Brad Davison (born April 22, 1999) is an American basketball player who currently plays for
BC Nevėžis
BC Nevėžis ( lt, Krepšinio klubas Nevėžis), commonly known as Nevėžis Kėdainiai, also known as Nevėžis-OPTIBET due to sponsorship reasons, is a professional basketball club based in Kėdainiai, Lithuania. The club currently competes in ...
of the
Lithuanian Basketball League (LKL). He played college basketball for the
Wisconsin Badgers. Davison attended
Maple Grove High School where he played basketball and football.
He was named to the Big Ten All-Freshman Team after averaging 12.1 points per game.
High school career
Davison attended
Maple Grove High School and played both basketball and
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
. He played as a quarterback on the football field and led the Crimson to an 8–3 record as a senior. He led the West Metro South subdistrict in passing with 2,418
yards and 23
touchdown
A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone. In Ameri ...
s, completing 62.9 percent of his throws. Davison finished second in the subdistrict in rushing with 891 yards and 15 scores. Davison was named 2016
Star Tribune
The ''Star Tribune'' is the largest newspaper in Minnesota. It originated as the ''Minneapolis Tribune'' in 1867 and the competing ''Minneapolis Daily Star'' in 1920. During the 1930s and 1940s, Minneapolis's competing newspapers were consolida ...
Metro Player of the Year.
He completed 43 career touchdown passes and rushed for 25 touchdowns. Throughout his career under center, Davison led Maple Grove to three state tournament appearances and a 27–7 record.
On the basketball court, Davison was a four-year starter and captain and earned All-Conference honors during all four of his years playing. He averaged 21.2
points
Point or points may refer to:
Places
* Point, Lewis, a peninsula in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland
* Point, Texas, a city in Rains County, Texas, United States
* Point, the NE tip and a ferry terminal of Lismore, Inner Hebrides, Scotland
* Point ...
, 6.4
rebounds
'Rebound' is a term used in sports to describe the ball (or puck or other object of play) becoming available for possession by either opponent after an attempt to put the ball or puck into the goal has been unsuccessful. Rebounds are generally ...
, and 7.3
assists per game as a junior in leading Maple Grove to a 25–5 record and a state tournament berth.
He was named to the
Star Tribune
The ''Star Tribune'' is the largest newspaper in Minnesota. It originated as the ''Minneapolis Tribune'' in 1867 and the competing ''Minneapolis Daily Star'' in 1920. During the 1930s and 1940s, Minneapolis's competing newspapers were consolida ...
All-Metro First Team as a junior.
As a senior, he led the team to a 28–4 record and state tournament appearance and was a finalist for
Minnesota's Mr. Basketball. Davison earned a spot on
USA Today
''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgini ...
's Minnesota All-State Team after averaging 24.4 points, 7.4 rebounds, 7.9 assists and 4.2
steals per game.
He finished his career at Maple Grove as the school's all-time leader in points (2,300), assists (899) and steals (365).
He was ranked the 119 recruit in his class by
Rivals
A rivalry is the state of two people or groups engaging in a lasting competitive relationship. Rivalry is the "against each other" spirit between two competing sides. The relationship itself may also be called "a rivalry", and each participant o ...
and committed to playing basketball at
Wisconsin
Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...
on July 11, 2016, choosing the Badgers over offers from
Minnesota
Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...
,
Michigan
Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...
,
Butler
A butler is a person who works in a house serving and is a domestic worker in a large household. In great houses, the household is sometimes divided into departments with the butler in charge of the dining room, wine cellar, and pantry. Some a ...
,
Stanford
Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is considere ...
and
Northwestern.
College career
Freshman season (2017–2018)
Davison scored 20 points on December 9, 2017, in an 82–63 loss to
Marquette. On February 25, 2018, Davison scored a career-high 30 points in a 68–63 loss to
Michigan State
Michigan State University (Michigan State, MSU) is a public land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the first of its kind in the United States. It i ...
. Davison finished as Wisconsin's second-leading scorer as a freshman, averaging 12.1 points per game while shooting 81.8 percent from the
free throw
In basketball, free throws or foul shots are unopposed attempts to score points by shooting from behind the free-throw line (informally known as the foul line or the charity stripe), a line situated at the end of the Key (basketball), restricted ...
line and making a team-high 60 shots from the
three-point range. Davison earned a spot on the
Big Ten
The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference) is the oldest Division I collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representati ...
’s All-Freshman team. He sustained numerous shoulder injuries throughout the course of his freshman season, resulting in successful offseason left shoulder surgery. During his freshman season, the Wisconsin men's basketball team missed the
NCAA tournament for the first time in 20 years and finished with a 15–18 record and 9th in the Big Ten Conference. The team saw their season end following a loss to the
Michigan State Spartans in the
Big Ten tournament on March 2, 2018.
Sophomore season (2018–2019)
![Brad Davison](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/de/Brad_Davison.jpg)
Davison began his sophomore season in a slump, hitting 10-for-35 (28.6 percent) of his shots in his first 10 games. In a 12-game stretch in the middle of the season, Davison shot much better, hitting 29-for-53 (54.7 percent) of his three-pointers. He finished the season in a slump as well, going 13-for-61 (21.3 percent) in his final 12 games. He averaged 10.5 points per game as a sophomore, shooting 34.9 percent from beyond the arc. Davison was an Academic All-Big Ten honoree.
He dealt with a foot and ankle injury throughout the season, often wearing a protective boot after games. He gained a reputation from opposing fan bases for receiving flagrant fouls and tripping players, something Wisconsin coach
Greg Gard
Gregory Glen Gard (born December 3, 1970) is an American college basketball coach for the Wisconsin Badgers . Gard took over on December 15, 2015, after Bo Ryan announced his retirement as head coach of the Badgers. Gard is a native of Cobb Wisco ...
attributed to Davison playing extremely hard.
Davison also received attention for excessive
flopping, and the NCAA rule to combat it was informally called "the Brad Davison rule."
Junior season (2019–2020)
As a junior, Davison became the team's emotional leader with the departure of
Ethan Happ
Ethan Happ (born May 7, 1996) is an American professional basketball player for Rio Breogán of the Spanish Liga ACB. He is the all-time leading rebounder for the Wisconsin Badgers, where he started all 139 games of his college career and is the ...
. During a three-game stretch in November and December 2019, Davison shot 3-of-20 as Wisconsin lost all three games. He scored 14 points and hit the game-winning three-pointer with 9.1 seconds remaining in a 56–54 upset of
Maryland
Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...
on January 14, 2020. On January 29, Davison was suspended one game by the Big Ten for a flagrant foul he committed the previous game in which he struck
Iowa
Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to the ...
's Connor McCaffery in the groin. On February 15, Davison tied a career-high with 30 points and his eight three-pointers tied a school record set by
Bronson Koenig
Bronson Koenig (born November 13, 1994) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Erie BayHawks of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the Wisconsin Badgers. Koenig attended Aquinas High School in La C ...
in an 81–64 win over
Nebraska
Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the southwe ...
. On February 23, Davison became the 45th player in Wisconsin history to score 1,000 points during a game against
Rutgers. Davison averaged 9.9 points and 4.3 rebounds per game as a junior.
Senior season (2020–2021)
Davison scored a season-high 29 points in an 85–62 win against
North Carolina
North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...
in the Round of 64 of the NCAA Tournament. As a senior, Davison averaged 10 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game. He announced that he would be returning for a fifth season of eligibility, taking advantage of the NCAA's decision regarding athletes who participated in the 2020–21 season.
Fifth season (2021–2022)
Coming into the 2021–22 season, Davison assumed a leadership role with the departure of several top players, although teammate
Johnny Davis emerged as a national player of the year candidate. On January 27, 2022, Davison broke the Wisconsin career record for made three-pointers during a game against Nebraska, breaking
Bronson Koenig
Bronson Koenig (born November 13, 1994) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Erie BayHawks of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the Wisconsin Badgers. Koenig attended Aquinas High School in La C ...
's mark of 270. He finished with 21 points including five made three-pointers in a 73–65 win. Davison was named to the Second Team All-Big Ten by the coaches and Third Team by the media.
Davison averaged 14.1 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game as a fifth-year senior.
Professional career
On August 2, 2022, Davison signed with
BC Nevėžis
BC Nevėžis ( lt, Krepšinio klubas Nevėžis), commonly known as Nevėžis Kėdainiai, also known as Nevėžis-OPTIBET due to sponsorship reasons, is a professional basketball club based in Kėdainiai, Lithuania. The club currently competes in ...
of the
Lithuanian Basketball League (LKL).
Career statistics
College
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
2017–18
, style="text-align:left;",
Wisconsin
Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...
, 33 , , 29 , , 31.2 , , .405 , , .355 , , .818 , , 2.3 , , 2.5 , , 1.2 , , .0 , , 12.1
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
2018–19
, style="text-align:left;",
Wisconsin
Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...
, 34 , , 34 , , 32.2 , , .385 , , .349 , , .809 , , 3.3 , , 1.8 , , 1.1 , , .1 , , 10.5
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
2019–20
, style="text-align:left;",
Wisconsin
Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...
, 30 , , 30 , , 30.9 , , .395 , , .359 , , .844 , , 4.3 , , 1.9 , , .8 , , .0 , , 9.9
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
2020–21
The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen b ...
, style="text-align:left;",
Wisconsin
Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...
, 31 , , 31 , , 31.0 , , .345 , , .389 , , .868 , , 3.5 , , 2.4 , , 1.1 , , .0 , , 10.0
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
2021–22
, style="text-align:left;",
Wisconsin
Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...
, 33 , , 33 , , 34.4 , , .384 , , .347 , , .864 , , 4.0 , , 2.1 , , 0.8 , , .0 , , 14.1
, - class="sortbottom"
, style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career
, 161 , , 157 , , 32.0 , , .383 , , .359 , , .840 , , 3.5 , , 2.1 , , 1.0 , , .0 , , 11.3
Personal life
Davison identifies as a
Christian
Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...
.
He has two older sisters, Stephanie and Angie, both of whom played on the
Northern Iowa Panthers women's basketball
The Northern Iowa Panthers women's basketball team represents the University of Northern Iowa, located in Cedar Falls, Iowa, in NCAA Division I basketball competition. UNI is currently a member of the Missouri Valley Conference.
History
The m ...
team, graduating in 2016 and 2017 respectively. In high school, Davison achieved a 4.0 GPA and was named the 2017 Scholar-Athlete award from the Minnesota Chapter of the
National Football Foundation. He was a member of
National Honor Society
The National Honor Society (NHS) is a nationwide organization for high school students in the United States and outlying territories, which consists of many chapters in high schools. Selection is based on four criteria: scholarship (academic achi ...
in high school. Throughout his life, Davison has participated in more than 120 hours of volunteer work, going on service trips to Jamaica and Costa Rica and also at Shriners Prom. Davison was a member of Maple Grove's
Fellowship of Christian Athletes
The Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) is an international non-profit Christian sports ministry founded in 1954 and based in Kansas City, Missouri. It has staff offices located throughout the United States and abroad.
History
FCA was found ...
and its GOLD program, which feeds impoverished peoples across the world. He is majoring in business management and human resources at Wisconsin.
In July 2021, Davison became engaged to Tyra Buss, an assistant coach at
Milwaukee
Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee is ...
and former
Indiana
Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...
player.
References
External links
Wisconsin Badgers bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Davison, Brad
1999 births
Living people
American expatriate basketball people in Lithuania
American football quarterbacks
American men's basketball players
Basketball players from Minnesota
Categort:BC Nevėžis players
People from Maple Grove, Minnesota
Sportspeople from Hennepin County, Minnesota
Shooting guards
Wisconsin Badgers men's basketball players