On Jordan Downing

Hopewell coach Eric Davis: “He always tends to throw that dagger in people.”

‘Glad to pick Davidson’

First time I’ve seen this stated quite so explicitly:

Downing didn’t take official visits, but made plenty of unofficial trips. He loved the campus at St. Bonaventure in Olean, N.Y. At Winthrop, the coaching staff impressed him. Wright State, in Dayton, Ohio, had a great practice facility. And Xavier is a top 20 program.

But it was Davidson he kept coming back to.

“I remember two years ago watching them play in the NCAA tournament when they made it to the Elite Eight,” Downing said. “I thought, ‘They’re good. I need to check them out.’ The more I watched, the more I liked. The style coach (Bob) McKillop plays is very similar to our style at Hopewell.”

Also of note is this from Hopewell coach Eric Davis: “I think Jordan is going to be very successful there. As he matures physically, I think he can have the same success at that level as he has at the high school level. He can be a player-of-the-year-type player.”

The Observer confirms

Langston:

Hopewell High basketball player Jordan Downing, a 6-5 senior, has committed to Davidson, Titans coach Eric Davis said.

Downing chose the Wildcats over Air Force, Appalachian State, Northwestern, St. Bonaventure, Winthrop and Wright State. Downing was one of four Hopewell starters to average 13 points per game last season when the Titans finished 29-1 and reached the N.C. 4A state semifinals.

“He didn’t take any visits anywhere,” Davis said. “He decided Davidson was where he wanted to go. He’d been up there on some unofficial visits and he told me (Saturday) that basically for the past year, that’s where he wanted to go to school.”