Tag: Johnell Davis

Johnell Davis withdraws from NBA Draft, will play for John Calipari at Arkansas

Johnell Davis has withdrawn from the NBA Draft and will play his final college basketball season at Arkansas. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski first reported the news Wednesday.

Johnell Davis has withdrawn from the 2024 NBA Draft and will play his final collegiate season with the Arkansas Razorbacks and coach John Calipari.

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski first reported the news Wednesday.

The news isn’t entirely a shock. Davis had previously declined an invitation to the NBA’s G League Elite Camp in Chicago and did not participate in the NBA Draft Combine (also in Chicago).

Wednesday was the deadline for players to withdraw from the NBA Draft.

Davis is widely considered one of the top players in college basketball and was one of the biggest names in the transfer portal before joining Arkansas in late April; On3 had Davis listed as the best available transfer in its portal rankings.

A 6-foot-4 guard, Davis averaged 18.2 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.9 assists last season at Florida Atlantic. He led the Owls on a Cinderella run to the Final Four in 2023.

Davis is one of eight players that have committed to play for Arkansas in 2024-25 since Calipari became head coach in early April. Other transfers to Arkansas’ roster are former Kentucky players Zvonimir Ivisic, Adou Thiero and D.J. Wagner, and former Tennessee forward Jonas Aidoo.

Highly touted recruits Karter Knox, Boogie Fland and Billy Richmond are all incoming freshmen that flipped their commitment from Kentucky to Arkansas.

New Arkansas guard Johnell Davis declines G League Invitation

Johnell Davis may ultimately only be an Arkansas guard for a month, but this suggests he’ll play his ball in Fayetteville next year.

Arkansas guard Johnell Davis will be a Razorbacks guard longer than a week, at least.

The Florida Atlantic transfer, largely considered one of the top five players in the transfer portal this offseason, committed to Arkansas earlier in the week. Shortly thereafter, Davis received an invitation to attend the G League Elite Camp ahead of the NBA Draft.

He declined.

Because Davis is also not participating in the NBA Draft Combine later in te week, it appears signs point to his playing for the Razorbacks and first-year coach John Calipari in the 2024-25 season. That said, Davis is scheduled to have workouts with various NBA teams throughout May, meaning he may impress enough to hear his name called on draft day.

For now, Davis projected at about the same place as Arkansas forward Trevon Brazile. Brazile played two seasons with the Razorbacks, entered the draft in March, entered the transfer portal last week and his ultimate destination will be who knows where. Brazile was once considered a first-round player, but injuries and poor play this past season sent his stock downward sharply.

Davis averaged more than 18 points and six rebounds a game for FAU over the winter. His commitment to Arkansas from the portal was the Razorbacks’ third such, joining Tennessee center Jonas Aidoo and Kentucky center Zvonimir Ivisic.

Rumor: Arkansas commit Johnell Davis to decline invitation to G League Elite Camp

Arkansas commit Johnell Davis reportedly turned down an invitation to participate in the 2024 G League Elite Camp.

Arkansas commit Johnell Davis reportedly turned down an invitation to participate in the 2024 G League Elite Camp, according to Jonathan Givony of ESPN.

Davis, who entered the transfer portal on April 2, announced on Wednesday that he will play for coach John Calipari after four years at Florida Atlantic. He also announced that he had declared for the NBA draft while maintaining his final year of college eligibility.

The co-American Athletic Conference Player of the Year will interview and work out with teams ahead of the early entry withdrawal deadline on May 29. He will likely gain feedback from teams on his game and use next season with the Razorbacks to improve his draft positioning.

Davis was also named to the All-AAC first team after averaging 18.2 points, 6.3 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.4 steals on 41.4% shooting from 3-point range. He helped lead the Owls to consecutive appearances in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history.

He joins former Kentucky center Zvonimir Ivišić and Tennessee forward Jonas Aidoo in committing to play for Calipari via the transfer portal. The program also adds top-30 prospects Karter Knox (No. 20), Billy Richmond (No. 22) and Boogie Fland (No. 26).

The G League Elite Camp will take place May 10-11, with prospects competing in front of NBA and G League scouts, coaches and front-office executives. The top standouts will also be invited to perform in the draft combine.

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Arkansas secures commitment from top transfer guard Johnell Davis

Former Florida Atlantic Owls guard Johnell Davis will join John Calipari after committing to Arkansas in the NCAA transfer portal.

The Arkansas Razorbacks landed one of the top overall players in the transfer portal in former Florida Atlantic guard Johnell Davis, who committed to new head coach John Calipari on Wednesday.

Reports of Davis’ commitment to the Razorbacks began to surface Tuesday night, with the star guard making things official Wednesday afternoon.

A significant pickup for Arkansas’ 2024-25 roster, Davis ranked as the No. 2 overall player in the transfer portal according to 247Sports. An experienced guard, Davis comes to Arkansas from Florida Atlantic, where he was a four-year player with the Owls, as well as a full-time starter this past season.

During the 2023-24 season, Davis started all 34 games for Florida Atlantic, averaging a career-high 18.2 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 2.9 APG, and 1.4 SPG. The 2023-24 AAC Player of the Year, as well as a First Team All-AAC selection, Davis also shot 48.3% from the field, 41.4% from three, and 85.7% at the free throw line.

A career 11.2 PPG scorer across four seasons at Florida Atlantic, Davis is now the third transfer commitment for Calipari at Arkansas, joining two frontcourt players in Jonas Aidoo from Tennessee and Zvonimir Ivisic from Kentucky.

Florida Atlantic star Johnell Davis announces transfer to Arkansas

Former Florida Atlantic guard Johnell Davis announced Wednesday that he has committed to transfer to Arkansas.

Former Florida Atlantic guard Johnell Davis announced Wednesday on Instagram that he had committed to transfer to play for head coach John Calipari and Arkansas after four years with the Owls.

Davis, who entered the transfer portal on April 2, was named the co-American Athletic Conference Player of the Year after averaging 18.2 points, 6.3 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.4 steals on 41.4% shooting from 3-point range.

He was also named to the All-AAC first team.

Davis helped lead the Owls to consecutive appearances in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history. The Owls (25-9) were ranked in the top 25 for 16 straight weeks and were among 14 teams to sell out every home game this past season.

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Calipari announced his departure as head coach at Kentucky, ending a 15-year run with the program, on April 9. He was named head coach at Arkansas the following day after agreeing to a five-year contract with a salary beginning at $7 million per season.

Davis joins former Kentucky center Zvonimir Ivišić and Tennessee forward Jonas Aidoo in committing to play for Calipari via the transfer portal. The program also adds top-30 prospects Karter Knox (No. 20), Billy Richmond (No. 22) and Boogie Fland (No. 26).

The former Owl also announced last month that he had declared for the 2024 NBA draft while maintaining his remaining college eligibility. He is expected to interview and work out with teams this month before deciding on his status for next season.

He has until May 29 to withdraw from the draft and return to school.

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Arkansas basketball reportedly lands nation’s top player in transfer portal

Arkansas Basketball: The Arkansas Razorbacks and coach John Calipari have landed former Florida Atlantic guard Johnell Davis via the transfer portal, per veteran college basketball reporter Jeff Goodman.

Just one day after receiving a major commitment from former Tennessee forward Jonas Aidoo via the transfer portal, veteran college basketball reporter Jeff Goodman reported late Tuesday that the Arkansas Razorbacks and coach John Calipari are expected to add former Florida Atlantic guard Johnell Davis to their roster.

While Davis has declared for the NBA Draft, Goodman stated in a post on X, formerly Twitter, that Arkansas offered the top shooting guard a lucrative NIL deal “north of $1 million.”

Davis is considered by many to be the best player remaining in the portal. On3 ranked Davis as the No. 1 player in their transfer portal rankings. 247Sports had ranked Davis as the second-best player in the portal behind former Arizona center Oumar Ballo, who recently signed with Indiana.

As 247Sports’ Adam Finkelstein noted:

“Johnell Davis became an overnight sensation in the 2023 NCAA tournament when Florida Atlantic made their Cinderella run to the Final Four. This (past) year, he took his game to entirely new levels. His scoring went from 13.8 points a night to 18.2 points per game. Once considered more of an athletic wing, Davis’ guard skills have now made noticeable strides, as well. While he’s still capable of attacking the rim, both in the open floor as well as slashing in the half-court, his 3-point shooting went from 35.7% on 1.2 makes per game in 2022-23 to 43.4% on 1.8 makes per game this year. He even started to show some ability to make plays off off ball-screens and saw his assist numbers almost double from 1.6 to 3.0.”

Calipari has already made good on two prized acquisitions to his roster through the portal this off-season. In addition to Aidoo, who helped lead Tennessee to the Elite Eight back in March, Calipari and top assistant coach Kenny Payne also added Zvonimir Ivisic, Calipari’s star big man at Kentucky last season.

Four-star recruits in the 2024 recruiting class such as Karter Knox, Boogie Fland and Billy Richmond have also committed to Arkansas since Calipari left Kentucky for the Razorbacks’ job in early April.

Catching up with the Boston Celtics’ 2023 NBA draft workouts Part IV

Let’s dive into who the Celtics might be targeting at No. 35.

Even with the offseason here in earnest, the Boston Celtics have plenty on their plate regarding their future as they continue to work out prospects projected to go in the second round of the ’23 NBA draft.

With the Celtics likely to need cheap depth in the future, look for prospects who are either polished enough to get some real minutes in their rookie campaign or who might be okay with a season or two stashed abroad while the team makes decisions about how it will use the new two way player slot added to rosters in the latest collective bargaining agreement recently adopted by the league.

Adding to our previous reporting of the team’s known workouts comes a new wave of prospects Boston has been working out — let’s dive into who the Celtics might be targeting at No. 35.

G League Elite Camp: Kansas State’s Markquis Nowell dazzled on Day 1

Kansas State guard Markquis Nowell was among the standouts from the first day of the G League Elite Camp.

The NBA G League Elite Camp tipped off on Saturday as 45 prospects hit the court to showcase their games in front of team executives, coaches and scouts in Chicago, Illinois.

The top performers are invited each year to compete in the draft combine, which begins Monday. The event has helped send several players to the NBA, including Jose Alvarado, Oshae Brissett, Kenneth Lofton Jr. and Terance Mann.

The players participated in various on-court drills, exercises and measurement testing. They were split into four teams and took part in 5-on-5 scrimmages. Several players emerged with standout performances from the first day.

Here are some of the top performers from Saturday.

UConn’s Jordan Hawkins and the 6 best NBA draft prospects playing in the Final Four

UConn’s Jordan Hawkins is a ready-to-play movement shooter perfect for the NBA.

This is a fascinating Final Four in the NCAA men’s tournament, especially because we may only have one first-round draft pick playing in either game.

Between the two matchups, UConn vs. Miami is the game to watch if you want to see likely future NBA players. Even if there aren’t many players selected in the first round, there are several who could find their way onto your favorite pro team.

Before the two games have their tipoffs in Houston on Saturday, these are the top NBA draft prospects you should keep your eyes peeled for whenever they are on the court.

NOTE: UConn’s Donovan Clingan would also make this list if he decides to declare for the 2023 NBA Draft.

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FAU’s Johnell Davis accidentally swore on TV after his epic NCAA tournament win and the broadcast was so chill about it

“We’re on truTV, man.”

After taking down No. 16 Fairleigh Dickinson and making men’s NCAA tournament history, No. 9 Florida Atlantic University sophomore guard Johnell Davis accidentally dropped a curse word in his postgame interview.

While talking with reporter Jamie Erdahl, Davis spoke to what he’s been trying to prove in his career and accidentally said the “s-word” while giving his answer.

“It happens to all of us; we’re on truTV, man,” Erdahl said to ease Davis’ concern after he dropped a PG-13 swear on national television.

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Hey, we’ve all said this word at some point in our life, so nobody hate on Davis for giving an honest answer in a very routine setting.

Davis earned the right to say what was on his mind after he set a men’s NCAA tournament record with 25-plus points, 10-plus recounds, five-plus assists and five-plus steals in a tournament game.

Florida Atlantic has emerged as one of the coolest stories of the tournament, and now they’ve got a Sweet 16 berth to add to the list.