“Nebraska was a place I fell in love with before the basketball side of things.”

This was what three-star class of 2020 recruit D’Andre Davis from Lawrence Central high school in Indiana had to say upon his commitment to the Cornhuskers.

In a Three Point Play UK exclusive, we were lucky enough to catch up with the 6’5” wing in an eye-opening interview surrounding his motivation as a young student athlete and what factors led to him making the biggest decision of his life so quickly. Davis committed to Nebraska back in autumn of last year and hasn’t looked back since.

When asked about what influenced his decision to choose the Cornhuskers over other schools that showed interest (namely Southern Illinois and Ball State), he explained,

“It was a place that had a lot of fan support and was full of energy. Like on the plane to Nebraska for my official visit the people on the plane showed me so much love. The fans have so much love and care for the athletes and that meant a lot to me.”

The Cornhuskers’ fans clearly left their mark on Davis and, while their welcoming deminer clearly played a key role when it came down to his decision, Davis went on to highlight that Nebraska’s facilities are “top notch” and they had what he was looking for in academic support.

Now let’s address the basketball side of Nebraska’s Big Ten program, specifically their head coach Fred Hoiberg and how his addition influenced Davis. The ex-Cornhusker player re-joined the Nebraska program as head coach on March 30th of this year after a three-year stint with a rebuilding Chicago Bulls squad. While his time in Chicago isn’t remembered fondly, his college coaching career is something that took quite a different turn in comparison to his unfortunate demise as an NBA coach. His time with Iowa state saw him win two Big 12 Tournaments and one Big 12 Coach of the Year award back in 2012.

While for this upcoming season, the Nebraska line-up looks a tad depleted, bringing in Hoiberg has brought a sense of new life to the Cornhuskers and hopes he can turn the program around.

Davis certainly values the addition of such a big-name coach to the Nebraska program, saying,

“He has a big influence in me staying. He is a great coach and his knowledge for the game is through the roof. He is someone I can learn a lot from and he can help me grow and improve as a player. He is someone that can help me get to where I want to be and help be the player I want to be with the knowledge for the game.”

Expectations are high with Davis, who has “respect for everything he has done” and still maintains that he is sticking with his initial commitment to the Cornhuskers for 2020.

But between now and Davis leaving to join up with Hoiberg in Nebraska, there’s still Davis’ High School senior season to come. Playing on one of the best High School teams in Indiana, Davis has set his own personal goals for his final season high, stating,

“My aim for this final year is definitely to get a state championship. I want to reach my 1,000 points. I want to be an Indiana all-star. I want to be Mr. Basketball and Gatorade player of the year for my state. I also want to be able to be a McDonald’s All American.”

Davis aims for these illustrious titles and awards.

Not aspires. Not dreams. Not hopes.

Aims.

This shows the mentality that he has and his drive to be successful in basketball. When it comes down to it, Davis’ work ethic and mental strength is second to none, and the inter-family competition that he experiences fuels his desire to win further.

When asked who his biggest inspiration was, Davis couldn’t answer with just one name. Coming from an athletic and high achieving family in collegiate sports brings natural pressure and competition surrounding Davis’ life on a daily basis.

He explains, “I have grown up in an athletic family from both my mom and pops side. There was always competition with my family, just wanting to make it and be the best. Wanting to be better than my mom and pops was a huge inspiration.”

With both of his uncles playing collegiate level basketball (one previously attending D1 level Omaha) and his cousin who recently signed with Alabama A&M also performing at a high level, the bar is set to the max for Davis to achieve similarly and go on to exceed his family’s sporting achievements.

When detailing particular family members who push the Indiana native and give him his will to succeed, he said

“But the biggest inspiration for me would have to be my little brother. He’s one person who motivates me the most and pushes me to not go a day without bettering myself in any way shape or form. It’s a competition thing that pushes me so he won’t be better than me when we play one on one but it’s deeper than that.”

Being pushed to your limits by those closest to you can either make or break a young athlete. In Davis’ case, it seems to be motivating him daily to push the boundaries of his skillset as he added,

“Seeing him (my brother) chase me is my biggest inspiration”

When it came down to offering words of advice to players going through the turbulent college recruitment process, Davis had a clear message he wanted to offer, stating that,

“The best advice I could give anyone is be a gym rat. Stay focused on the grind and trust the process. Don’t worry about rankings or what other people think of you. Of course, if you’re like me you can use those things as motivation but at the end of the day those do not define you as a player. So just stay focus, keep grinding, and trust the process.”

As Davis says, rankings don’t define a young player. The amount of stars on a screen or numbers next to a picture don’t give a full reflection of a player – not even close. But get to know what makes that player motivated and want to be the best that they possibly can be – then you truly have an idea of how far that player can go.

At the end of the day, he’s much more than just a kid trying to beat his younger brother at 1-on-1, he’s a young man trying to make the most of his gift.