Arkansas basketball, John Calipari secure commitment of March Madness hero
01/05/2024 05:51
John Calipari and the Arkansas basketball just scored a big win on the transfer portal front. Former Florida Atlantic Owls star Johnell Davis is now taking his talents to Fayetteville, with Jeff Goodman reporting the big news Tuesday night. Davis initially had plans of leaving the collegiate ranks to test the waters in the pros, but a huge offer from the Razorbacks ultimately was tough to pass up for the talented guard.
“BREAKING: FAU transfer Johnell Davis visited Arkansas this past weekend and is expected to sign with John Calipari and the Razorbacks, source told @TheFieldOf68. He has declared for the NBA Draft and his preference is to go pro, but Arkansas offered him a lucrative NIL deal north of $1 million, per source.”
Johnell Davis to continue NCAA career after committing to Arkansas basketball
Davis spent his first four years of eligibility in college with the Owls from the 2020-21 season to the2023-24 campaign. But it was only during this third year with the Owls — in the 2022-23 season — that he really started to turn heads outside of Conference USA. That season, Davis led the Dusty May-coached Owls to a surprisingly deep run in the NCAA Tournament where Florida Atlantic flew all the way into the Final Four phase of the Big Dance despite being just a No. 9 seed entering the 2023 edition of March Madness.
Davis’ decision to leave Florida Atlantic was also likely sparked by the departure of May, who was hired by the Michigan Wolverines last March. Another Owl who has since left the program is center Vladislav Goldin.
Davis will bring a little bit of everything outside of scoring to Arkansas basketball. In his final two seasons with the Owls, apart from scoring 15.9 points per game on 48.4 percent shooting from the floor, 38.7 percent from behind the arc, and 85.6 percent from the free throw line, Davis also grabbed 5.8 rebounds and dished out 2.3 assists across 71 games. Davis and the Owls, however, were not able to duplicate their magical 2023 NCAA Tournament run in 2024 as they struck out of the first round by the Northwestern Wildcats.
Before blossoming into one of the best players in college, Davis was not heavily recruited. Only the Owls, the Kent State Golden Flashes, and the Northern Illinois Huskies gave him offers. There is not a lot of flash in Davis’ game but he’s proven himself to be a very effective weapon on the floor, able to provide the Owls whatever they need. He should have a big role right away in Arkansas basketball, which is looking to make loud noises right away in Calipari’s first season as the program’s head coach.
Davis is joining former Tennessee Volunteers power forward Jonas Aidoo and ex-Kentucky Wildcats big man Zvonimir Ivisic, who also made the jump to Arkansas basketball this offseason.
Reactions to Johnell Davis’ transfer to Arkansas
“He can't work the portal, they say ,” posted @CalsNILQuant on X (formerly Twitter), referring to Calipari’s fine job so far in the transfer portal.
The #1 Available Player in the Transfer Portal is ALL RAZORBACK
Get familiar with Johnell Davis:
– Led FAU's 2023 Final Four team in points, steals, & free throws
– #7 All-Time in Scoring at FAU
– 18.2 ppg & 6 rpg in 2024
– Dropped 25+ pts in 6 different games last season pic.twitter.com/QfZVzkw7kO— Trice High (@Tr1ce_H1gh) May 1, 2024
“Coach Cal making Arkansas relevant… Wild,” said @HowUBenFeller.
“Arkansas landed one of the best players in the portal this year. Davis is a phenomenal scorer and Calipari will help him develop into a better player a better pro prospect,” per @midmajorball.
Before y'all forget, Johnell Davis is Boca made. Always has been.
Forever an Owl. pic.twitter.com/wO87pSQskR
— Kevin Fielder (@RivalsFielder) May 1, 2024
“Attracting talent has never been John Calipari’s problem as a basketball coach,” chimed in @RealAdamKrupp.
The post Arkansas basketball, John Calipari secure commitment of March Madness hero appeared first on ClutchPoints.
