Even though the Olympics will not tip-off until July there are still basketball players who are fighting for a gold medal starting in February. The USA National Team will face a trio of nearby nations (Bahamas/Cuba/Puerto Rico) in FIBA Men’s AmeriCup Qualifying later this month. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Team USA AmeriCup player Will Davis II about making the NCAA tourney in 2015 and winning a bronze medal in 2022.
You began your career at Sacramento High School as a 5’9” freshman but by the end of your sophomore year you were 6’5”: how did that growth spurt change your life (if at all)? Coming into high school I did not have a lot of experience playing basketball. I got cut in 7th and 8th grade and did not make any team until my freshman year. The growth spurt helped me out from a basketball standpoint but my knees were constantly hurting and it was a big adjustment. I was a late-bloomer and grew into my body as time went on.
What made you choose UC-Irvine for college? The head coach of the AmeriCup qualifying team is Jerome Allen: his alma mater (Penn) was 1 of the schools that recruited me out of high school. However, I wanted to come back to the West Coast so that my family could attend most of my games.
As a freshman you set the school record for BLK in a season with 55 and as a sophomore you were named conference DPOY: what is the secret to playing great defense? I always had good timing when it came to shot-blocking and was young/athletic. I did not like people scoring on me so I just brought that mentality to the court.
In 2015 you were named 1st-team All-Big West: what did it mean to you to receive such an outstanding honor? It was a great honor to receive during my senior year. I felt like I should have earned that honor as a junior but I only made honorable mention all-conference so I came back with a bit of vengeance as a senior.
In the 2015 Big West tourney title game you had 10 PTS/10 REB in a 9-PT win over Hawaii en route to being named tourney MVP: how big a deal was it for Irvine to win its 1st conference championship and get its 1st-ever NCAA tourney bid? It was amazing! Another reason I chose Irvine was because I wanted a school where I could make an impact. It made me set a goal to get an NCAA tourney bid before I left. We won the conference regular season title during my junior year but did not win the conference tourney. There was so much buzz throughout Orange County wherever we went during my senior year.
In the 2015 NCAA tourney you scored 14 PTS in a 2-PT loss to Louisville: how close did you come to pulling off the upset? We did not go into the game as underdogs: we wanted to advance to the next round. We were almost overprepared but our coach told us to calm down and let the game come to us. We were right there until the very end and just made a couple of mistakes that Louisville capitalized on: Coach Rick Pitino knows what to do in those situations.
You have spent much of the past decade playing pro basketball in this country and other countries: what is the biggest difference between basketball in the US vs. basketball overseas? In the SU it is a very fast-paced game where teams have more possessions. Overseas there is more of a focus on defense and everyone on the team is fundamentally sound so there are fewer turnovers. They pick you up for 94 feet and the paint is packed because there is no 3 seconds. The refs also let more things go overseas so you can be more physical.
In 2022 you played for team USA at the FIBA AmeriCup in Brazil: what did it mean to you to represent your country, and what did it mean to you to win a bronze medal? It was such an honor. I had played with them before and they brought in more people to training camp this time so you had to earn your spot on the roster. To be chosen and then make the roster was a great feeling. We wanted to win the gold medal but I was told the USA often loses a lot of bronze medal games: they are often the hardest games to win if you only care about winning a gold. It is something that I will have for life.
Last November you signed with the G League Ignite, a team that has several players who might become 1st round picks this summer: which of your teammates has impressed you the most (Matas Buzelis/Ron Holland/Tyler Smith/other)? They have all impressed me. The top-2 guys I knew were Matas/Ron so to see how skilled they are at such a young age is a great sight to see. Tyler was not on the radar at 1st but is athletic/tall/can shoot/loves to work. Another young guy coming back next year is Dink Pate who is just 17 years old. He is growing very fast and is now running the show as the PG. It reminds of when I was a college freshman and not knowing what to expect…but I did not have to go up against grown men like they do!
Last week you were named to the roster for the February 2024 USA AmeriCup Qualifying Team: how is the team looking so far, and how excited are you to head to Cuba this week? The team is looking good so far. We have some NBA experience and some guys who have played overseas. Everyone is buying into the situation and Jerome is definitely a “players coach” so everyone is listening to him. He knows how to relate to us because he used to play himself.