shooter,” coach Brad Underwood said after Davis signed with the Illini in the spring. “He has great size as a wing, with the ability to shoot off the move and come off screens. He is a high-IQ player who has been well-coached and is a winner.”

What we expect

The departure of Luke Goode (transferred to Indiana), paired with Illinois’ mediocre 3-point shooting (34.9 percent last season), left a gaping void that Davis helps fill. But because of the Illini's current high-end talent, depth and versatility, Davis' career in Champaign – though promising – may prove to be more of a slow burn. He has a chance to earn rotation minutes this season, but he is at least as much an investment in the program's future as he is an immediate-impact solution.

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