‘A pretty good skill set.’ Get to know Kentucky basketball’s new recruiting target
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- UK basketball recently extended a scholarship offer to class of 2027 recruit Jaxson Davis.
- 247Sports ranks Davis as a four-star prospect in the 2027 recruiting group.
- Kentucky has now extended scholarship offers to 20 players in the 2027 recruiting class.
Things are moving fast and furious for the Kentucky men’s basketball program on the recruiting trail.
Mark Pope’s Cats are already on the board with the 2027 recruiting class after five-star small forward Ryan Hampton committed to Kentucky this past weekend. Hampton’s commitment is one of the most significant of Pope’s 11-year college head coaching career: Hampton is the highest-ranked prospect (No. 6 overall in the 247Sports rankings) ever to commit to play for Pope, and his commitment comes following a poor showing for UK with the 2026 recruiting group.
Kentucky is looking to go from strength to strength as it continues to recruit some of the nation’s top rising high school seniors on the hardwood. That now includes point guard Jaxson Davis, who reported a UK scholarship offer Sunday night just hours after Hampton’s commitment.
A 6-foot-1 floor general from Illinois, Davis is taking part in this week’s NBPA Top 100 Camp in front of dozens of college coaches and basketball talent evaluators. On Wednesday, the crowd of onlookers who watched Davis play included Kentucky assistant coaches Cody Fueger, Mikhail McLean and Mo Williams, as well as UK’s director of men’s basketball operations, Nick Robinson.
“I feel like I have a really good feel for the game. I’m able to make reads at a high level, and with that I also feel like I have a pretty good skill set,” Davis told the Herald-Leader at the NBPA Top 100 Camp. “Hitting open shots off the bounce and from 3, and finishing around the rim.”
The contingent of Cats coaches watched Davis play just days after extending him a scholarship offer. With that move, Davis became the 20th player in the 2027 recruiting class to hold a UK offer. 247Sports ranks Davis as a four-star prospect and as the No. 42 national recruit in the class.
“I’m just going to be the same person, no matter if I’m up or down,” Davis said about his on- and off-court demeanor. “Just chill and relaxed, I would say.”
Davis, who plays prep basketball at Warren Township High School near Chicago, has been one of the most productive players this year on the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League circuit. Davis is averaging 14.2 points, 5.2 assists and 1.6 steals per game while shooting 38.6% from 3-point range for MeanStreets in EYBL action.
Davis said his floor-reading skills — specifically his ability to find open teammates and locate passes in their shooting pockets — have come through in his travel basketball play this year.
This is following a junior year at Warren Township in which Davis was named Illinois’ Gatorade Player of the Year for boys basketball. Davis averaged 23.8 points, 5.3 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 3.5 steals per game as a junior at Warren Township.
On the recruiting front, Kentucky is entering a race that’s heavy with Midwest flavor. Davis’ offer list also includes schools such as Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Marquette, Michigan, Northwestern and Purdue.
“They think I just have a high feel for the game, that I compete at a high level and feel like I’m a huge passer,” Davis said of the feedback he’s gotten from college coaches. “They see me being able to hit 3s at a 40% to 50% (rate) as a really good asset for guys to space the floor and hit shots.”
Davis will take an official visit to Iowa the weekend of Sept. 19. He also listed Illinois, Kentucky, Marquette, Michigan and Michigan State as schools that he’s considering for upcoming visits. Davis’ father, Brian, played football at Illinois as a linebacker.
Davis said that playing style, a family environment and a winning culture will be some of the biggest factors as he weighs his college choice.
Kentucky already appears to be a shortlisted school for Davis, despite the Cats extending a scholarship offer to him less than a week ago.
Williams, the UK program’s most recent coaching hire and a longtime point guard star at both the college and professional levels, could prove advantageous for Kentucky in its pursuit of Davis. Williams and other Kentucky coaches, including Pope, watched Davis play on the EYBL circuit during the May evaluation period in Memphis, Tennessee.
Davis said he was attending a graduation party for a friend over the weekend when Williams contacted him to extend a scholarship offer.
“It’s a dream of mine to get an offer from a blue-blood school,” Davis said. “That they had a high interest in me and that they can believe in me to run the team.”
That dream was realized over the weekend, and UK is already occupying a prominent role in his recruitment.
“The fan base is insane,” Davis said. “I posted the offer and I got like a lot of burner accounts, I don’t even know, fans, excited about it. Kentucky has produced the most NBA players, (regardless of) who is the coach. They’ve produced the most NBA players and that’s what I want to be one day.”
