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DJ Davis provides Huskies with instant offense

DJ Davis provides Huskies with instant offense

Mark Walberg starred in a major motion picture in 2007 called The Shooter, about a man with elite marksmanship and a high-powered rifle in his hand. DJ Davis should have made a cameo appearance.

Davis has his own range, accuracy and consistency. Plus, it’s deadly.

The 6-foot-1 shooting guard from Moreno, Calif., is the University of Washington’s imported outside offensive lineman alongside the UC Irvine and Butler basketball teams, a player who is expected to give the Huskies instant points and complement all that bulk inside Great Oobor, Franck Kepnang and KC Ibekwe.

Davis is just as fearsome from 15 feet as he is from 30, having led the nation in free-throw shooting with a 95 percent age rating last season.

He missed just five of 100 foul shots all of last season, just one of 58 in Big East play.

His calling card is to throw the ball into the basket from anywhere. He is shooting 43 percent from the floor and 35.1 percent from 3-point range.

“For as long as I can remember, I’ve always been able to shoot the ball — that was my first skill,” Davis said. “It took a lot more work to develop a handle. When I was younger, I was more afraid of dribbling. When I played AAU as a kid, I was more of a catch-and-shoot player. My parents told me that I came out of the womb and flicked my ball on my wrist.”

Davis, who played first-team All-Big West for Cal-Irvine before spending a productive year at Butler, was drawn to UW because it was closer to home and he liked what the new Husky offered him coach Danny Sprinkle told.

“I really love the staff; They believed in me,” he said. “I have a role here that I would like to take on. I like the message we’ve been promoting since I arrived: ‘I can’t be all that I can be if you’re not all that you can be.’ It is a righteous message that we have spread across the team, meaning we need everyone. It’s a strong message for me.

As for almost every free throw he takes, Davis says he follows a routine and just takes his time.

“There is no shot more open than a free throw,” he explained. “I find it embarrassing that I’m a shooter and don’t have a high free throw rate.”

No doubt other Huskies say Davis is the best shooter on the team. He says he takes a lot of pride in being the guy that his coach knows wants the ball at the end of the game and is able to knock down the shot. His job is to make 3s.

He says all new UW guards have their own strengths, and he tries to give them helpful tips on footwork and shooting form.

Butler guard DJ Davis (4), now at UW, shoots over Creighton center Ryan Kalkbrenner (11).

Butler guard DJ Davis (4), now at UW, shoots over Creighton center Ryan Kalkbrenner (11). / Robert Goddin-Imagn Images

“Of course I will be a floor spacer,” he said. “I think because I shoot so well, my playmaking gets overlooked. I just pride myself on playing good basketball and having the right style of play, whether it’s shooting an open three-pointer or pumping the ball and putting it on the floor or making the extra pass. “I just want to play winning basketball.”

While the film “The Shooter” may have predated him, Davis knows all about “Hoosiers.” At Butler, he played his home games at Hinkle Fieldhouse, which served as the filming location for the final scenes of the glorious Gene Hackman film and is considered one of the most famous college basketball facilities.

And of course his shots came in there very often.

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