Austin Davis appreciation thread.
Kudos to Austin Davis for helping to keep the game from being tight last night.
Davis defended Garza about as well as you can and had two key dunks when the game got tight late.
I think Colin Castleton will be a star next year with consistent minutes, but Garza was a terrible matchup for him. We really needed Davis, and he came through.
Great to have another option off the bench when needed.
(Johns was pretty good too)
December 7th, 2019 at 10:23 AM ^
Wow, crickets. Well I will give him some appreciation. Go Blue!!!
December 7th, 2019 at 11:54 AM ^
The Pride of Onsted Michigan!!!! Go Wildcats!!
December 7th, 2019 at 10:26 AM ^
While Austin Davis never became a great player, I have always thought his effort is great and I respect his willingness to maturely handle the role he has been given, even though it's surely not the one he wanted.
December 7th, 2019 at 10:36 AM ^
Agree. He could have transferred somewhere for more PT, but has stayed here to help the team. I think he's going to provide a real boost to the team in some games this year. It's good to have a big, really active guy with experience in the program to add depth.
December 7th, 2019 at 10:38 AM ^
I haven't caught his appearances this year (got stuck at work late last night), but last year I thought Austin Davis was more athletic (very rough/gross motor) than he was skilled at basketball. I would joke that he was great running in transition, it was just the offense and defense that was a problem.
Which I think is a situation which offers room for improvement.
December 7th, 2019 at 11:57 AM ^
This is one of the better, more appropriate posts I’ve read on this blog in some time. There’s something to be said about showing up every game ready to contribute despite knowing you may never take your warm ups off. He never developed skills at all, and maybe that was because he’s not fit for a JB system. But he had always appeared to work hard and hustle and he seems to take his role seriously.
His first dunk was on a nice roll from the right elbow. His roll was a tad late, but he beasted the bucket by being man sized. Immediately Simpson came to him for high fives and pulled him in and chatted in his ear a second. It appeared he was giving him some direction, to which Davis nodded. Next trip down the floor was the same thing but more on time and fluid. Great job by Z to see something in time and coach up his teammate. Great job by Davis for trusting his teammate and responding appropriately. This is what Zavier Simpson gives you on the floor. He may never make it in pro ball, but that kid can come back and coach any day.
Go Blue
December 7th, 2019 at 10:28 AM ^
It's a nice luxury to have a 4th-year player as UM's third big as opposed to an underclassman.
December 7th, 2019 at 10:33 AM ^
Probably the best game of Davis’s career. He really came through. That was great to see! Juwan’s got this team firing on all cylinders.
December 7th, 2019 at 10:35 AM ^
Austin has been solid this year- you can really see the improvement. He still has some body control awkwardness but his defense and offensive positioning have been great.
He also helps our depth issues at the 3 and 4 since Juwan can plug him in when Teske and Castleton hace foul / injury issues - and don’t need to play Livers or Johns at the 5.
Last year, people were looking for Austin to transfer - now he is looking like a solid depth piece. Further cements Juwan’s reputation for developing big men and can be used for recruiting.
December 7th, 2019 at 10:35 AM ^
Kudos to The Big A!
I hope what we're seeing continues, he can be an important role player off the bench if yesterday's game is an indication of how he'll perform this season.
December 7th, 2019 at 10:37 AM ^
He could have left to a smaller school when it became clear he was never going to be in the normal rotation, but he stuck around anyway. Now, he’s good for a couple minutes here or there when needed, and will always provide a burst of energy, especially when he can throw it down. Kudos to the young man from Onsted!
December 7th, 2019 at 10:37 AM ^
Davis is a Dude! Could be a DE. Although, we need DTs!
December 7th, 2019 at 11:02 AM ^
This is what I was thinking-I think he would do just fine at DT. He could carry 350+ pretty well, stand him up and revolutionize the position.
December 7th, 2019 at 11:13 AM ^
Leverage issues.
i would give him a FB scholarship just to block field goals and extra points.
December 7th, 2019 at 1:29 PM ^
He'd possibly be the tallest DT ever.
December 7th, 2019 at 10:37 AM ^
Davis is 100% worth the scholarship. Great teammate, hard worker, and will do whatever is asked of him. Every team would love to have a veteran reserve big who is physical
December 7th, 2019 at 10:44 AM ^
I think his number is holding him back. He should switch.
Can you name a great #51 in basketball? Me neither.
December 7th, 2019 at 11:18 AM ^
He is the first. Pioneer.
December 7th, 2019 at 11:49 AM ^
Here's a question..... If Austin Davis wore #2, would the announcer talk about his amazing shot in the tournament two years ago?
December 7th, 2019 at 11:51 AM ^
now THAT is funny!!! lol
December 7th, 2019 at 12:33 PM ^
Only if he had similar hair to Poole and Livers. :)
December 7th, 2019 at 10:56 AM ^
I was not able to see the game, but am encouraged to hear some of our future bigs are looking solid to replace Teske, who is a man among boys.
December 7th, 2019 at 11:00 AM ^
Unfortunately Luka "Wilt Chamberlain" Garza is a Jr so Castleton will have to battle him next year.
December 7th, 2019 at 11:12 AM ^
With another year of camp Sanderson and Juwan's coaching he should be up to the challenge. Plus, Garza will still have to play D, too.
December 7th, 2019 at 11:32 AM ^
His name is Luca. He lives on the 2nd floor and is a 7th year senior that looks like Cro Magnon Man
December 7th, 2019 at 2:10 PM ^
He is annoying as is his unibrow.
December 7th, 2019 at 11:04 AM ^
Yeah good job Austin. Keep grinding and doing your thing.
Announcers constantly say how Juwan has helped improve Teske but really the better example is Davis.
December 7th, 2019 at 11:40 AM ^
Austin has been pretty athletic since he shed some “bad weight” after high school. His problem was his hands. His two dunks were on tough passes out of the roll or dive. He drops those two last year or kicks them outta bounds. Good for Juwan and Saadi(and Sanderson too) getting his hands to the point where he’s reliably catching tough passes. You saw what he can do once he collects. Also, is it me or is Johns getting to that freakishly athletic point? I had no clue last year that he had that much bounce. He’s gonna be good when things slow down.
December 7th, 2019 at 12:00 PM ^
I have always thought that Davis had great hands, especially for a big.
Not only are we lucky that he never listened to all the idiots calling for him to transfer, we may hope that he hangs around for his 5th year, especially if we don’t land Dickinson.
December 7th, 2019 at 11:53 AM ^
I'm excited for how some of the bench players have stepped up this year under Howard. Maybe it is just normal growth with experience or maybe it really is that their confidence is significantly higher with how Howard is coaching them. I love Beilein for all that he did, but he had a short leash on the bench players. This year you're seeing so many examples of role players stepping up when given the chance - Brooks, DDJ, Johns, and Davis.
With Davis he is the perfect 3rd center, especially with how he's performing this year. I never thought I'd see him make such a good pass from the free throw line against a zone or get back-to-back dunks against a top-100 team in a close game. He's big and physical enough that with a little confidence he can fill in for a few minutes in games like this. It also allows Teske to be a little more physical because he doesn't have to worry that his backups are a black hole.
I have high expectations for Castleton still, but he has further to go than I would have thought. He needs to get more physical and make better decisions on when to go for blocks and when to just body-up.
December 7th, 2019 at 11:56 AM ^
Juwan knows how to use big's.
If you are a beast of a big, how could you not want to come to Michigan?
It may have taken a while for that to become known by recruits, since Beilein used big's differently or not much at all, but Juwan emphasizes big's in his offense.
December 7th, 2019 at 12:38 PM ^
I'm not sure how much Garza was a "terrible matchup" for Castleton, so much as Garza was "allowed to knock his teeth out with no repercussions." It's got to be somewhat difficult to recover from that.
We'll see what happens in Iowa City. Note that Iowa ran basically the same game plan at Michigan last night that worked for them in Iowa City (We're in Iowa!) last year: leap into Michigan's defenders and hope to get the bigs in foul trouble. The difference between the results over the two years was stark -- particularly on offense. Last year, neither Johns, Castleton, nor Davis were able to contribute much on offense during their cameos: Castleton, 3 minutes, no points; Davis 5 minutes, no points; Johns 10 minutes, no points. This year: Castleton, 7 minutes, 4 points; Davis 10 minutes, 8 points; Johns 19 minutes, 12 points (and 5 offensive rebounds!)
December 7th, 2019 at 12:53 PM ^
Johns grabbed some crucial ORebs when it looked like Iowa was poised to make a run.
Howard's style and philosophy are starting to take shape. He goes deeper into the bench than Beilein did and aims for a more even distribution of minutes. That worked like a charm against Iowa; I'll take six players in double figures over one with 44 any day of the week.
December 7th, 2019 at 1:12 PM ^
Yessss
December 7th, 2019 at 1:53 PM ^
This was pretty good
https://mobile.twitter.com/IowaHoops/status/1203128765917749249
December 7th, 2019 at 2:10 PM ^
I agree! Nowadays it seems more common for kids to transfer out as seniors to go someplace they can play more. But these type of players can be so influential for teams.
I really hope he enjoys his final season, is here for a fun last ride, and has moments like Friday vs. Iowa where his ability and composure make a real impact of us! That's how it should end for a Michigan Man.
I have a lot of respect for Garza standing up to the wave of players we threw at him. Austin used his minutes to get in several body blows. Well done!
December 7th, 2019 at 3:13 PM ^
I'd take him in my team before I'd take Jordan Poole.