Warren isn’t a traditional high school basketball powerhouse, having never won a state title. But the Blue Devils have been more successful than fans outside Gurnee and Lake County might realize.
Warren has been close twice, losing the AA state championship game in 1999 and the Class 4A title game in 2011. The state’s 10th-largest school consistently won 20 games a season under longtime coach Chuck Ramsey, who retired in 2012. After Ramsey, there was an 11-year stretch without a single 20-win season.
Zack Ryan took over as coach in 2023 and won 18 games. And then Jaxson Davis walked in the door.
Davis was an immediate sensation last season. As a freshman, he led the Blue Devils to a 31-5 record, equalling the school’s all-time wins total. Warren came up one game short of state, losing to Palatine in the supersectionals.
Davis, a 6-1 guard, averaged 19.4 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 3.5 steals.
The 13-win improvement orchestrated by Davis is immense. Some of the best freshmen in recent memory didn’t come close to that total. Jalen Brunson improved Stevenson by two wins, Fenwick was two wins better with DJ Steward and Rolling Meadows won five more games in Max Christie’s freshman year.
The last comparable leap was Jon Scheyer’s freshman season, when Glenbrook North improved from 12 wins to 24.
Monday was the first day of basketball practice around the state, and everything is different at Warren from one year ago.
“We’ve had a taste of success and this year we aren’t going to sneak up on anybody,” Ryan said. “Word is out.”
Davis had a successful summer on the club circuit and focused on getting stronger.
“It is noticeable,” Ryan said. “He worked on it a lot. He learned last year that teams are going to be really physical with him.”
Davis is a basketball savant, with a court awareness at the Derrick Rose/Tyler Ulis level. His grasp of the game at such a young age is rare. But there is always room for improvement.
“I’m going to be more efficient offensively this season,” Davis said. “And I’m going to be getting my teammates going and involved earlier in games. When I started doing that late in the season, it helped us be successful.”
Senior guard Javerion Banks and junior guard Braylon Walker are Davis’ key running mates. The Blue Devils were undefeated over the summer and Walker turned some heads on the club circuit.
“I made a really big jump over the summer,” Walker said. “I got better at all aspects of the game and hit the weight room hard.”
Banks excelled in Warren’s fast-paced style last season, naturally jelling with Davis.
“What he did as a freshman was crazy,” Banks said. “He just sees stuff that we don’t see. You always have to be ready. You never know when he’s going to pass you the ball.”
Jack Wolf, the quarterback of the football team, returns from last season’s team. Avonn King, a 6-3 junior, is the major new -addition. He starred on the sophomore team a year ago. Ryan also expects 6-8 senior Zach Ausburn and 6-3 senior Alexander Asare to contribute.
“King is a really good rebounder, can finish well around the basket and does all the little things that are going to be beneficial for us,” Walker said.
Ryan says that he isn’t talking about a state title. He wants to see how his team adjusts to life as a marquee attraction. The group learned how to win close games over the summer, which impressed Ryan more than their undefeated record.
But Davis, who last year became the youngest Proviso West Holiday Tournament MVP ever, is ready to win the big one this season.
“Last year was amazing,” Davis said. “I was a little surprised how good we were so quickly. But after winning Proviso West I thought we could do something special. This year we are more experienced and we can go get one.”