5/23/2022 basketball Edit

Trayce Jackson-Davis embracing lofty expectations next year with his return

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Alec Lasley • TheHoosier

Senior Writer

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Indiana basketball All-Big Ten forward Trayce Jackson-Davis announced on Friday he would be returning to Bloomington for a final season. That decision immediately made Indiana one of the early favorites to win the Big Ten.

The 6-foot-9 forward hasn't been shy about setting those expectations just days after announcing his decision.

"I think the ceiling for our team is anywhere from Big Ten Championship to National Championship, if I'm going to be honest with you. I set my standards high," Jackson-Davis told the media on Monday. "We had those standards last year, but obviously it wasn't the way our season went."

Jackson-Davis is now one of four starters to return from a team that won 21 games a season ago and made it back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2016. It was also a team that came one shot away from the Big Ten Tournament championship game.

After testing positive for Covid ahead of the NBA Draft Combine, Jackson-Davis wasted no time and withdrew his name a few days after. While the lack of an opportunity to fully go through the draft process was a large reason for his decision, knowing the talent on the roster for the upcoming season, if he did come back, also crossed his mind.

"I think this is the best team that I've been on since I've been here. It's not even the sense that -- it's the talent that we have," Jackson-Davis said. "We have talent all across the board from the guards all the way down to the centers. We have dudes that care about the program, are here for the right things."

A season ago, Indiana had one of its more talented teams in the past five seasons, if not the most talented. The Hoosiers had their ups-and-downs on the court, partly due to the lack of time the team had on the court.

With players trying to learn an entirely new system under first-year head coach Mike Woodson, learning how to play with each other was put to the side at times. This will look to change this season.

"I think the big thing that we didn't have last year that we have this year is our team chemistry," Jackson-Davis said. "Last year we had three guys come in and start for us that we didn't know, like we never played with them. We had to build our chemistry over the summer. Having a full year of experience with them and then adding two, three, or four freshmen in, I think it's going to be huge for us.

"I think now knowing with guys and what they do, their tendencies and what they're capable of, I think it's going to be huge for us. Now Coach Woodson has a year of college under his belt, and that's going to be big for him as well."

This past season, Jackson-Davis became just the second player in Indiana basketball history to reach the following milestone: 1,500 points, 750 rebounds and 150 blocks. He joined Alan Henderson as the only Hoosiers reaching those marks.

He can not only build off of that but also end his career as the third leading scorer in program history, first in blocks and first in rebounds. Those numbers are all in reach for someone with career averages of 16.9 points per game, 8.5 rebounds and 1.9 blocks.

"I'd rather get the championship. If I don't need to score that much and we're playing really well, that's what we're going to do. I'm an unselfish player. I'm a team player," Jackson-Davis said. "But I'm going to do what my coach wants me to do.

"It's just going to be what our team is like and what's working for us. I'm more set on winning the Big Ten than trying to chase records. If we're playing the right way, I think the records will come, and I'll still be able to get them."

So, with all of that set aside, Jackson-Davis has his sights on championships for Indiana. In what form, time will tell. But, he knows this Indiana team will have expectations next season and much higher than what he's had during his Indiana career.

"It's been hard for us because we haven't had a lot of success in the winning column, but I feel like now with this team it's going to be huge for us. We finally have talent, and there's actual expectations for what we can do," Jackson-Davis said. "Just trying to get one championship under my belt, whether it be Big Ten or National. Obviously, I would want National more, but starting with the Big Ten.

"I think it would be huge because I feel like we're a top three team right now there. I love having expectations and having pressure with that situation because we've never had it in the past.

"When Indiana basketball is good, college basketball is good, I'll say that. I think we have a chance to be really, really good next year."