Kornacki: A Look at How Austin Davis Has Become a Big Part of the Wolverines
1/5/2020 7:20:00 PM | Men's Basketball, Features
By Steve Kornacki
EAST LANSING, Mich. -- The success Austin Davis is having by becoming a valuable player off the bench for the University of Michigan men's basketball team was exhibited again here Sunday afternoon (Jan. 5).
Davis, a 6-foot-10, 245-pound senior, scored seven points and grabbed four rebounds with one steal in 15 effective minutes during Michigan State's 87-69 win. He had played just three minutes in two games against the Spartans over the last two seasons, grabbing one rebound.
But now he is getting minutes that count against ranked opponents, and he also had seven points and three rebounds in 10 minutes while playing a key role in last month's win over Iowa.
"He's been committed to a steady process of getting better," said Michigan assistant coach Saddi Washington, who coached the team's "bigs" until Juwan Howard became head coach this season and began working with post players. "Austin loves Michigan, and we love him, too. He's going to continue to put himself and us in positions to be successful.
"It's taken him some time to log some minutes on the floor. But, to his credit, he's stayed resilient and has done everything we've asked him to do. Now he has the opportunity to continue to build off opportunities like these. We're going to rely on his experience and fortitude as we move forward in conference play.
"(It helps) that we're playing through our post guys a little bit more, and obviously that plays to his strength. He's getting post touches and is more part of what we do, along with Jon Teske (15 points, five rebounds and two blocked shots against MSU). That's a big part of it, and you've got to give a guy credit who just comes to work every day and does his job. He doesn't complain. He doesn't point fingers. He just puts his hard hat on and comes to work."
Davis has polished his low-post moves. He powered to the basket for his first field goal and then scored on a nifty reverse lay-in. His final bucket came on a drive and drop shot.
"I just went baseline and tried to finish," said Davis. "We work on our post moves and finishing around the basket every day, and it's just all really come together."
He displayed confidence and composure in a hostile environment.
"It's just having confidence in yourself and your teammates," said Davis. "It's knowing they have your back and you have theirs, and just going out and playing your game."
He said confidence has been his greatest area of improvement.
"Absolutely confidence," said Davis, who credits Howard for much of that. However, Davis noted that the entire coaching and conditioning staff has impacted him.
"They all teach in a way that doesn't take away your confidence," said Davis, "and that's really helped me a lot."
Wolverine strength and conditioning coordinator Jon Sanderson has worked extensively with Davis since he arrived from Onsted Community High -- about a one-hour drive west of Ann Arbor -- in 2016.
"For Austin, it's been about what he's given during the past four years," said Sanderson. "He's a guy who's always in the weight room doing extra work. 'What can I do extra?' He's that kind of guy.
"It's been about getting that big body moving and just being able to play in longer spurts. He's always been a big kid (with a 7-foot-2-inch wingspan and size 18 shoes), but there's a difference between being big and being strong. Now he's gotten really strong. His conditioning's been as good as it's ever been.
"He's a joy to coach, and I think all of our coaches would tell you that. I spend a lot of time with him in the weight room, and he's an incredible kid that deserves to have days like this where he can make an impact on the game."
Sanderson and others on the team refer to Davis as "Big Country," a nickname first pinned on former Oklahoma State star and NBA player Bryant Reeves a quarter-century ago. Onsted is a rural community in Lenawee County, and Davis is an avid hunter, having constructed his own deer blind on his grandfather's property.
"He's also the 'Big Awe,'" added Sanderson, making a word play off of Austin's first name.
Davis was definitely held in awe in high school. He scored 1,687 points with 1,087 rebounds and 297 blocks at Onsted, a town with fewer than 1,000 residents. But he made a big impression and was runner-up for Michigan's Mr. Basketball Award as a senior, averaging 25.3 points and 14.3 rebounds.
Still, he had not averaged as much as two points or two rebounds in his first two seasons at Michigan. Now he's averaging 5.0 points and 3.3 rebounds while making 15-of-23 shots (.652). Those are not big numbers for a starter, but they are dependable stats for a guy coming off the bench.
The Iowa game Dec. 6 was the first time Davis made a significant contribution in a Big Ten game. After that game, Howard told me: "Austin's a worker and he's also a guy who has a positive outlook on life. He loves working and he loves getting better, and I enjoy working with him. I'm very appreciative of the fact that we have Austin Davis on our side because he's also tough and strong, and he's a smart player, too."
The No. 12-ranked Wolverines (10-4, 1-2 Big Ten) needed others to step up against No. 14 MSU with leading scorer Isaiah Livers out with a pulled left groin muscle for the second consecutive game, and Davis was one who did.
"Isaiah's a very big part of our team," noted Davis. "We had a lot of guys step up to make up for his absence today."
Brandon Johns Jr. started in Livers' place and had 12 points, while guard David DeJulius came off the bench for eight points.
After the loss to the Spartans, Davis recalled Howard's message to the team in the postgame locker room: "He said to keep our heads high and that we played a hell of a game against a tough team. We just need to stay together, stay composed, knowing we have each other's back, and we'll learn from it.
"We'll see them again later in the season."
Asked about looking forward to the Feb. 8 meeting at Crisler Center, Davis said, "Absolutely."
Michigan cut its deficit to eight points with seven minutes remaining, and Davis came out for starting center Teske 24 seconds later. He did play some with Teske but never returned to the game as MSU pulled away.
Davis has received at least 13 minutes in three consecutive games.
"I mean, it feels good in some aspects that the hard work is starting to pay off," said Davis, "but it's really rough that today wasn't our best performance."
The Wolverines will play five of their first eight conference games away from Ann Arbor, and so far they have won the one home game while dropping both road contests.
"We just need to take each and every game as an opportunity to learn something new," said Davis. "Playing in tough environments, we'll be better for it."
Davis got his third foul with 13:50 remaining but did not pick up a fourth foul and was able to give everything Howard asked of him.
"It's just being in the right position and getting there early, not backing down and still playing physical," said Davis.
Davis did not play as a freshman, maintaining a potential redshirt year for 2020-21. He is a player to watch from here on out.
Call him "Big Country," "Big Awe" or whatever you want. But definitely count on him being a big part of the Wolverines.
