PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Guard Jamichael Davis officially arrived on campus and signed his National Letter of Intent to join the Rutgers men’s basketball program.

The 6-foot-2, 165-pound point guard is originally from Chattanooga, Tennessee, and moved to Powder Springs, Georgia most recently playing at McEachern High School for a stellar senior season.  

“We’re so excited to add J-Mike to The Knighthood,” Rutgers head coach Steve Pikiell said. “J-Mike is an explosive guard with terrific vision. He plays with tenacity on the defensive end and is a great teammate. He can do a lot of things on the basketball court, and he is one of the great competitors. We’ve added another great basketball player with an exciting family to Rutgers Nation.” 

The Scarlet Knights love the energy, intensity, and athleticism Davis brings on both sides of the floor. Davis announced his commitment to this past year’s Rutgers team in the locker room following the 63-48 victory over No. 8 Indiana at Jersey Mike’s Arena on Dec. 3. 

“I couldn’t believe the atmosphere and how everyone in the building was in tune with the game,” Davis said. “Coach Pikiell is a great guy and I love his passion and energy for the game. I could tell the staff was amazing and filled with a bunch of genuine and nice people. I knew I wanted to be a part of it. I felt the love.” 

Davis announced his verbal commitment to the program with a post to his Instagram page on Dec. 12 following the visit to the campus.  He said that being in the locker room after that victory at Jersey Mike’s Arena made it feel like a family that he wanted to join.

“There were a lot of emotions in that winning locker room,” Davis said. “All the guys were so excited, and everybody was just having a good time.”

Davis, who has already coined the nickname “J-Mike” with the Rutgers coaching staff, looks to follow Geo Baker, Caleb McConnell, and Derek Simpson, who represent a lineage of underrated guard recruits to make an immediate impact on the Scarlet Knights. 

Davis started his high school basketball career at Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe High School before transferring to McEachern.

Davis played basketball and football in high school and is a naturally gifted guard who has speed to excel in downhill situations at the college level. Davis has elite agility and is an instinctive facilitator with the ability to make plays at all levels of the court.  

The graduating high school senior can finish around the basket and has proven to be a shooter from beyond the three-point line. His coaches described him as a player with a humble and soft-spoken demeanor, who is a natural leader on the court with his voice and his actions.  

“He’s an amazing person and an amazing player,” McEachern High School head coach Tremayne Anchrum Sr. said. “He’s a selfless, hard-working, dedicated player. If you could build a basketball player, you couldn’t build a better one than Jamichael Davis. As good as he is on the court, he is better off the floor. He’s a leader and brings people together. He can be a leader on the court without even talking.” 

Davis averaged 22 points and 12 rebounds per game during his career at Lakeview Fort Oglethorpe High shooting over 60 percent from the field. Davis was on track to be the all-time leading scorer at Lakeview Fort Oglethorpe before transferring to McEachern to pursue winning a state title.  

“When he left all of that there in Tennessee, he came up here and the first thing he did was gather all the guys together in a room,” Anchrum Sr. said. “Instead of just talking, he took action. After that, he became the leader of this team. Leadership is his biggest strength on the floor.” 

The team finished 23-7 on the season and 8-0 in their region, which was good for first place. At McEachern in 20 games played last season, he averaged 22 points, 13.1 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game. He added 2.5 steals and 1.1 blocks per game. Davis was awarded first-team all-region for his performance in high school last season. 

“His defense is second-to-none,” Anchrum Sr. said. “If you are talking about his biggest strengths, his defensive game leads the way. He’s picking the best guys up; he’s getting in the passing lanes, and he knows defensive positioning. He understands court spacing, he uses the court to his advantage, and knows how to play help-side defense. He understands the defensive end of the floor and I think that will help him compete in the Big Ten right away.” 

Anchrum Sr. said there were games this year where Davis didn’t take as many shots but was still the best player on the court. The McEachern head coach also said there were games where he lit up the gym for 25 points. When Davis missed the month of December due to a sprained ankle, Anchrum Sr., said that Davis became an extra coach on the bench and helped his teammate in all aspects of the game while he recovered. 

Davis has thrived through his teenage years on the AAU circuit and competed for We Get Buckets, Chattanooga’s premier youth basketball program for six seasons. At W.B.G., head coach Cedric Dozer said his biggest improvement came from learning to transition from a go-to-scorer to learning how to play the point guard position.  

“He’s a very humble kid who’s willing to work every day to get better,” Dozier said. “He’s very athletic and can get to his spot to get his jump shot off. He can create for others and makes the game easier for the entire team. He’s improved the most at being a true point guard. He was so athletic and was able to score a lot at first. The last few years he has improved at being able to get his teammates involved.”  

When Davis transitioned to Georgia, he played AAU for Athletes of Tomorrow, a travel program based in Powder Springs. 

“I think he brings the ability to be an outstanding athletic point guard to Rutgers,” A.O.T. head coach Damon Wilson said. “He can get to the basket, he has a great jump shot, but he makes plays for others, and he is a great on-the-ball defender. He improved from a leadership standpoint in the way he expresses himself on the court.” 

Davis held offers from Wichita State, Auburn, VCU, UAB, and several others before choosing to attend Rutgers. 

“He likes that Rutgers plays defense and plays hard,” Anchrum Sr. said. “Rutgers isn’t one of those pretty teams. Rutgers plays like a gritty team and will win anyway. Rutgers can win games where the team scores 80 and win in games where they score 60. He looks forward to playing in both of those games.”  

“I think he’s a kid who has a little bit of an unknown as far as a national perspective,” Wilson said. “I think you will fall in love with him at Rutgers as he’s a hard hat type of kid.” 

“I think he’ll bring a lot of hype to the team because he can jump out of the gym,” Dozier said. “He is going to be a game-changer. He is going to be one of those kids that a lot of people did not know about, but they are going to learn a lot about him in the next few years.” 

Davis joins freshman wing Gavin Griffiths, sophomore center Emmanuel Ogbole, and grad transfer guard Noah Fernandes as the newcomers on the 2023-24 roster.

Davis started his workout on campus on Monday, June 19, and has been enjoying getting to know his teammates and his coaching staff on the court.

“It’s been great to get in with my teammates and start to build the chemistry with the guys on and off the court,” Davis said. “It’s been great to get on the court with the coaches. They have been showing me a lot of pointers to get me prepared. I just got here, but it’s been smooth and I’m loving it.”