Davis Perfect Example of Calipari's Intentional Approach

"I heard the background [Razorbacks bench] say 'shoot it'," Davis said following the game.

Arkansas coach John Calipari has a way with getting players to listen to him during a game, even if he's inches from them.

"I yelled at him, "shoot this ball," Calipari exclaimed.

The FAU transfer had quite a two-year run which included a Final Four in 2023 with the Owls. Once he entered the transfer portal, it became clear Davis wasn't looking to follow his former coach Dusty May to Michigan and instead chose a fresh start at Arkansas.

With Hall of Fame coach at the helm and plenty of NIL dollars to go around, Arkansas figured out a way to add the prized 45% three-point shooter to a talented roster. It wasn't always easy for the Hogs either as Calipari and his players will attest.

"We believed in the moment," Davis said. "Coach [Calipari] always stayed on us, pushed us, even when we were down and he helped us get through everything."

Davis certainly had his bad stretches early on at Arkansas as it appeared he wouldn't quite live up to the expectations set during the preseason. His wrist injury from a golf cart accident sidelined him for an extended stretch was just one of many reasons the Razorbacks seemed out of synch through January.

Instead of throwing a pity party and finishing his college career with a whimper, Davis decided to become a perfect example of fighting through adversity and came out better than ever. He was averaging just eight points per game on 32% shooting from three and was hardly engaged offensively.

When he led the Razorbacks to a season changing win at Rupp Arena against Kentucky, his fortunes turned around. The streaky shooter has now scored in double figures in 13 of his last 15 games including a season-high 24 points in a victory at Texas.

When other coaches and teams would have folded because of a long losing streak, Calipari made sure to be an advocate for the mental health and stability of his roster. In a field where wins and losses are treated as the bottom line, Calipari doesn't care about that.

He wants to make young men even better adults by encouraging them much like he kept his faith in Davis.

"Your job is to be about those kids and wherever the program is at that time," Calipari said. "Your job is to keep picking them up and make them better and make them feel good about themselves."

HOGS FEED:

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• Razorbacks Topple Kansas, Advance in NCAA Tournament

• No questions at QB1 for Razorbacks while backups lot of uncertainty

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