Davis Follows in Dad’s 6-foot-8 Footsteps
Jackson Davis
• School: Lafayette
• Grade: 12
• Sports: Basketball
• Academics: Jackson has a 3.9 GPA, scored 26 on his ACT and has taken three A.P. classes.
• Parents: Ginger & Johnathon
The highest scorer in Lafayette High boys basketball history is as smooth in the classroom as he is on court – just like his father.
Jackson Davis, a 6-foot-8 senior for the Generals, broke the school scoring record last season, and through mid-January had 2,018 points.
He also carries a 3.9 GPA, scored 26 on his ACT and has committed to play at Rice, an academically rigorous private school in Houston.
Jackson’s father, Johnathon, also stands 6-foot-8 and played at UK from 1987-91 when he had the team’s highest GPA.
Johnathon, an assistant coach at Lafayette, recognized early that his son had special physical gifts.
Jackson walked at seven months, showed excellent balance and hand-eye coordination as a toddler and started dominating on the basketball court as a 5-year-old.
And he’s been dominating ever since. Jackson entered Lafayette through the SCAPA program because of his drama skills – he played Captain Hook in eighth grade.
That same year, he started for the varsity. Last year, he averaged 21 points and 12 rebounds and was named All-City, All-Region and All-State.
As a four-year captain, he has led Lafayette to a 10-5 record and a No. 6 ranking in the state so far this season and will be announced as a finalist for Mr. Basketball.
An intense competitor, Jackson makes the game look easy with his graceful, fluid moves.
But he makes the game hard for opponents because of his unusual skill set – big enough to play center, quick enough to play guard.
“He’s a unique player because he can post up and he’s a good ball-handler,” his father said. “He creates mismatches for the other team.”
In the off-season last year, Jackson played on the Kentucky Travelers in the Elite Youth Basketball League, which is limited to 42 teams nationally.
The Travelers lived up their name, playing in Los Angeles, Dallas, Minnesota and South Carolina.
Before that, Jackson played throughout the South and Midwest on his AAU teams and for two years traveled by private plane with the Mid-America Elite, which was sponsored by a man who lent the team his plane.
Jackson settled on Rice through his relationship with John Lucas. The former NBA star works in Houston with young players as a personal coach and took an interest in Jackson.
After college, Jackson hopes to play professionally but if not will use a degree in economics to become a financial adviser – just like, you guessed it, his father.
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