The year two expectations are high for Indiana sophomore forward Trayce Jackson-Davis.
The IU star was named to the preseason All-Big Ten team on Monday in a release by the conference.
Jackson-Davis is hoping that an expanded skillset that makes him a threat outside of the paint helps him take an expected year two jump.
“Not being able to space the floor really hurt parts of my game,” Jackson-Davis told the media this summer about his freshman season with IU. “Teams being able to pack it in, they kind of learned that late in the season.
“I’ve been really working on my jump shot, stretching the floor is going to be a big key for me this year,” Jackson-Davis said. “During the quarantine that’s all I’ve been working on is my jump shot, just shooting the ball a ton.”
A third team All-Big Ten performer as a freshman, Jackson-Davis contributed 13.5 points while shooting 56.6 percent from the field and added 8.4 rebounds and 1.8 blocks. He led the team in all four of those categories.
Head coach Archie Miller has high hopes that Jackson-Davis can expand on that impressive debut during his sophomore season.
“Trayce Jackson-Davis has to be an All-American for us,” Miller said recently. “He has to be one of the premier players in the country for us.”
Jackson-Davis joined nine other players on the preseason list. Iowa’s Luka Garza was named the preseason player of the year.
The full release from the league follows.
Big Ten Men’s Basketball 2020-21 Preseason Honors Announced
ROSEMONT, Ill. — Iowa senior center Luka Garza has been chosen as the Big Ten Preseason Player of the Year heading into the 2020-21 men’s basketball season, as voted on by a panel of conference media members. Garza was selected as the Big Ten Player of the Year in 2019-20 after leading the Hawkeyes to a 20-11 overall record with an 11-9 finish in Big Ten play. He is the second consecutive student-athlete to earn Player of the Year and then be selected as the Preseason Player of the Year the following season. Former Michigan State Spartan Cassius Winston received the preseason accolade in 2019-20 after claiming postseason honors following the 2018-19 season.
The media also selected a 10-member Preseason All-Big Ten Team with eight conference programs represented.
Garza, along with Illinois junior guard Ayo Dosunmu, were unanimous selections to the Preseason All-Big Ten Team. Illinois sophomore center Kofi Cockburn, Indiana sophomore forward Trayce Jackson-Davis, Iowa junior guard/forward Joe Wieskamp, Michigan State junior forward Aaron Henry, Minnesota junior guard Marcus Carr, Purdue junior forward Trevion Williams, Rutgers senior guard Geo Baker and Wisconsin senior forward Nate Reuvers also earned preseason accolades.
Garza and Dosunmu earned first-team media All-Big Ten honors in 2019-20. Carr, Cockburn, Jackson-Davis, Reuvers and Wieskamp were third-team media selections while Baker and Williams collected honorable mention plaudits last year. Cockburn and Jackson-Davis were also All-Freshman Team honorees.
2020-21 PRESEASON BIG TEN PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Luka Garza, Senior Center, Iowa
2020-21 PRESEASON ALL-BIG TEN TEAM
Kofi Cockburn, Sophomore Center, Illinois
AYO DOSUNMU, JUNIOR GUARD, ILLINOIS
Trayce Jackson-Davis, Sophomore Forward, Indiana
LUKA GARZA, SENIOR CENTER, IOWA
Joe Wieskamp, Junior Guard/Forward, Iowa
Aaron Henry, Junior Forward, Michigan State
Marcus Carr, Junior Guard, Minnesota
Trevion Williams, Junior Forward, Purdue
Geo Baker, Senior Guard, Rutgers
Nate Reuvers, Senior Forward, Wisconsin
Unanimous selections in ALL CAPS
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