This summer will mark arguably the most important offseason of Indiana sophomore forward De'Ron Davis' young college career.
With former IU center Thomas Bryant headed to the NBA, the new Hoosiers coaching staff is expecting more out of Davis this upcoming season. To meet those standards, he's spending the entire summer in Bloomington.
"Summer is critical to your success academically and on the court," Davis said in a Q&A with IUHoosiers.com. "Anything you can do to stay ahead makes a big difference."
Getting ahead includes work in the class room and the weight room.
Davis said he's taking three summer courses, including labor studies, a history class and a stress management class.
Along with making academic progress, the Aurora, Colorado native also wants to work on his body. The primary focus, according to Davis, is to improve his conditioning.
"I'm continuing to push my body by doing a lot of strength and conditioning to help tone my body," Davis said. "It's important to get all the work I can right now. I know a lot is expected of me, and I want to make sure I take care of everything I need to do so I can take the next step."
Davis will have his work cut out for him this summer.
He arrived in Bloomington the day before fall classes started on campus after tending to summer academic obligations which required completion before coming to IU. While the rest of his classmates had already been on campus since early June and completed summer workouts, he had to play catchup.
Still, Davis' conditioning gradually improved and he was able to move away from the "hockey-shift" minutes and make meaningful contributions. He played 13.1 minutes per game off the bench during the Hoosiers' non-conference portion of the schedule, then saw his playing time increased to 19.7 minutes per contest during Big Ten play. He also averaged 5.9 points and 3.1 rebounds within his confined role.
IU head coach Archie Miller envisions a bigger role for Davis this winter, and said back in April that the next three months will be critical for Davis.
"He should be one of the most improved players in all of college basketball if we can get done what we want to get done," Miller said. "It starts with his work ethic in these next, I guess, 12 weeks physically. He's got to change his body. He's got to change his motor. He's got to prevent injuries and do some things which he didn't have the opportunity to do a year ago as he entered campus."
During his free time, Davis will be hanging out with fellow sophomores Devonte Green and Curtis Jones. The trio often play NBA 2K17 together or go to the movies, and Davis said he wants to go fishing at some point this summer.
More importantly, though, Davis will use what he learned from conversations Green and Jones last season to help shape his approach this summer.
"Be ready, be at your best and you never know how you can impact a game," Davis said. "I remember making the free throws in my first game against Kansas and how that was such a big win for all of us.
"I talk a lot with Devonte and Curtis about the same thing that they went through. All of them had moments where they played like they were the best player on the floor, but what we learned is that doing it consistently is what makes you great. All of us have to think that way."
You can read the full IUHoosiers.com Q&A with Davis here.
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