Eric Davis is a four-star 2015 point guard recruit out of Saginaw Arthur Hill. Davis has already received plenty of attention from a number of top schools, including Kentucky, Duke and Kansas. Davis took a visit to Michigan to see the Wolverines beat Ohio State at the new Crisler Center, and John Beilein has been keeping close tabs on the talented scorer. We caught up with Davis on Sunday to see what he thought of his visit to Crisler, how his high school season is going and more.
Describe your game for someone who’s never seen you play before.
“I’m a point guard, 6-3 scoring point guard. I like to score first, but I’m also good at getting my teammates involved. I like to pass, too.”
How’s the high school season gone so far?
“It’s been going good, we’re 14-1. We had a tough loss yesterday against Romulus. It’s time to move on to the next one. I’ve been playing good, I’m averaging a double-double, averaging 11-12 assists with 16-17 points per game.”
How has your game improved from this summer in AAU
“Just being a better leader on and off the court, along with just being a better scorer. My all-around game has gotten better.”
Tell me about the USA Basketball trials in October.
“It was a great experience. I got to play against all the top players from many different states. I really got to test and see where my game was at. I was really impressed with myself and I felt like I was the best player at that camp.”
Can you run down the major schools who have been showing interest in you?
“Kentucky, Duke, NC State, Oregon, Iowa, Iowa State, Michigan, Michigan State, Kansas, Louisville. That’s all I can remember.”
Who do you hold offers from?
“Michigan State, UMass, Iowa State, NC State and Oregon.”
What’s it like being recruited by Coach Cal?
“I mean, it’s great. It’s a real good experience. I know it’s not too many kids out here that are being recruited by Coach Cal, so it’s really a great experience and I’m really enjoying it.”
What was your reaction when you received an offer from Michigan State?
“Tom Izzo’s a great coach. He has a lot of great players. He’s just a great guy, I’ve been growing up around him and I’ve been around the program. I’ve always really liked Michigan State.”
What are you looking for in a school?
“First academics, how their law program is, I’m planning on majoring in criminal justice. What other players they’re recruiting who already committed there, and how their season was last year. Did they have a winning season or a losing season? And what position are they going to play me in? Some people see me as a two but really I’m a one so that’s really going to play a big part.”
What did you do on your visit to Michigan for the Ohio State game last week?
“We really just watched the game and then we went to the locker room and really just chatted it up with the players. I mean, I’ve met most of the players, and they’re familiar with me, so I just really just hung out with the guys and then I got to talk to Coach Beilein. I just talked to him about the game, I asked him what he thought they needed to work on. I talked to all the coaches and talked to the players.”
What do you think of the guys already in the program?
“They’re all great, man. All of them are great. Great players and great teammates. I really like all of them.”
Which coaches from Michigan do you talk with the most?
“Coach Bacari Alexander.”
How often do you guys talk?
“He calls me maybe every two weeks or maybe even every week.”
What do you guys talk about?
“Coach Beilein and Bacari have told me I could be the next Trey Burke and all that. The program would revolve around me. Really, they’re always asking me if I’m ready to step up to the plate and into that role.”
What do you think of the coaching staff?
“They’re all great. Great people, great people to know.”
Was Cach Beilein at your game yesterday?
“Yes he was.”
How do you think you played in front of Coach Beilein?
“I would say I played well, but I got two quick fouls, so I couldn’t really play in the second quarter. But that fourth quarter, I tried to bring us back. We were playing catch-up the whole game so that really killed us. We lost by 12 in the first quarter but we ended up winning the other three quarters, but I felt like I played great.”
Are you planning on any visits to other schools in the near future?
“Yeah, to Kentucky, Florida, Duke and Oregon. I want to take a visit to Kansas and Syracuse I really haven’t heard much from Syracuse but hopefully I’ll get the chance to.”
Do you have any dates set at this point?
“Not really, not yet.”
You visited NC State recently, correct?
“Yes. It was great. I really enjoyed myself. NC State is a great place. Raleigh is a great environment and the fan base loves their basketball. it’s like basketball country down there. It’s a great place to be, all the players are great. Me and Lorenzo (Brown), we still contact each other, he’s a great person. And the coaching staff, they’re just great, man.”
You said after that visit you might be leaning toward leaving the state.
“I really don’t know what I want to do yet. Yes, I want to leave the state. But who knows, I really won’t know until my senior year.”
What do you like about Michigan?
“Trey Burke has the ball 90 percent of the time, and I’d be playing the one there. Everything revolves around him, the point guard, and I really love that. Their style of play is just like my high school team this year, really a transition offense — I mean, yeah, if we get stopped in transition then we run a set — but I really like the amount of shots they let the point guard Trey Burke take. They let Trey Burke play, so I really like that.”
