The state’s trio of superstar players in the class of 2027 is now down to one: Warren’s Jaxson Davis.
Sun-Times Player of the Year Davion Thompson left Bolingbrook for Link Academy in Missouri and Devin Cleveland transferred from Kenwood to Indiana’s La Lumiere.
Why did Davis stay at Warren while his two good friends left the state for prep schools?
“I’d be lying if I said I didn’t think about it,” Davis said. “These prep schools are recruiting like colleges now, trying to get kids to their school. The main reason I stayed is that my circle is here. I feel that I have all the resources I need to get where I want to go.
“The fans around here love me, the students at Warren. I can feel the love from Gurnee and the whole Lake County community. Walking into the gym every day and seeing my [Mr. Basketball] banner hanging up just makes me want to work harder.”
Davis, a 6-1 point guard, finally received some long-overdue national recognition this summer. He’s now a consensus top 100 player in the country and picking up scholarship offers from all the best college basketball programs.
Warren lost to Benet in the Class 4A state championship last season. The game came down to the final possession.
“That was definitely tough,” Davis said. “It was rough not winning a state championship, but we have another shot at it this year.”
“I think about that game every single day at some point,” Blue Devils coach Zack Ryan said. “We had an awesome, crazy season. It was like life. But by the end of the year, we came together and we were right there at the end to win a state championship.”
Several key players graduated from last year’s team, but Ryan is confident that the new group will be as good or even better.
“We have guys that were juniors last year who maybe didn’t play a ton of minutes that are ready to go,” Ryan said. “They showed that this summer for sure. A guy like Avonn King, who played a little for us last year and struggled through injuries, had a great summer. He’s going to play college basketball.”
King is a 6-4 senior. Joel Paasch, another 6-4 senior, is an excellent shooter. Warren picked up two nice additions in junior guard Tayte Cordova and senior guard LeBron Massey.
Cordova played on Warren’s sophomore team as a freshman and moved to Tennessee last season. Massey transferred from Cristo Rey.
“[Massey] is going to bring some energy on offense and defense and some scoring,” Davis said. “He can help us tremendously this year.”
Braylon Walker, Davis’s best friend, also returns. The 6-2 senior guard is a four-year starter.
“Anytime you have two guards as good as Jaxson and Braylon, you have a chance,” Ryan said. “I don’t know why he’s not getting recruited by some of these colleges.”
Warren, which won the last two Proviso West Holiday Tournaments, will play at Rich’s Big Dipper Holiday Tournament this season. The Blue Devils face Curie at the Chicago Elite Classic in early December and have major showdowns against Benet, Evanston, DePaul Prep, St. Louis Vashon and conference rival Waukegan this season.
“I understand I have a target on my back,” Davis said. “I did the last two years, too. This year I would say my plan is to go at everyone that is coming at me. I’m just going to keep myself grounded. I have the right people around me. I’m ready mentally this year to take on that challenge.”
Davis’s decision to stay at Warren has provided Illinois high school basketball with a much-needed star.
“I’m so happy he stayed,” Walker said. “It brings me joy playing with him. We’ve been playing together since third grade. I get one more season with my best friend.”