While all of the attention might be on Nebraska’s postseason fate this weekend, the Huskers were able to land a big piece to their 2018 recruiting class in Montverde (Fla.) Academy shooting guard Karrington Davis on Saturday night.
The St. Louis, Mo., native was offered by NU back in the fall, and he took an official visit for the regular season finale versus Penn State two weeks ago.
After some time to think about his future with his family, Davis decided to pull the trigger and become a Husker this weekend.
“It was mostly the coaching staff, and it was just the right fit for me,” Davis told HuskerOnline.com. “All of the facilities - I just came off of injury, so the facilities and the rehab they have there all played into me making my decision. I just felt like it was the best fit for me.”
Davis said his official visit pretty much sealed the deal once he got to see Lincoln and the campus in person.
“The visit was amazing,” Davis said. “There was just so much support. The coaches, the team, they were just so hospitable to my family and me. It was just a great atmosphere.”
The injury Davis suffered was a bone impingement and a labrum tear in his hip last spring. He said he’s well on his way to a full recovery and now the next hurdle was getting back to the level he was at when he was a star in the St. Louis prep ranks.
The 6-foot-6, 210-pounder was a member of a state championship team at Chaminade in 2015-16 and then averaged 19 points and six rebounds per game as a junior during a state semifinal run.
Davis opted to transfer to Monteverde this season and is now a member of what many consider the top high school program in the country.
Playing time has been slim with the Eagles, which boast an absolutely loaded roster that includes the nation’s No. 1 overall player in R.J. Barrett, No. 16 Andrew Nembhard, No. 46 Michael Devoe, No. 88 Filip Petrusev, and No. 149 Morris Udeze.
“It was a hard decision, just being so far away from my family and basically being on my own,” Davis said. “But I felt like it would prepare me the most for college and I felt like I wanted to play against the best competition in the world.
“I knew going into it that I would be playing against and practicing with the best competition.”
With so much talent ahead of him and the fact that he was injured much of the summer during the AAU circuit, Davis is the definition of an under-the-radar prospect.
That said, he’s a player who was considered a potential top-100 recruit following his breakout sophomore year, and the Huskers are clearly banking that Davis can still live up to that lofty potential.
In fact, Nebraska has known about Davis for months, and head coach Tim Miles watched him play in person when NU was down in Orlando for the AdvoCare Invitational earlier back in November. An offer quickly followed.
“Really just a versatile guy who can rebound, play defense; if I need to score I can score,” Davis said of what Miles told him his role would be at Nebraska.
“Really just be able to do pretty much anything, whatever they need me to do.”
The Huskers beat out the likes of other confirmed offers from Kansas State, St. Louis, and Middle Tennessee State for Davis.
“I’m really excited,” Davis said. “It’s been a long journey and a long four years of high school. I’m just excited I got it over with and now I can focus on getting better and focus on next year.”
