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Trayce Jackson-Davis details meeting with Mike Woodson, his future goals for Indiana
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Indiana star forward Trayce Jackson-Davis announced on Friday that he’ll be returning to Bloomington for another season with the Hoosiers.
Jackson-Davis had previously decided to enter the transfer portal after the departure of coach Archie Miller.
But new coach Mike Woodson was able to convince him to stay, Jackson-Davis told reporters on Friday. Woodson made his pitch to Jackson-Davis and his father over the course of a couple hours earlier this week.
“He came in and he told us he doesn’t want to rebuild. He wants to win right away, and I’m a big piece to that,” Jackson-Davis said. “After hearing an NBA coach tell you that, it was a simple decision.”
Trayce Jackson-Davis said Mike Woodson met with him and his father for two-plus hours.
"He came in and he told us he doesn't want to rebuild. He wants to win right away, and I'm a big piece to that … After hearing an NBA coach tell you that, it was a simple decision." #iubb
— Jon Blau (@Jon_Blau) April 2, 2021
"The things he really told me are the things I did not want to hear. He told me what I needed to work on. He showed me clips of missed shots, what I should've done in a situation. …
"That right there, that was when I was sold on him." #iubb
— Zach Osterman (@ZachOsterman) April 2, 2021
Jackson-Davis also laid out his goals for the future at Indiana:
“I want to get Indiana basketball back on track,” he said. “That’s my goal, why I came back. I believe in the tradition. I believe what we have here is something special, and I want to be one of the reasons why. I don’t want to be someone who ran away when it was tough.”
This past season, he produced 19.1 points and 9.0 rebounds per game. He’s likely to be a preseason All-Big Ten selection next season.
Jackson-Davis will have significant help next season as well. Transfer guard Parker Stewart announced this week that he’s also sticking with the Hoosiers after initially entering the transfer portal.
Jackson-Davis told reporters that he’s already played with Stewart and was impressed by his shooting ability.
Trayce Jackson-Davis on Parker Stewart: "We’ve already played a few open gyms together. He shoots the ball really well. The spacing on the floor will be a lot better." #iubb
— Zach Osterman (@ZachOsterman) April 2, 2021
Spenser is the news manager at Saturday Road and covers college football across all Saturday Football brands.