Adam Zagoria covers basketball at all levels. He is the author of two books and an award-winning journalist whose articles have appeared in ESPN The Magazine, SLAM, Sheridan Hoops, Sports Illustrated, Basketball Times and in newspapers nationwide.
Tyler Davis Stars at Global Challenge; Plans trips to Baylor, Texas A&M
BY NICK MEDLINESPECIAL TO ZAGSBLOG CHICAGO — Tyler Davis plans to visit Baylor and Texas A&M this fall, he told SNY.tv on Friday at the Nike Global Challenge.
The Plano (TX) center also said he might travel to Arizona for its Red and Blue Game. He added that his mom likely planned his visit to Kansas, which was reported Thursday.
With his decision wide open — and other schools still in consideration — Davis wants to evaluate each school over the fall without any hurry.
“I’m looking for relationships with the coaches. I come from a great organization, Texas Titans, and I trust them a lot,” Davis said. “So I’m all about people I can trust and people that make me work hard. I want to go somewhere that’s going to develop and take my potential as far as it go.”
Still, Davis focused on one thing this weekend: Winning. While some teams struggled to find chemistry, Davis and his USA West squad committed to owning the Nike Global Challenge. They succeeded, winning their three pool matches and advancing to the championship on Saturday afternoon.
“A lot of guys want to show off. We came together first practice and said we’re going to share the ball,” he said. “We’re all talented guys so we’re going to play to our strengths.”
One daunting post combination took shape in the process. He played next to five-star center Stephen Zimmerman and the two meshed perfectly. Zimmerman scored 21 points on 10-of-16 shooting. Davis, meanwhile, used his physical play to add 19 points and 14 rebounds.
“It makes the game easier, the way Zim talks and the way he can play,” Davis said. “It makes it easier for me to play down low because he can shoot.”
Davis also spoke modestly about his team-first effort. He said that with Midwest guard Jalen Brunson piercing the West defense, he needed to step up and help more often. That commitment to defense — which worked in the West’s comeback — had effect beyond the score sheet.
Some players might look ahead to visits, trips, and the end of a busy July and August circuit. Tyler Davis can focus on taking care of business. The rest will figure itself out later.
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Adam Zagoria is a Basketball Insider who covers basketball at all levels. A contributor to The New York Times and SportsNet New York (SNY), he is also the author of two books and is an award-winning journalist and filmmaker. His articles have appeared in ESPN The Magazine, SLAM, Sheridan Hoops, Basketball Times and in newspapers nationwide. He also won an Emmy award for his work on the SNY mini-documentary on Syracuse guard Tyus Battle.
A veteran Ultimate Frisbee player, he has competed in numerous National and World Championships and, perhaps more importantly, his teams won the Westchester Summer League (WSL) championships in 2011 and 2013.
He lives in Manhattan with his wife and children.
BY NICK MEDLINE
SPECIAL TO ZAGSBLOG
CHICAGO — Tyler Davis plans to visit Baylor and Texas A&M this fall, he told SNY.tv on Friday at the Nike Global Challenge.
The Plano (TX) center also said he might travel to Arizona for its Red and Blue Game. He added that his mom likely planned his visit to Kansas, which was reported Thursday.
With his decision wide open — and other schools still in consideration — Davis wants to evaluate each school over the fall without any hurry.
“I’m looking for relationships with the coaches. I come from a great organization, Texas Titans, and I trust them a lot,” Davis said. “So I’m all about people I can trust and people that make me work hard. I want to go somewhere that’s going to develop and take my potential as far as it go.”
Still, Davis focused on one thing this weekend: Winning. While some teams struggled to find chemistry, Davis and his USA West squad committed to owning the Nike Global Challenge. They succeeded, winning their three pool matches and advancing to the championship on Saturday afternoon.
“A lot of guys want to show off. We came together first practice and said we’re going to share the ball,” he said. “We’re all talented guys so we’re going to play to our strengths.”
One daunting post combination took shape in the process. He played next to five-star center Stephen Zimmerman and the two meshed perfectly. Zimmerman scored 21 points on 10-of-16 shooting. Davis, meanwhile, used his physical play to add 19 points and 14 rebounds.
“It makes the game easier, the way Zim talks and the way he can play,” Davis said. “It makes it easier for me to play down low because he can shoot.”
Davis also spoke modestly about his team-first effort. He said that with Midwest guard Jalen Brunson piercing the West defense, he needed to step up and help more often. That commitment to defense — which worked in the West’s comeback — had effect beyond the score sheet.
Some players might look ahead to visits, trips, and the end of a busy July and August circuit. Tyler Davis can focus on taking care of business. The rest will figure itself out later.
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