BY MIKE LUCAS
UWBadgers.com Senior Writer
MADISON, Wis. — Whenever the Davis twins, Johnny and Jordan, get paired in a drill, Wisconsin assistant coach Dean Oliver can't suppress a smile over what is about to happen competitively. He might even give someone the "You gotta see this'' nudge in anticipation of some fraternal fireworks.
"They tend to be partners in a lot of drills,'' Oliver said of the 18-year-old freshmen; Johnny (short for Jonathan) is eight minutes older than Jordan. "It's comical watching them because you see that brotherly love, that little bickering and fighting. They're both scrappy and extremely competitive.
"And then, it goes up another level when they're playing against each other.''
Quiz Johnny about his battles with Jordan, and he says, "Oh, gosh, every day we're pretty much competing with each other in anything'' dating to their one-on-one games growing up in La Crosse. "We'd be out back, playing hoops, going after each other, blood, bruises all that.
"We're just trying to push each other to make each other better.''
It worked. Both earned scholarships to Wisconsin as members of the 2020 class.
"I always knew that he was capable of going wherever I was going to go because we're both athletic D-I athletes,'' said Johnny, who has never taken for granted the benefits of playing alongside of his brother at any level. "We've always been there for each other, I guess, that's the advantage.''
Besides, he noted it was a natural progression, "I always did everything with him anyway.''
Davis twins Johnny (left) and Jordan (right)
Why not take the next step together? Which they have in Madison strengthening their bond. By Johnny's estimation, there are plenty of things uniting them, more likes than dislikes. "What we share in common,'' he said, "are the same TV shows we watch, and a lot of action-packed films.''
What makes them different?
Measuring his words, Johnny offered, "I would say that he's a little more outgoing than me.''
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Oliver confirmed as much.
"He's pretty quiet,'' he said. "But his game speaks pretty loud.''
Oliver expanded on that volume based on what Davis has already shown him.
"Johnny is one of those kids where things just come naturally for him,'' Oliver said. "He has a great feel for the game. You tell him one thing and he pretty much gets it after you tell him. He's really been receptive to coaching. He has really tried to learn and listen.''
Prompting Oliver to conclude, "Maybe that's why he's so quiet.''
Nothing wrong with being all ears and taking everything in.
"That's what he has been doing since he's come in here – really soaking it all in – and listening to the guys ahead of him and trying to learn from them and also from the coaches,'' Oliver said. "He's really attentive. When we're speaking, you get eye contact.''
As far as how that receptiveness to instruction translates, Oliver said, "You immediately see results. When you tell him to change something, you see it the next play. A lot of times you've got to tell guys two or three times before they actually do it. It's one time with him and he's got it.''
In describing his own personality and how it has meshed with his freshman classmates, Davis singled out a couple of Minnesotans, Steven Crowl (from Eagan) and Ben Carlson (from Woodbury), and observed, "They don't really say too much, so I guess that's pretty similar to me.''
Regarding his reticence, and whether he felt any urgency to be more verbal, more outspoken, even in the company of the underclassmen on the roster, Johnny Davis said, "No, I don't feel that at all. But when I'm called on to speak out, I will.''
The implication being that he will let his game do all his talking for now. Or until something needs to be said. Just like Oliver foreshadowed. In this context, Davis was asked about earning minutes and contributing as a freshman – what are his expectations? – and he replied, "I expect to start.''
By all accounts, Davis plays the game with the same forthrightness and confident edge.
"He's so skilled in so many ways, he's so versatile,'' Oliver said of the 6-4, 195-pound Davis who's still looking to add muscle to his frame. "There's really not anything that he's not good at when you really watch his game. He plays both ends. Defensively, he can guard multiple positions.
"Offensively, he can shoot from the outside and he can drive it and create, and he can play within the system and he can do some things one-on-one. That's what really gives us some versatility. Whatever you need, he's able to do some things and add to what we're doing all ready.
"I really like his aggressiveness. A lot of times freshmen come in a little timid and just kind of wait to do things. He's definitely not that type. He looks to make plays at every opportunity and that's what he needs to do. I've really been happy with how he's playing so far.''
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Like all the freshmen, he's adjusting to new physical challenges in facing more mature, older players. On what would top his priority list, he opined, "I would probably say is getting my shot off quicker. Guys are a lot more athletic and a lot more lengthy in college rather than in high school.''
At La Crosse Central, Davis was on teams that compiled a record of 94-13 over his four seasons on the varsity, including a state championship when he was a freshman. Last season, he was named Mr. Basketball in the state after averaging 27 points and 9 rebounds. He scored in a variety of ways.
"He's good at getting to the rim,'' Oliver said, "and he's good at driving and kicking.''
And then, there's the matter of the Davis go-to.
"It's definitely the pull-up,'' Davis said. "I learned that from an old high school friend, and I started doing it about my sophomore year. It just felt natural for me to rise up over everybody in that m-midrange game and shoot over them.''
Oliver, the former Iowa guard, interjected, "He definitely can get to that pull-up.''
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Mark Davis got a lot of mileage out of his estimable basketball skills. A 6-6, 195-pound forward out of Chesapeake, Virginia, he wound up appearing in 110 games with 32 starts at Old Dominion University in the early '80s. Davis averaged 14 points and 5 rebounds in both his junior and senior years.
In the 1985 NBA draft – Patrick Ewing was the No. 1 overall pick of the New York Knicks in the first-ever draft lottery – the Cleveland Cavaliers selected Davis in the fourth round of what was then a seven round draft. That began his professional basketball odyssey over the next 13 seasons.
In addition to a world roundball tour – with stopovers in Belgium, Spain, Italy, Argentina, Japan, and Switzerland – Davis had multiple stints with the La Crosse Catbirds of the Continental Basketball Association, highlighted by a CBA championship. He also got a small taste of the NBA.
During the 1988-89 season, Davis played 31 games with the Milwaukee Bucks, a playoff caliber team then coached by Del Harris. Among his teammates were Terry Cummings, Paul Pressey, Jack Sikma, and Sidney Moncrief. Davis finished out that year with the Phoenix Suns.Â
"My father has helped me pursue a basketball career ever since I could first walk and he put a ball in my hand,'' said Johnny Davis who wasn't exaggerating. Shortly after Sarah Davis gave birth to the twins, Mark brought Nerf basketballs to her hospital room and staged a photo with his sons.
"That is true, we have a couple of pictures like that in our old family photo books,'' Johnny said, laughing. "It wasn't his goal to make us play basketball. He let us find our sport which is why we played football, too … and any other sport you can think of when we were younger.''
Less than a decade later, Mark Davis posed for a snapshot with his "Little Badgers'' – Johnny and Jordan – at a Wisconsin summer basketball camp in Madison. Also featured prominently in the picture was then head coach Bo Ryan. That framed photo can still be found in Johnny's bedroom in La Crosse.
Mark Davis with sons, Johnny and Jordan, at Wisconsin Basketball camp
"It just reminds me of when my dad used to be able to run up and down the court,'' he said taking a playful jab at someone who served as a youth coach for the twins. "He has really mentored us from how the game should be played and how we need to focus on certain things.''
Sarah Davis had her own role. "My mom has always been there for me with anything – school, life problems – she's always there to give me the answers that I need,'' said Johnny who found a silver lining during the quarantine period in that "I got to eat my mom's homecooked meals all the time.''
He also got to hang out with his 12-year-old sister Samantha and 12-year-old brother Maxwell. Yes, they represent a second set of twins within the Davis household. "It's wild whenever I tell people about it,'' said Johnny. "Samantha is more like me and Maxwell is more like Jordan.''
Both had empathy for their older brothers on March 12.
That's when the WIAA canceled its winter tournament season after the coronavirus outbreak. Earlier that night, No. 4 La Crosse Central upended No. 1 Onalaska, 55-40, in a Division-2 sectional semifinal game. Johnny Davis had 16 points, 10 rebounds and 6 assists.
"It was really challenging coming out of quarantine,'' he said of those months spent at home before reporting with the other UW freshmen to campus. "Not being able to do anything, you lack motivation to work out and do stuff when you're home with your family.
"It was a little difficult at first but after awhile I felt like I got back in shape.''
As part of their preseason conditioning, the Badgers ran the Camp Randall Stadium steps.
"It was not something I was used to, but a thrill to be up there,'' Davis admitted of running the upper deck where not so long ago his family had tickets for a UW game. He probably couldn't help but think of his own football career at La Crosse Central where he was a second team All-State quarterback.
"I actually thought about it a lot,'' he said of playing football collegiately, "up until Jordan got injured. He dislocated his ankle his sophomore year and broke his collarbone his senior year. That kind of scared me on how dangerous this sport is, and I just preferred basketball more.''
During his prep career, Davis passed for 6,572 yards and 56 touchdowns and rushed for more than 2,000 and 34 scores. As a senior, he accounted for 83 percent of his team's offense even after his star receiver, Jordan was injured. That led to his selection as the 2019 Dave Krieg Award winner.
Davis can hold his own in any discussion with Brad Davison and D'Mitrik Trice. Both were high school QBs. "The physicality of taking hits and just the focus that is required to play quarterback translates over to playing basketball,'' Davis said, "because you're worried about every little detail.''
Some of the adjustment worries for the freshmen have been alleviated by Davison and Trice and the rest of the seniors. In providing detailed direction, Davis acknowledged, "They've been guiding us really well since we've been here, showing us the ropes around campus. They've been through it all.''
Here's how Micah Potter, one of the fifth-year seniors, views the roster makeup.
"I think anyone would agree it's better to have old guys with young guys because then you can really teach them,'' Potter said. "That's something that allows practice to move on a little bit smoother because the coaches don't have to sit down and teach everything so much.
"Drills can continue but the older guys can pull the younger guys away and be like, 'Hey, look, watch this, change this, do this.' The coaches don't have to do as much coaching, and they can just worry about the conglomerate group. I think that's the biggest thing.
"The freshmen work really hard … there's not a lazy guy in the group. All their attitudes are really good. They want to learn. They want to get better and they want to win. So, it's all you can really ask for from a young group of guys like that ... and that just adds to the group of veterans we have.''
Oliver has seen many of the same things.
"I'm really excited about them, I think they're going to shock a lot of people as far as their progress,'' he said of the freshmen, including Johnny and Jordan Davis, Crowl, Carlson, Carter Gilmore and Justin Taphorn. "I don't know what everyone's rankings were and all of that.
"But they've really shown a lot of early promise. Like I've been telling people, they don't look like freshmen. They've really learned quickly and adapted quickly and they've just kind of jumped in with the veteran guys. And that's been impressive.
"Usually there's that big learning curve that freshmen year, especially with the shortened preseason (due to COVID-19). We didn't get to do a lot of workouts that we normally do. Yet they've been able to take things and jump in stride with the rest of the guys.''
What it comes down to for Johnny Davis is competition when he says, "We have a great group of guys ready to get to work and play against other opponents. They want it just as bad as I do.''
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