Increased Energy, Effort Powering Surge in Production from Louisville's Dre Davis

After a slow start to the season, a switch has flipped for the Cardinals' sophomore guard/forward.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Heading into the 2021-22 there was a fair amount of hype surrounding Louisville men's basketball's Dre Davis. As a true freshman last season, the guard/forward started in 17 of the Cardinals' 20 games, averaging 7.4 points and 3.2 rebounds per game and reaching double figures in points in the process.

Considering all he had done as a first year player, there was - as Jon Rothstein would say - palpable buzz surrounding the versatile wing for his sophomore season. But in the first three games of the year, there were concerns of regression.

Davis looked like he had trouble grasping the new offensive system, and didn't appear to be giving full effort on the defensive end. Over Louisville's first three games of the year - against Southern, Furman and Navy - Davis was just 4-14 from the floor, 0-4 on three-point attempts, and averaged just 3.7 points and 0.7 rebounds per game.

But in Louisville's last three games - against Detroit Mercy, and Mississippi State & Maryland in the Bahamas - a switch flipped for the 6-foot-6, 220-pound wing, and he looked to be playing with much more energy and physicality.

It was by no mistake, as Davis said that he made a concerted effort to improve that on the defensive end of the court.

"My energy and focus, starting with the defense end," Davis said when asked what clicked for him over the last three games. "My defense kind of gets me going offensively."

He certainly improved his production. During Louisville's last three games, Davis shot 13-29 from the floor, while averaging 12.0 points and 6.7 rebounds per game. He had a season-high 18 points against Detroit Mercy, finishing one rebound short of a double-double, and also had a 12 points/seven rebound output against Mississippi State.

He's also helped fuel a resurgent Louisville defense. In the Baha Mar Hoops Bahamas Championship, Mississippi State and Maryland were held to a collective 35.7 from the floor, and 17.2 percent on three-pointers.

According to head coach Chris Mack, who this week made his return to the program following a university-imposed suspension, defense isn't the only area where Davis had taken stride to improve on.

"I think he's made a concerted effort to really go to the offensive glass, to use his body around the rim," Mack said. "He's a tough matchup. He's more of a four - in terms of his physicality - than he has a three, but he's always guarded by threes."

Mack also commends Davis for his shot selection, something that plagued Louisville during their first four games of the season. While the Indianapolis native is shooting just 3-18 on three-point attempts so far this season, Mack believes that, eventually, those shots will start to fall.

Louisville will need every bit of Davis' uptick in production for their next game, as the Cardinals are heading to East Lansing to face Michigan State in their first true road game of the season.

"It's gonna be a tough game, Davis said. "We just got to continue to keep that same type of attention to detail, that same type of energy and pop on the defensive end."

Tip-off against the Spartans is scheduled for Wednesday, Dec. 1 at 7:15 p.m.

(Photo of Dre Davis: Alton Strupp - Courier Journal via Imagn Content Services, LLC)

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