Jaxson Davis was thrown into the fire in Warren’s season opener.
Unlike other freshmen, Davis didn’t get a warming-up period. Grant employed a box-and-one defense against the 6-foot-1 guard.
“That made me notice the attention I was getting right away,” he said. “I was shocked. But once I got the team going, they got out of it.”
Davis scored 15 points in the Blue Devils’ 84-55 win, making clear he was ready to handle the heat. Warren won 16 of its first 17 games, including all four at the prestigious Proviso West Holiday Tournament, where Davis scored 36 points in the final and became the first freshman to be named MVP of the event.
“I think that was me at my very best,” he said.
Davis, the 2023-24 News-Sun Boys Basketball Player of the Year, led the Blue Devils (31-5) all the way to the Class 4A NIU Supersectional, where they lost to Palatine on March 4. He averaged 19.4 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 3.5 steals for the North Suburban Conference co-champions and was an all-state first-team pick by both the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association and the Illinois media.
But Davis isn’t satisfied. He points to Warren’s season-ending loss.
“That was a bad feeling, and for us to overcome it, we’ll just have to get better next year,” he said. “But I feel it was a good year for me both on and off the court. Individually, I know if I’m the best I can be, that good stuff will come.”
Of course, Davis has the ability to make good stuff happen on his own. Warren coach Zack Ryan noted Davis’ uncanny court vision.
“I’ve never seen anyone see what he sees on the court,” Ryan said. “He’ll give me great feedback during a game on what he’s seeing and what we might want to try.”
Ryan estimates Davis made about 15 passes that he believes only Davis could make. On the flip side, Davis could beat just about anyone off the dribble, which led to a new page in Warren’s playbook called “Get that dude the ball.”
“There were times where I had to just let him go, which went against a lot of my coaching instincts,” Ryan said.
Davis’ presence convinced Ryan to do something else for the first time. Davis was named a team captain. It didn’t happen until the beginning of February, and Ryan considered it carefully before approaching senior captains Alex Daniels, Josh Stewart and Drew Stacey.
“We’ve all known him for a while, and he’s used to playing up with older guys year-round, so it was a good fit for him,” Daniels said of Davis.
So Ryan approached Davis and outlined his expectations.
“It was pretty cool when he pulled me aside and asked me about it,” Davis said. “I was already leading by example. But it started in practice where I was talking to guys more, pushing guys more.”
With Davis pushing himself and his teammates, Warren’s future is bright. He recently traveled to Champaign with his parents, sophomore Braylon Walker and Bolingbrook’s Davion Thompson to see the Class 3A and 4A state championship games. Davis has three more years to try to lead the Blue Devils there.
“We’ve talked about that plenty of times,” Walker said. “I’ve played with him for a long time, so I know what he’s capable of. He can pretty much do everything on the court.”
Steve Reaven is a freelance reporter.
