2022 guard Davis finds fit with West Virginia basketball
Scott Depot (W.Va.) Teays Valley Christian guard Josiah Davis left his native Canada to play high school basketball in the state of West Virginia in search of an opportunity.
Turns out, he wouldn’t have to look very far to find it.
Davis, 6-foot-3, 195-pounds, became the first commitment for the Mountaineers in the 2022 cycle after announcing his selection Monday evening. It was a choice that caught the coaching staff, namely lead recruiter Ron Everhart completely off-guard because of how early in the process it came.
“I don’t think he was expecting it so early. A lot of smiling, joy and a lot of laughter. It was a great opportunity that I got the chance to commit to West Virginia,” he said.
But after making a list, the Mountaineers checked every box.
The Ontario native had first received an offer from West Virginia in August of 2020 but had seen enough to make the decision after talking things over with his family and those close to him. Davis had drawn interest from a long list of schools such as Baylor, Mississippi, Purdue, Virginia Tech, Cincinnati and more but the Mountaineers were the first high-major to extend a scholarship offer.
Turns out that along with his connection with the coaching staff were enough to seal things up before his recruitment ever really had a chance to grow due to the restrictions with the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Coach Ron would always check in on me and even when they were busy, he would always make time for me and make sure I was good,” he said. “He made sure I was in line with my classwork and that they still cared about me and wanted me at West Virginia.”
He is coming off a sophomore season where he averaged 15 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists for TVCS but it was the defensive end of the floor when he takes the most pride.
That gels with what West Virginia wants to find in players they add to the program.
“They’re hard-nosed on the court and they love to play defense. Everybody can put the ball in the hoop but it’s a matter of being able to sit down and play defense,” he said. “I found the biggest thing is that they want to play defense and I want to do that, win games and go to bat with my brothers.”
After moving to the states, Davis lives with a host family which has treated him like their own. He also has embraced the lifestyle in the state of West Virginia which made the decision to head north up I-79 to play for Bob Huggins an easier one than he first anticipated it would be.
“I’m staying in an environment where people care about me and I’m going somewhere where I know I’ll be taken care of. I’m ready to make a name for myself out here,” he said.
Davis is being recruited to play point guard for West Virginia and is excited to bring his leadership to the Mountaineers basketball program. He has already visited campus prior to the start of the NCAA recruiting dead period and the environment on that trip stood out to him.
“I’ve been to many places and seen many places, but I’ve never seen a place like West Virginia,” he said.
Davis started playing basketball in the eighth grade and has only continued to blossom on the court. He has developed into a complete point guard since moving to Teays Valley on both ends of the floor. He has played with West Virginia Elite on the AAU circuit and with his recruitment now in the rearview mirror is excited to start his high school season in a few short weeks.
And then it’ll be off to Morgantown.
“West Virginia had everything it was that I wanted in a school,” he said. “I’ve been here already so I already felt at home.”
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