Jake Davis, Illinois’ ‘selfless’ senior forward, is out indefinitely after shoulder surgery
Illinois forward Jake Davis had surgery on his separated left shoulder and is out of the lineup indefinitely, coach Brad Underwood told reporters after practice Wednesday.
Davis injured his shoulder in the first half of No. 3 Illinois’ season-opening win against Fairleigh Dickinson when he ran into a screen. Underwood said Wednesday there’s no timeline for Davis’ return and he has “no idea” whether Davis will be back this season.
“It’s a loss that’s tough for me to swallow,” Underwood said. “It puts a pit in my stomach because he’s a guy that works harder than anybody every day. He has got himself into elite shape. And unfortunately it’s part of sport. Next man up. We’ve got an army of guys that will have to fill into that role.”
Davis, a 6-foot-6 senior from McCordsville, Indiana, started 22 games last season and was a key contributor during the Illini’s run to the Final Four. He averaged 5.4 points and 2.2 rebounds and made 54 3-pointers while shooting 40.6% beyond the arc.
Underwood said there is “no replacement” for Davis. He said the Illini post on a board in the weight room every day which player spent the most energy and ran the most the day before.
“It’s always Jake,” Underwood said. “So I want somebody to replace that. I want to find out who that guy is going to be, who’s going to step into that role of doing everything they’re supposed to do.
“He’s never been a huge scorer, but he’s been just an unbelievable offensive player because he’s so selfless and he’s a great ball mover.”
Underwood said the Illini will look to Davis to help coach and lead from the sideline when he rejoins the team after Wednesday’s surgery.
Illinois already is playing without star forward David Mirković, who continues to recover from left foot surgery over the summer.
Mirković, one of three Illini players named to the Naismith Player of the Year watch list, also underwent an emergency appendectomy Saturday. Underwood told reporters that Mirković’s appendix didn’t burst but he had laparoscopic surgery to have it removed.
The 6-9 sophomore from Montenegro didn’t attend Illinois’ opener as he recovers but has been seen in recent days wearing a walking boot with his leg elevated on a scooter.
Underwood hasn’t given a timeline for Mirković’s return but has said the Illini will “err on the side of patience” with his recovery.
The absences of Davis and Mirković mean the Illini will have to rely even more heavily on a big freshman class that includes guards Quentin Coleman, Ethan Brown, Lucas Morillo and Lincoln Williams and forward Zavier Zens.
Williams also missed the opener with an undisclosed injury, but Underwood said he expects Williams to play Thursday against Penn. Illinois beat the Quakers in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in the spring.
The schedule difficulty picks up significantly after that. The Illini play at No. 19 Texas Tech on Tuesday and at No. 2 Duke on Nov. 17.