Lucas: Davison on decision to return next season
April 15, 2021 | Men's Basketball, Mike Lucas
Relationships, love for Wisconsin and one last ride part of senior's decision
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BY MIKE LUCAS
UWBadgers.com Senior Writer
"I started considering returning when it became an option,'' said Davison who has opted to return to Wisconsin for a fifth season in 2021-2022. "Throughout the year, it was always kind of in the back of my mind. With the highs and lows of the season, your decision making can go up and down.
"But my family and I made the decision that once the season was over, we were going to take two to three weeks off – and get away from basketball, away from the program, away from Madison – and reflect and talk things over and think about what would be best for the next step in my career.''
In weighing the advantages of coming back to school for another year versus the disadvantages -- not that he could find many, or maybe any to his thinking – Davison compiled a list. "That's kind of a practice I've done with every decision in my life,'' he said. "Mental pros and cons.''
That was the pragmatic Davison, the only senior on the roster, for now, barring transfers.
"There were a lot of conversations, a lot of reflecting, a lot of praying over the last couple of weeks primarily, but even over the last few months,'' he said. "I was trying to get some clarity and a sense of peace on what next year would look like to me.
"One thing that I've heard, and I've continued to kind of meditate on is this, 'You've got to do what is right for you.' Everyone has different decisions, and everyone has different perspectives on what you should do. But, at the end of the day, you've got to follow your heart.
"You really have to listen to your inner circle and the people you trust.
"And then, you have to do what is right in your heart.''
Davison admitted seniors have "all sorts of different forks in the road'' to choose from.
But this past year was unlike any other because of COVID.
"Having unprecedented circumstances kind of opened up an unprecedented opportunity to return for a fifth year,'' he said. "So, what it came down to was just my love for Madison, my love for the program, my coaches and my teammates. There's no place I'd rather be next year doing what I love.
"Growing up in the Midwest, I always wanted to play college basketball at the highest level in the Big Ten. And it has been a dream come true of mine to get that opportunity to play four years at that level and to do it for a fifth year is kind of living out your dream again.''
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On the suggestion that sometimes being in one place too long can be problematic and diminish the freshness, Davison said, "I'm only 21 years old (he will turn 22 on April 22, he noted, a golden birthday). I've got a lot more time to experience other things, basketball things and what not.
"The way I look at it, every year is a fresh start. We will have a new group of guys in the locker room, a new dynamic. And after this past year,'' he sighed in reference to all the virus-related testing and protocols and lack of interaction, "anything next year has to offer will be fresh and new.''
He wasn't buying next season would be a major rebuild, though he will be one of only two returning starters. The other is junior Tyler Wahl who started the final 18. Nobody else even started once. As a true freshman, Jonathan Davis played in all 31 games and averaged 24 minutes.
"I don't know if I'd say a major rebuild just because I know how much talent we have in those younger guys in the program,'' Davison said. "Guys like Johnny and Tyler got to play pretty good chunks of minutes last year. They're more than capable of taking big steps up in their roles.
"Some other young guys like Steven (Crowl) and Ben (Carlson) maybe didn't get the minutes but they gave it to us pretty good on the scout team. So, I wouldn't say a rebuild. But it's going to be new. It's going to be a fresh start for all those guys, even the guys I didn't mention.
"They all bring something to the table and I'm looking forward to being a part of that.''
Since the Badgers will be so inexperienced, the antithesis of the senior-laden 2020-2021 team that went 18-13 overall and 10-10 in the Big Ten, Davison knows his role will go beyond just scoring. Last season, he averaged 10 points, highlighted by 29 against North Carolina in the NCAA tournament.Â
"First and foremost, just because I've been around for a long time, I have a lot of experience – I've experienced a lot of different highs and lows in my four-year career here,'' he said, impacting what he added is, "My ability to relate and interact with younger guys on the team.
"I'm looking forward to competing with them and mentoring them, but also getting the chance to go out there and play with them, and experience maybe some of their firsts for the first time and some of my lasts for the last time. I want to do as much as I can to help the team win.
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"And I want to develop and grow a relationship with the guys in the locker room.''
That process has already begun.
"Throughout this past week, I've been calling my future and current teammates letting them know what I was deciding and announcing publicly (Wednesday),'' said Davison who also gave a heads-up to his former teammates and what he labeled "other people in my inner circle.''
On their general response to the news that he was returning, he said, "They were excited. They were pretty pumped. That made me feel really good and solidified my decision and gave me a lot of confidence on what we can do next year and what we can be about as a team.
"It made me excited to get back to work with all of them.''
Beyond bonding, the relationship-building, Davison has mapped out his own off-season plan.
"For me, personally, I want to become more consistent with my outside shot,'' he said after shooting a career-best 39 percent from the 3-point line (63-of-161). "And I want to improve on getting to the rim and finishing inside. Those are a couple of things I've pinpointed now.
"The great thing about basketball is you can improve on everything.
"So, I'll be focusing on a lot of different things.''
Davison has spent so much time deliberating over his basketball options that he conceded, "I've got to start looking on the logistical side. I've got to find a place to live and little things like that.''
After graduating in May, he will enter the master's program at Wisconsin.
"One of the reasons why I love Madison so much is the community and the people,'' he said. "I'm really involved with Athletes in Action on campus and different groups where I love to interact with people and develop those relationships.
"This year was a little off-kilter (because of the pandemic) in that sense where we didn't get those opportunities. So, any opportunity to be involved and make an impact I'm looking forward to ...
"I took a lot of time to reflect not only on last year but on all four years. Knowing there are wins and losses and all sorts of different things that you go through during the course of a career, it's really been about the relationships for me.''
Ultimately, Davison wants to be a teacher, a coach. What context does that bring to this year?
"Every year of your playing career is a step in the right direction, especially if you want to be a coach,'' he emphasized. "There are all sorts of different things you can learn each and every year. But especially this year with the new dynamic of playing with so many new guys.
"I look forward to the opportunity to be part of this journey with them and compete with them.
"There are a lot of great things we can do this year.''
Davison posted his announcement on the same day that UNCUT Madison – a UW student-athlete created-forum designed to tell the stories of UW student-athletes – teased an upcoming interview between Davison and volleyball All-American Dana Rettke, the head of brand management.
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In Episode 2 of "Dana's Den", @dana_rettke and @braddavi34 discuss dealing with pressure, maintaining perspective and blocking out the noise. Full episode coming on Friday!#StudentAthleteHuman // #BeyondBucky pic.twitter.com/RErQDExFtf
— UNCUT Madison (@uncut_madison) April 14, 2021
"Dana is actually one of my best friends on campus so that was pretty natural for us,'' Davison said of their 25 minutes conversation that will be played in its entirety later this week. "She didn't know that she was lining it up perfectly (his own reveal to come back next year) but she did pretty well.''
On the general premise of UNCUT Madison, he said, "I think it's awesome. It gives student-athletes an opportunity to share the way they perceive the world and perceive sport through a different lens. And it allows them to peel back the layers of the onion on who they really are.''
Rettke asked Davison to expound on the theme, "Pressure is privilege.'' What does that mean?
"It means that other people would love to be in the situation that you're in,'' he told her. "It's kind of a two-edged sword. The privilege of pressure is that you've proven yourself to a certain extent but there's so much opportunity out there for you yet to continue to strive for.''
Davison went on to acknowledge, "The pressure to perform is an identity struggle that most athletes deal with. You can play the best game of your career but it's not going to be perfect.''
Viewed only through a performance lens, per se, he said, "You're always going to be left unfulfilled. Some people are going to love you. Some people are going to hate you. Never take criticism from someone you wouldn't take advice from.''
As such, Davison didn't post his list of pros and cons on social media for judgement.
"But I will ask the people that truly know you and know your character and know what you're about,'' he said of his sounding boards, starting with his family and extending to the Badger family. "And their unconditional love is just what reminds us that there's so much more to life than sport.''
And there's so much more to No. 34 than meets the eye between the lines.
"Some of the cons of making one decision is you may be missing out on other things,'' he said Wednesday. "You can go somewhere else and play. You can go professional. You can start a coaching career. At the end of the day, it was a pretty easy decision. I can't imagine being anywhere else.''
A conclusion drawn from following his heart.
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