PEORIA — The Bradley women’s basketball team has won a recruiting battle for the sister of an NBA player.
Class of 2026 forward Samantha Davis has announced her commitment to the Braves, according to a recent social media post.
Davis, from Aquinas High School in La Crosse, Wisconsin, is the sister of NBA shooting guard Johnny Davis and former Illinois State guard Jordan Davis.
Johnny Davis was the 10th overall pick by Washington in the 2022 NBA Draft and played 114 games over three seasons. The former Wisconsin star and Big Ten player of the year was traded to Phoenix last winter and released, and now has signed with the NBA G League’s Westchester Knicks.
Samantha Davis is a 5-foot-10 center on the prep court, but projects at the college level as a forward or guard who can shoot mid-range jumpers and, hopefully, some 3s.
Her college choice came down to finalists Bradley, St. Thomas (Minn.) and Wisconsin-Green Bay.
“School is starting up (soon), and I felt like I needed to get that stress off my back,” Davis said in a published report. “Now I can focus on my senior year of sports. With Bradley, I really felt wanted there. I like the coaches there, and I like the fact that I’ll get to play my freshman year.”
Davis averaged 17.2 points and 10.1 rebounds as a junior last season for a 23-5 St. Aquinas team. The team has a 74-11 record with her on the roster, and has won 114 consecutive conference games.
Dave Eminian is the Journal Star sports columnist, and covers Bradley men’s basketball, the Rivermen and Chiefs. He writes the Cleve In The Eve sports column for pjstar.com. He can be reached at 686-3206 or deminian@pjstar.com. Follow him on X.com @icetimecleve.