Coach Horn and staff continue to land solid names this offseason, this time landing B.J. Davis-Ray from SMU! He’s a 6’6″ freshman originally from St. Louis, Missouri. In high school, he was a 3* recruit, and 247 Sports has him listed as a 3* transfer portal addition. He is the first transfer who generates a ranking from 247’s site this cycle, and I expect B.J. to immediately come in and compete for a starting spot on the wing. He averaged 1/1/0 on 36% from the field this year, and has work to do from deep (22% this season). However, his raw athleticism and talent will be of significant value for the Norse next year as they look to replace so much from last year. Unfortunately, it’s going to be difficult to get a full pulse on B.J.’s potential when just looking at last year. However, we can look back at his high school game to get a look at what he should bring to the Norse.
In high school, he spent his final year in San Juan Capistrano, California at JSerra Catholic High School. At his time of signing, he was rated as the 11th recruit in California, 31st SG recruit, and 129 overall. He averaged 18/6/3 during his final high school year and made CIF-SS open division first team, and all county first team. He was billed as a 3 level scorer and he has the tools to be a defensive weapon under the right development. Looking at his highlights, you can tell that once he gains his confidence, he’s the kind of player who can go get a bucket when needed.
B.J. struggled to break the rotation for SMU, logging inconsistent minutes throughout the year. With that, he struggled to get going consistently, scoring no more than 5 points in a game this season.
NKU’s staff have consistently brought in athletes into the program who can make large impacts and develop quickly. This addition is a low-risk, high reward move that will help round out the roster. His progress and fit into the system will be vital, but I do expect that he’ll compete for a starting spot come November. His length and athleticism should be extremely disruptive in the Norse system.
College Highlights:
High School Highlights:
I’ll have a full breakdown of my thoughts on NKU’s roster this weekend. I’m not saying it’s final, but we have enough pieces to start seeing the vision the staff is going for. Stay tuned and make sure you subscribe (below)!
