In-state 2027 wing says Wisconsin men’s basketball wants to ‘see me in their offense’

An old AAU coach was among the first to give his basketball future mention: If Davis sticks with the game, Davis remembered his coach said, he’ll probably go far somewhere. That pursuit, in part, led the now-6-foot-7 sophomore to the University of Wisconsin men’s basketball team’s advanced camp Thursday, where he demonstrated his versatile ability among a gym full of potential Badgers targets.

And afterwards, out of them all, Wisconsin coach Greg Gard kept Davis over for a chat.

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With a pep talk and a few pats on the chest, Gard offered the Kaukauna Freedom forward his first Division-I offer. It was Wisconsin’s first offer in the 2027 recruiting cycle, beating out Iowa State and Green Bay (who have been in communication with Davis’ coach) to present the first offer to the in-state rising star. It was also the only offer the Badgers extended following the advanced camp, later extending an offer to 2026 Oregon forward Vaughn Karvala at their team camp the following day.

Wisconsin put a lot of time Thursday into chatting with Davis, as each of assistant coach Sharif Chambliss, assistant coach Joe Krabbenhoft, director of recruiting and scouting Isaac Wodajo and Gard had stopped Davis throughout the camp to have a conversation. Even 2025 commit Will Garlock, who was visiting the camp from Middleton despite being unable to play because of an injury, joined a circle of Krabbenhoft, Wodajo and Davis. It was the second time Gard had seen Davis play in under a week, and when given the opportunity, Wisconsin struck first.

“They’ve been telling me that they like my game,” Davis said, “and they’d like to see me in their offense.”

For Davis, this was the start of a likely long recruiting process. His size often leads to him playing the role of a big man for his high school team. But Davis demonstrated far more than that at the Badgers’ advanced camp. He can score off the dribble and hit shots from the outside in addition to playing above the rim. 

He said he considers himself a wing/forward and. depending on the growth of both his game and physical height before he enters college in 2027, his size, versatility and athleticism would create an intriguing combination.

That would likely mean more interest and more offers. He hasn’t taken any visits to other schools, and didn’t mention any to come in the near future. Teams started watching him following his first EYBL session with Team Herro this past spring, he said. Wisconsin first came into contact with his coaches following the WIAA/WBCA June Jam on June 21-23 in Appleton.

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There’s still plenty of time for Davis to learn more about the Badgers — and elsewhere — but Thursday offered Wisconsin a chance to make the first impression. As part of the camp, campers were led through Wisconsin’s newly renovated, twice-the-size weight room adjacent to Nicholas-Johnson Pavilion in the Kohl Center.

It’s the biggest weight room Davis has seen, he said. That was impressive to him. But Davis also paid attention as the Badgers trained.

“You can tell from like going past their weight room that everybody’s together,” Davis said. “The staff, everyone’s together. It’s just a big family.”