Origin Stories: Kent State’s VonCameron Davis

The Kent State prospect is ready for the next level.

Mar 11, 2023; Cleveland, OH, USA; Kent State Golden Flashes forward VonCameron Davis (1) celebrates after a three point basket during the first half against the Toledo Rockets at Rocket Mortgage Field House. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images / Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

Everyone sees what happens on gameday. The points, the big plays, the final score and the numbers each player produces. But being a great basketball player is about so much more than that. It’s about the work that happens when no one’s watching, the dedication to the team and the willingness to do whatever it takes to win. 

The college basketball scene is filled with great players, but Kent State’s VonCameron Davis is one of the most underrated players in the country. Not only are his on-court statistics impressive — but he’s also an all-around great teammate who does so many things that impact winning. 

An Ohio native, Davis stayed close to home and has spent all five of his collegiate seasons with the Golden Flashes in Kent, Ohio. Drawing comparisons to Jae'Sean Tate and showing flashes of Draymond Green, he’s the ultimate winner and brings an edge to Kent State with his versatile skillset and leadership. 

“I just influence winning. I think that's what I do,” Davis said in an interview with Draft Digest when asked to describe his game. 

But to get to this point, it was a long journey with hundreds of hours in the gym before the sun was shining. It all started with a teenage version of Davis looking up to his parents and their work ethic. 

“My parents are extremely hard workers. They really introduced me to sports very early on,” Davis told Draft Digest. “My dad was a truck driver and my mom was a bus driver, so they woke up at the crack of dawn every day. So just seeing them wake up every day, just go to work every day with a great attitude and being positive just put something in me.”

Work ethic, drive and self-motivation are all traits that are hard to teach later in life. Davis learned these things early in life, which later proved to be a catalyst when he decided basketball was the sport he wanted to focus on. As a kid, he played other sports — including soccer, football, wrestling and swimming — but the summer after eighth grade changed everything. 

“I started really taking basketball seriously in eighth grade going into my freshman year,” Davis recalled. “Me and my dad got a few trainers I made it a commitment — me and my dad, we made a commitment with my trainer. We were going to wake up every day at 5:00 a.m., get ready for a high school basketball and be prepared for everything I needed to be prepared for. My parents instilled that work ethic.”

The Kent State star would go on to say that the work ethic instilled in him early on made it easy to get better all throughout high school. His coach would open the gym before school early in the morning for a workout every day and then allow him to stay late after practice following the end of the day. 

As Davis looks ahead to his next chapter beyond the college level, he has an interesting archetype. He’s essentially a “tweener” type player, which is commonly viewed as a negative — but is actually a positive if leveraged the right way. At 6-foot-6, he spends a lot of time playing as a forward, but also possesses some guard skills. He’s frequently asked to play three or four positions on the floor, notably as a jumbo creator or undersized frontcourt piece. 

“I'm a switchable defender. I can hit threes. I can iso. I can play in the post. I just think my game is just like ultimate plug-and-play. I love getting my teammates involved,” Davis mentioned when asked about his versatility. 

One of the most impressive things about Davis’ college journey has been his loyalty to the program. In an era of player mobility — during the birth of NIL and record transfer rates — he has remained at Kent State for all five years.

“Know your values,” Davis said when asked why he never left the Golden Flashes. “I could have definitely gone somewhere else and played. But with my situation I have at Kent State, I know it's a brotherhood and it's a family. Everybody at Kent State has a tradition of wanting to win. I knew I could keep being a big part of us winning.”

While he may not be a household name across the country, Davis is the complete package — on and off the court. He provides a well-rounded and versatile skillset while also having the level-headed mindset to obsess over the details and do whatever it takes to win.  

His game will translate at the professional level, especially given how much value he provides on both ends of the court. He's a moldable player who can lead an offense as the primary scorer, or play off-ball and find ways to make life easier for teammates. With Davis' ability to process the game at a high level and play multiple positions, every team he plays for in the future will have the luxury of plugging him into any lineup.