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Let's continue with my countdown of my 30 favorite Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball players of my fandom, spanning from the 1996-97 season until present day. Here are numbers 30-27.
A few weeks had passed since the start of the school year when I decided to give my cousin Jimmy a phone call during September of 2007.
By this time I had graduated from Illinois three years ago, and my cousin was just starting as a freshman on the campus.
As I got a hold of Jim, I asked him how things were going so far. He told me that he had just gone to the introductory meeting for the Orange Krush, how the basketball team was there.
"Hey Chris," Jim said. "There was a freshman named Mike Davis there. He is pretty tall but skinny."
"Who?" I said. I had never heard of Davis, whom I believe was an unranked high school recruit that Bruce Weber added late during the recruiting period.
Of course, Davis was a part of a freshman class that included guard Demetri McCamey, center Mike Tisdale, forward Bill Cole, and preferred walk-on Jeffrey Jordan, son of Michael Jordan. Of course, Eric Gordon of Indianapolis was supposed to be in that freshman class, but he spurned the Illini for Indiana after verbally committing to Bruce Weber years in advance. Illini even tried to add a player named Quinton Watkins, who was committed to USC, but he did not get into the school for academic reasons.
Ultimately, the 2007-08 Illinois freshman class was a group that had some good and bad moments during their four years, missing the tournament twice, never advancing out of the second round, and signaling a downturn in Illini recruiting under Weber.
Still, this group played hard, with Davis becoming my favorite of the group. Hardly playing as a skinny freshman, Davis was a starter by his sophomore year, possessing a beautiful one-handed, push floater and effective half hook game.
With sophomores Davis, McCamey and Tisdale and seniors Chester Frazier and Trent Meachman, the 2008-09 Illini team would be a pleasant surprise, playing with great chemistry and earning a #5 seed in the tournament. Despite Davis opening up the first-round game against Western Kentucky with a nice turnaround, the Illini would trail all night and lose to the Colonels.
After nearly missing the 2010 NCAA Tournament, this senior group had great potential entering the 2010-11 campaign, with returning sophomores D.J. Richardson, Brandon Paul and Tyler Griffey, and heralded freshmen Jereme Richmond, Meyers Leonard and Crandall Head.
This talented team would underachieve big time, though a bulked-up Davis would have a nice season, including a great performance against North Carolina at home during the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.
Entering the tournament as a #9 seed, Illinois would crush a #8 seeded UNLV team coached by former Illini Head Man Lon Kruger. Weber and the Illini would then face #1 seed Kansas, coached by another former Illini Head Coach, Bill Self. Illinois would hang with the Jayhawks but ultimately lose, with the sight of Davis leaving the court for the final time a memory I will never forget.
As Davis was subbed out with the game over, the senior forward from Virginia began sobbing uncontrollably. During what was a frustrating lone season with the mercurial Richmond, Davis showed he was someone who truly cared and was saddened to no longer be an Illini.
In that moment Davis forever won me over, proving to be a player who matured physically and mentally during his four years in Champaign, leaving a better player and person.
Below are full games of Davis at his best, including when he scored a career-high 28 points against Clemson as a sophomore and went to work against North Carolina as a senior, as well as his final two games with the Illini during the 2011 NCAA Tournament.
By this time I had graduated from Illinois three years ago, and my cousin was just starting as a freshman on the campus.
As I got a hold of Jim, I asked him how things were going so far. He told me that he had just gone to the introductory meeting for the Orange Krush, how the basketball team was there.
"Hey Chris," Jim said. "There was a freshman named Mike Davis there. He is pretty tall but skinny."
"Who?" I said. I had never heard of Davis, whom I believe was an unranked high school recruit that Bruce Weber added late during the recruiting period.
Of course, Davis was a part of a freshman class that included guard Demetri McCamey, center Mike Tisdale, forward Bill Cole, and preferred walk-on Jeffrey Jordan, son of Michael Jordan. Of course, Eric Gordon of Indianapolis was supposed to be in that freshman class, but he spurned the Illini for Indiana after verbally committing to Bruce Weber years in advance. Illini even tried to add a player named Quinton Watkins, who was committed to USC, but he did not get into the school for academic reasons.
Ultimately, the 2007-08 Illinois freshman class was a group that had some good and bad moments during their four years, missing the tournament twice, never advancing out of the second round, and signaling a downturn in Illini recruiting under Weber.
Still, this group played hard, with Davis becoming my favorite of the group. Hardly playing as a skinny freshman, Davis was a starter by his sophomore year, possessing a beautiful one-handed, push floater and effective half hook game.
With sophomores Davis, McCamey and Tisdale and seniors Chester Frazier and Trent Meachman, the 2008-09 Illini team would be a pleasant surprise, playing with great chemistry and earning a #5 seed in the tournament. Despite Davis opening up the first-round game against Western Kentucky with a nice turnaround, the Illini would trail all night and lose to the Colonels.
After nearly missing the 2010 NCAA Tournament, this senior group had great potential entering the 2010-11 campaign, with returning sophomores D.J. Richardson, Brandon Paul and Tyler Griffey, and heralded freshmen Jereme Richmond, Meyers Leonard and Crandall Head.
This talented team would underachieve big time, though a bulked-up Davis would have a nice season, including a great performance against North Carolina at home during the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.
Entering the tournament as a #9 seed, Illinois would crush a #8 seeded UNLV team coached by former Illini Head Man Lon Kruger. Weber and the Illini would then face #1 seed Kansas, coached by another former Illini Head Coach, Bill Self. Illinois would hang with the Jayhawks but ultimately lose, with the sight of Davis leaving the court for the final time a memory I will never forget.
As Davis was subbed out with the game over, the senior forward from Virginia began sobbing uncontrollably. During what was a frustrating lone season with the mercurial Richmond, Davis showed he was someone who truly cared and was saddened to no longer be an Illini.
In that moment Davis forever won me over, proving to be a player who matured physically and mentally during his four years in Champaign, leaving a better player and person.
Below are full games of Davis at his best, including when he scored a career-high 28 points against Clemson as a sophomore and went to work against North Carolina as a senior, as well as his final two games with the Illini during the 2011 NCAA Tournament.
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