- Name: De’Ron Davis
- Position: Forward
- Recruiting Class: 2016
- Age: 27 years old
- Birthday: November 20, 1996
- Hometown: Park Hill, Colorado
- High School: Overland High School
- AAU Team: Colorado Hawks
- Height: 6’10” (208 cm)
- Weight: 255 lbs (116 kg)
- Jersey Number: #20
- Education: Sport Communication
De’Ron Davis Seasons with the Hoosiers
18-16 (7-11 Big Ten)
🏅 NIT First Round
16-15 (9-9 Big Ten)
19-16 (8-12 Big Ten)
🏅 NIT Quarterfinals
20-12 (9-11 Big Ten)
De’Ron Davis Recruiting Profile
- ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4-Star Power Forward
- Teams: Overland (Colorado), Colorado Hawks (Colorado)
- Composite Rating: 0.9834
- Composite Ranking: 40th Overall, 12th Power Forward, 1st in the State of Colorado
- Committed: November 12, 2015
Davis’ High School Career
During high school, Davis was more than a high school star – he was a Colorado basketball sensation. In fact, the Denver Post asserted that Davis was probably the most sought-after Colorado native recruit since Chauncey Billups. Surprisingly, Indiana had their eyes set on Davis even before he stepped foot on a high school basketball court.
IU began its recruitment of Davis in middle school and then-coach Tom Crean offered him a scholarship while he was in just eight-grade. The Hoosiers saw Davis play in a club tournament in Indianapolis and were immediately sold on his skill-set. While Davis did not commit until high school, he never forgot about Indiana’s interest and the Hoosiers were seen as the clear favorites during most of the recruiting process.
Mississippi State had a late push in recruiting and several other schools attempted to dissuade Davis on Indiana by continually bringing up Crean’s perceived job insecurity. However, Davis was impressed by IU’s continued loyalty and Crean’s personal touch (this included Crean going out of his way to take time on a recruiting visit to speak with Davis’ ailing grandfather).
Davis noted, “[Other schools] would say this and that, but coach Crean has been the only coach who was there since my eighth-grade year. I walked into the gym my first time working out at Overland and had just decided to stop playing football and got the offer from coach Crean right out of the gate. Because he stuck with me, I had to stick with him.”
After being a highly touted prospect at a young age, Davis was a victim of his own success. He started off as the #1 recruit in his class but began dropping. This often happens with top recruits. Once the expectations are set, scouts begin to overanalyze and put every move under the microscope.
Yet, Crean’s support never wavered, Davis emphasized, “[Crean] said, ‘I don’t see why you are dropping.’ He sees stuff in me that I don’t even see.”
Despite dropping in the rankings, Davis continually improved during his high school career. As a junior, Davis led Overland High School to a 5A Colorado State Championship in route to being named state tournament MVP. Davis was dominant on both ends of the court that season, averaging 16.3 points, 11.5 rebounds, and 5.3 blocks per game. His senior season was much of the same: another state title and another state tournament MVP. Davis was named Colorado’s Mr. Basketball. During his illustrious career, Davis scored 1527 points, had over 1000 rebounds, and had a state record 441 block shots.
Davis finished as the #40 overall recruit according to the 247sports composite rankings and the #12 overall power forward. He reportedly had offers from 9 different schools, including UCLA, Arizona, Purdue, Mississippi State, and Texas
Davis’ Indiana Career
Throughout his Indiana career, Davis has faced a great deal of adversity from a coaching change to multiple injuries.