Any Flyer who reaches 40 inches joins Flight Club. Chris Wright, Charles Little and Marcus Johnson started the club when they played for Dayton. London Warren, Rob Lowery and Chris Johnson joined later. Cooke and Davis are the newest members.
Davis, of Chicago, is already a member of an exclusive club. Anyone who played in each of the last two seasons in it. The Flyers won 53 games, the second-best two-year stretch in school history.
Davis has played a major role in his first two seasons as a defensive stopper who can also attack the rim. He’s poised to make a bigger jump in the 2015-16 season — and not only in how high he can soar above the rim.
“This is the time for me to get better,” Davis said about summer workouts. “I was a streaky shooter for the last two years. I just want to focus on that and become a better leader on and off the court. I’ve been in the gym with the coaches every day working hard on my shot.”
Davis shot 22 percent (17 of 77) from 3-point range as a sophomore. He averaged 7.1 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.4 assists and was one of the many Dayton players who excelled at getting to the free-throw line, where he made 82 of 116 shots (70.7 percent).
If Davis can improve outside the arc like 2014 graduate Devin Oliver did over his career (21 percent as a sophomore, 28 percent as a junior and 40 percent as a senior), he’ll feature even more in the offense.
“They just preach to us every day, you don’t worry about the shots you miss, just worry about the shots you take,” Davis said. “Just keep taking shots. Just keep working on your shots. Eventually, it’ll fall in. If you miss a shot, let it go and worry about the next one.”
That’s a lesson Davis can pass on to the younger players now that he’s a captain. Coach Archie Miller named the four new captains — Davis, Dyshawn Pierre, Kendall Pollard and Scoochie Smith — in April.
When the four freshmen — Xeyrius Williams, Sam Miller, Ryan Mikesell and John Crosby — arrived on campus in June, the captains’ jobs became more important.
“I enjoy our freshmen,” Davis said. “Everybody that came in has a competitive mindset. Everybody is already on the same page. Everybody wants to win. Everybody has their own part of the game I like.
“Crosby can push the ball. He’s crafty like Scooch. Ryan can score and shoot. X really to me is the X factor. He can crash the boards. He’s a hustle player. Sam, he can handle the ball, too. He’s got a nice little shot, and he’s a good big man on the inside. I expect everybody to play their part this year, everybody to help out to get these wins.”
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