The 6-2, 206-pound Davis had been perceived by many to be a likely commit to national champion Michigan but Kentucky recruiting coordinator Vince Marrow worked his Ohio magic again with the Cleveland star.
“I really was not surprised that he picked Kentucky,” said Cleveland Heights High School coach Mac Stephens. “I knew from way back that he was more than likely going to play in the SEC or Big Ten. Kentucky checked all the boxes for him and Vince is a phenomenal recruiter. Kentucky also does some things in the run game that really appealed to him.”
“I have known Vince for a few years now. He is a phenomenal guy and has a big personality. Vince has recruited other kids here, but I could tell there was a different level of interest in Marquise. Even Vince recognizes Marquise is so much better than even what we saw last year. I think you are going to see even a better version of him next season. He’s bigger, faster and strong as an ox.”
Davis is ranked as the nation’s No. 106 recruit by On3.com and 165 by 247Sports. Davis had a remarkable junior season when he was named the Gatorade Ohio Football Player of the Year. He ran for 2,405 yards and 34 touchdowns and on defense had 91 tackles and three interceptions, including one for a touchdown. The linebacker also had three forced fumbles.nCleveland Heights won the Greater Cleveland Conference and reached the OHSAA Division I regional semifinals.
Stephens said it was “pretty unusual” for a junior to be named the Ohio Gatorade Player of the Year but also felt his star player should have won several awards that went to seniors.
“Here is the thing that a lot of people don’t realize. He was first team all-star at strong safety as a
sophomore. Not many 10th-graders make first team all-state in Ohio. Then last year everything was on offense,” Stephens said. “He is scary on both sides of the ball. He will keep playing outside linebacker and running back.”Davis has been timed in 4.42 seconds in the 40-yard dash and ran the 100 in 10.83 seconds during the outdoor track season. He also had the third fastest time in Ohio in the 60 during the indoor track season.
“His times are phenomenal for a high school kid at that size,” Stephens said.
That’s one reason Stephens said Davis is “just scratching the surface” of what he can do.
“He still has a lot to learn. He was just basically relying on his athletic ability last season. He will have a better understanding of reading our blocking schemes and how opposing teams line up which will help him gain more yards.”
Stephens can still remember when Davis joined the team midway of the summer before his sophomore season.
“We put him on defense. We were doing 7-on-7 drills and he had four interceptions in the first 30 minutes,” the Cleveland Heights coach said. “I thought, ‘This kid is a hell of a defensive player.’ Eventually we put him on offense and then could see flashes even as a 10th grader of what he could do. You could always tell he was special. He just had a different work ethic and has things most kids don’t have.
“He is going to hurt you if you try to tackle him one-on-one. Very rarely does one person take him down. Over two years the refs blew the whistle maybe 20 times with four or five players hanging on him.”
Stephens called him the “most humble teenager I have ever been around” on and off the field. He has a weighted 3.90 grade-point average. He has spoken to youth football groups and volunteered as a youth coach.
“He wants to put together a free youth camp for young kids and came up with that idea on his own,” Stephens said. “That shows the type of young man he is. He leads by example. He doesn’t say much. His facial expression hardly ever changes. He’s not arrogant and just goes about his business. He’s just a special player and a special young man.”
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Brooks Downing was Kentucky basketball’s sports information director from 1995-2003 under coaches Rick Pitino and Tubby Smith. He now has his own national sports marketing firm that helps promote numerous collegiate events.
Downing believes that Kentucky coach Mark Pope made a home run hire adding Jason Hart to his coaching staff.
“He has such a great pedigree,” Downing said about Hart. “He got tremendous experience being placed in the role of head coach of the NBA G-League’s Ignite. He got to take young guys and develop them and get them ready for the NBA draft. They’ve had several top picks the last few years.”
Hart coached Jaden Hardy, Scoot Henderson, Matas Buzelis and Ron Holland in the G-League.
Hart played at Syracuse and graduated in 2000 as the program’s all-time leader in steals and ranked second in assists. He was picked in the second round of the 2000 NBA Draft by the Milwaukee Bucks, where he was teammates with Pope for one season. He played nine years in the NBA.
“He was able to be part of that staff for the NBA and that means a lot,” Downing said. “It’s kind of like the (John) Calipari comparison of him placing guys in the NBA. Jason Hart has been doing the same thing on behalf of the NBA.
“I think that is quite an experience he obtained and he can bring that to the Kentucky staff. He can show players at Kentucky the same pathway to the league. He knows what path players need to follow and how to prepare them to be successful.”
Downing’s group was in charge in Henderson, Nev., when NBA rookie sensation Victor Wembanyama played two exhibition games.
“The arena was full of NBA scouts. Jason knows everybody. He is that link to the NBA,” Downing said. “When (Rick) Pitino had his success at Kentucky one of the top things in recruiting was his connections to the Knicks. So many similarities between Rick and Cal. But Jason also brings that NBA connection to the table.”
Hart started his coaching career on the AAU circuit and then worked at Pepperdine and Southern Cal before his move to the G_league.
“He has a great personality. He’s always under control. He’s not emotional. He will be very well liked not only by the Kentucky fan base but by moms and dads of recruits,” Downing said. “He’s just the total package and Mark knew that when he hired him. He will be able to take on any recruit in the country. Mark is going to recruit kids that fit his system but he’s also not going to ignore the very best players in the country who can help Kentucky win.”
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New Kentucky women’s coach Kenny Brooks has been able to help build his first UK roster with Virginia Tech transfers and former West Virginia commits. However, Brooks says returning UK players Cassidy Rowe and Saniah Tyler, both juniors, are also key members of next year’s team.
Tyler started 13 of 32 games last season when she averaged 10.2 points and 1.8 rebounds per game while shooting 34.5 percent from 3 (61 of 177). Rowe started 16 of 31 games and averaged 2.6 points, 1.3 assists and 10 rebounds per game. Rowe also had only 22 turnovers in 539 minutes of play.
“It is important to get the right players to stay and the ones willing to fit into a new system,” Brooks said. “I am excited to have those two as part of our team. Those two exude Kentucky pride.
“Both wanted to be part of something new and different. They just love Kentucky. You can see their passion. Both can add a lot of value and different things. They have been good at helping with recruiting. There’s a lot we do not know about UK and Lexington that they can shed light on.
“I have loved their attitude. I think they can add value not only on the court but off court with their attitude and love for Kentucky.”
Brooks continued to schedule recruiting visits and monitored the transfer portal daily until it closed.
“We have a lot of size and a lot of things we want. We probably need another couple of guards. There is so much freedom by the NCAA now that you can transform your roster in a year, but chemistry is still a big part of it and you have got to be careful with that.
“When I took over at Virginia Tech you had to go with what you had (personnel-wise). We had two players here from the previous roster and had to add a lot. Our staff has gone out and vetted a lot of players to see if the fit is right with us.
“We still need one or two pieces. At this level you need depth. South Carolina proved that when they wore people down to win the title. We went to the Final Four two years ago and were playing six players and ran out of gas. You have got to have depth.”
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Veteran New York sportswriter Dick Weiss has covered a lot of Kentucky basketball and knows the meaning of the UK brand nationally no matter who is coaching.
“Kids from the east will go to Kentucky and there will always be a lot of interest in Kentucky basketball in the east. Kentucky is still a big brand name in our area,” Weiss said.
“Kentucky is a destination for kids in our area. You see Kentucky on TV and see over 20,000 fans in Rupp Arena and what an exciting place that is to play.”
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Kentucky basketball got the nation’s top returning 3-point shooter when guard Koby Brea transferred from Dayton to UK to play for coach Mark Pope. He hit 49.8 percent from 3 last season when he averaged 11.1 points per game.
However, Brea is more than just a 3-point shooter who knows how to appreciate others.
He hosted a free camp for 50 kids ages 14 and under last Christmas in the Bronx, his home area in New York.
He spent time with kindergarten and first grade students in Dayton reading about resiliency and talking about the importance of giving a great effort every day in school. He autographed art projects for the students before leaving.
Brea also participated in an event to promote mental health awareness and signed autographs for those attending.
He also took time to let Dayton orthopedic surgeon Jennifer Jerele know she was a “huge reason” he was able to still play basketball when she got to see him play for first time last season.
Kentucky fans should also really like that once he took his name out of the NBA draft and picked UK over Duke, North Carolina, Conn and Kansas that he said his priority was helping UK win a national title.
"I feel like God does everything for a reason, and He has put me in a position where I'm able to play for my dream school in my last year of college, while playing for something bigger than myself."
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Quote of the Week 1: “Maybe I’ll reach out to him. I want to stay connected to the program. He seems like the right guy for the job, so fans should give him a chance. He has big shoes to fill, but maybe he’ll bring new energy to the program,” NBA star Devin Booker about new UK coach Mark Pope in “The Spun.”
Quote of the Week 2: “Nobody I know has ever said a bad word about the guy. He has connections all over the country. He is well liked, well respected. People at Baylor have been raving about him getting a head job,” ESPN recruiting director Paul Biancardi on new UK associate coach Alvin Brooks III.
Quote of the Week 3: "I chose to be a women's basketball coach. I didn't have to be a women's basketball coach. I was on the men's side for 10 years. I really love the women's game ... just fighting for respectability, fighting for opportunities for women. I wanted to jump on the cause as well,” UK women’s basketball coach Kenny Brooks on the Women’s Hoops Network about his career path.
