DJ Davis Heats Up as Husky Long-Range Shooter

The veteran guard comes off a career-high 31 points against Illinois.

DJ Davis lands on the floor after launching a shot for the Huskies. / Skylar Lin Visuals

The great Reggie Miller of UCLA and NBA fame used to say how much he looked forward to playing at Alaska Airlines Arena, though the place was more commonly referred to back then, in pre-sponsorship times, as Hec Edmundson Pavilion

He called it a shooter's gym, replete with soft rims and a backdrop without distraction that was accommodating to a high-percentage marksman such as himself.

Unfortunately for the University of Washington basketball team, it hasn't had nearly enough pure long-range scorers pass through the program and take full advantage of this shot-maker's paradise, with Tre Simmons, C.J. Wilcox and Terrence Ross the occasional exception over previous decades.

Well, there's another guy in a Husky uniform capable of providing instant offense in DJ Davis, who shows up wearing No. 4 on his chest while taking aim at as many 3's as he can.

"For as long as I can remember, I've always been able to shoot the ball," Davis said. "My parents said I came out of the womb flicking my wrist."

While he and his UW teammates prepare themselves for a challenging Thursday night road game at No. 16 Michigan State (12-2 overall, 3-0 Big Ten), basketball fans across Seattle are still buzzing over Davis' Sunday shooting performance, one in which he came off the bench to score a career-high 31 points in an 81-77 loss to Illinois.

All eyes are on DJ Davis as he launches another 3-pointer. / Skylar Lin Visuals

Working his way around the perimeter, Davis connected on 11of 19 shots, 7 of 14 from behind the line. He made it possible for the Huskies to rally from a 17-point deficit in the opening half to tie the game at 75 in the final minute. he had the crowd of 8,156 on the edge of its seat.

"He's one of those guys like a lot of elite shooters," Husky coach Danny Sprinkle said of the onslaught of made shots. "Sometimes it's just seeing one go through the net."

DJ Davis lets fly with a 3-pointer with the arena windows as a backdrop. / Skylar Lin Visuals

A Butler transfer after beginning his career at UC Irvine, Davis is just now getting comfortable in his new college basketball surroundings in the Northwest.

Over 14 outings with the Huskies (10-5, 1-3), he's chalked up five double-figure performances, including three in his past five games. He went for 17 points against Maryland last Thursda night, again coming off the bench to sink 4 of 9 shots, including 3 of 6 behind the 3-point line, in a 75-69 victory for the UW's first Big Ten win. He currently averages 9.1 points per game, with his game rate on the steady rise.

"I'm shocked he hasn't had more of those already," Sprinkle said of the double-digit showings.

Meantime, Davis will try to keep his stroke as pinpoint as possible. He no doubt shares Reggie Miller's impressions of the old gym in Montlake that he inhabits. In fact, those two have a few things in common, such as their basketball roots.

Four decades apart, Davis and Miller both learned how to shoot the ball from long range at the very same high school, Riverside Poly, east of Los Angeles.

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