Boys basketball: Davis stars again for Warren with special alum on hand
Jaxson Davis, 2025 Illinois Mr. Basketball, scored 36 points, including a halftime buzzer beater from the logo and his first dunk on his home court, as Warren defeated Stevenson 85-46 with Blue Devil-alum and 2009 Illinois Mr. Basketball, Brandon Paul, in attendance, on Friday night in Gurnee.
“I saw the clock running down. We were up by 17 points and that put us up 20,” said Davis about his pre-halftime heroics.
“It was a huge momentum changer,” added the 4-star recruit with offers from top Big Ten programs such as Michigan, Purdue, and Northwestern. “I think it was a huge bucket for us to go into halftime with a lot of momentum.”
That shot had the gym buzzing, but Warren (13-1, 4-0) put the game out of reach rather early in this one. The Blue Devils raced out to a double digit first quarter lead on the strength of 12 first quarter points from Davis.
He added an exclamation point with his dunk to make it 71-37 with 1:41 to play in the third. He exited the game to a standing ovation shortly thereafter.
“I feel like it felt different,” said Davis, about the slam. “Those are momentum changers. I mean, it's only two points, but, you know, it feels like a little bit more than two points when the crowd's in it, and when we make the other team call a timeout off of it.”
Paul looked on with excitement as the next generation of Warren basketball took center stage in front of a packed gym.
“It's really special for the city of Gurnee,” said Paul. “You might see that happen in a lot of bigger cities. You might see it happen in New York [or] Chicago, but for us to have two out of Gurnee, and for the team to be playing well? I'm excited to see how they do and progress throughout the season. I think it's pretty unique.”
Paul mentioned that it was his first trip home for a game since his playing days.
After starring for the Blue Devils, Paul went on to lead the Fighting Illini for four seasons at the University of Illinois. He then played in Europe, the NBA G-League, and had a stint with the San Antonio Spurs during the 2017-2018 season.
He most recently signed with Elan Chalon of the LNB Élite, the top level of professional basketball in France.
Meanwhile Davis, still only a junior, also holds an offer from coach Brad Underwood down in Champaign. However, he is letting the process play out before he makes any decision about his future.
“I'm not really leaning anywhere. I'm just trying to scope it all out still,” said Davis. “I've been to Northwestern a bunch of times, been [to] Michigan. It's hard because our schedule conflicts in the season, trying to get up to the game,” he added.
“I know I'm going to Purdue vs. Indiana, at Purdue,” he added.
Davis plans on making his official visits next fall and he hopes to make them after celebrating a state championship this spring.
“I was in the game last year, fell short [by] one point,” added Davis, referring to Warren’s 55-54 loss to Benet in the Class 4A title game last March.
His coach, Zack Ryan, seems to be enjoying the ride as well.
“Sometimes it's just fun to sit back and watch,” said Ryan. “It seems like every few games he hits one of these long, half court shots … I've seen him do that now for 3 years, where he hits these deep shots to either end a half or a quarter like he did tonight.”
Warren wing Cashius Collins is having fun too. He made an impact on both ends with tough defensive play and 8 points, including a pair of three-pointers.
“It is spectacular on the court, just to play with my teammates, to have fun,” said Collins. “Just the love of the game.”
While they are riding high, it was an important conference victory over Stevenson (11-4, 3-2) to give the Blue Devils a stranglehold on first place in the North Suburban Conference.
“Stevenson is a good team,” said Ryan. “We shot the ball really well tonight, so the score probably wasn't as indicative of the level of play of both teams. But Stevenson is going to be there right there in the end.”
Donny Williams (12 points), Rocco Pagliocca (12 points) and Aidan Albrecht (8 points, 5 rebounds) led the Patriots.
"If you focus on the process of trying to get better every week, then I think you're, you know, getting to the point where you play your best at the end, which is the whole goal," said Stevenson coach Will Benson.