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Baylor Basketball Recruiting

MBB: Davion Mitchell on Why He Chose Baylor

April 15, 2018
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6-1 200 lb Point Guard Davion Mitchell transferred from Auburn after a freshman season where he averaged 17 minutes, 4 points and 2 assists per game.  Mitchell was a top 70 national recruit coming out of Liberty County High School in Hinesville, GA where he averaged 24 points and 6 assists over his last two seasons which included a state championship.  Mitchell's recruiting stock rose during the Nike EYBL circuit where he was the primary point guard for the Georgia Stars, averaging 15 points per game against some of the best high school players in the country.  

I caught up with Davion while he was catching a flight home from his trip to Waco.  Here are the highlights of our conversation.  

Davion, what led you to choose Baylor?  Tell me about your visit and what nudged you in that direction?

Davion:  I brought my whole family on the visit.  We all felt at home immediately.  The whole staff and the players made us feel welcomed.  I liked the Christian atmosphere and the family feel of the school.  We all bought in after seeing all the program and school has going for it.  

Our message board subscribers are always interested in hearing what you want to study at Baylor.  Do you have a chosen path academically?

Davion:  I was studying physical therapy at Auburn, but I have always loved math.  I want to do something that involves math.  

What led to your decision to transfer out of Auburn?  

Davion:  I loved my time at Auburn.  We had a great season and won an SEC championship.  The fan support was great.  But I prefer to play on the ball as the primary point guard.  I think that is where I help the team the most with my combination of speed and distribution.  That is what I was recruited at Auburn to do.  That was not going to happen the next few years at Auburn with the personnel of the team.  I bought into my role and will always do that, but I felt like the best thing for my development and to help a team win at a high level was to be the primary ball handler/distributor.  

Baylor has had success with transfers in the past.  Most recently, Manu Lecomte sat out as a transfer from Miami and then earned Big12 honors in his last two seasons.  Was that a reason for choosing Baylor?  

Davion:  Yes for sure, I love their track record with transfers and their plan for player development.  Their results build up a lot of trust because they have guys sit a year and then excel after sitting and go on to play professional basketball after.  

I have to ask you this question.  On our message boards, some are concerned about your 3 point shooting percentage at Auburn (29%).  But I know that you shot over 40% each of your last two high school seasons from 3 point range and that you shot 36% from 3 during EYBL play.  How would you respond to concerns about your outside shooting?

Davion:  I think some of it was a function of playing off the ball for the first time and having to make that adjustment combined with the speed and physicality of the college game.  I shot much better from 3 in high school and EYBL because I was accustomed to playing with the ball in my hands all of my life and there is a rhythm to that.  But either way, I will be working long and hard on my 3 point shooting during my transfer season because I realize this is such a vital part of today's basketball game.  

Baylor suffered a down season for them last year but this program is accustomed to not only making the NCAA tournament but making deep runs (four sweet 16s; two elite 8s in the last 8 years).  What do you want to accomplish at Baylor on the basketball court?

Davion:  I'm very excited about the future of Baylor basketball and the talent and quality of the guys that I will be working with.  I want to win a lot of games and championships.  And like most D1 basketball players at this level, I have pro aspirations.  But I know that will come if I lead Baylor to wins and championships.  

Discussion from...

MBB: Davion Mitchell on Why He Chose Baylor

11,225 Views | 32 Replies | Last: 5 yr ago by PartyBear
Ashley Hodge
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http://www.wacotrib.com/sports/baylor/mens_basketball/mitchell-brings-explosiveness-to-baylor-basketball/article_4568c347-36d3-5a63-88a7-0b47b2e8751a.html

good complement to my interview
matt0519
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Needed a tough guard like this. Can't wait to see him in the green and gold!!
D. C. Bear
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Welcome to Baylor, Davion!
GoodNewsBears
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Let's go! Pumped to have this guy. If he puts his head down and works hard, there is no ceiling for what this program and school can give back to him
fuentbu1
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Love his size, athleticism and coming from a place where he got to experience winning.

He will come in and be the man at PG for 3 full seasons if he wants it. Super excited he will be a Bear!

Oh and nobody gets his guys results in the redshirt year better than Coach Drew.

Sic'Em!
BUMom4ever
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Love his confidence, maturity and recognition of what he can work on and accomplish during the 'sitout' yr at Baylor. Excited for the future!! Welcome to Baylor, Davion! #SicEm
deemus
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Awesome. We got a legit player from a legit team, who played pretty much in every game. Looking forward to seeing him in green and gold!
BrooksBearLives
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Welcome home, Davion!
baylor2
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Welcome to the Bears!
dallasbufan
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Clear cut path to major minutes here, and he should fit in really well with the pieces in place in 2019-20. Great fit and makes sense for all parties. (Just a shame he can't play for us this year.)

If Kegler and Clark don't go pro after the 2018-19 season (and it's certainly unlikely that both will go pro), we should have a lot of pieces in place for a major run. Additionally, I think we'll be much more likely to score in transition with Allen and Mitchell at the guard positions in 2019. (That's a lot of athleticism that can finish at the rim; something we've lacked recently.)

Additionally, we have a few scholarships left. Can't wait to see what the final additions look like.
Gunny Hartman
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With Drew's strong history of development of guards, I see a very bright future for this young man if he puts in the work to be great. Welcome to the Baylor Family Davion!
sonuvabear
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The next in a line of successful transfer guards, and perhaps the most talent to work with of any of them. Let's see what that Scott Drew magic can do!
@wkylegibson
Chad 2 the Bone
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Welcome to Baylor Davion! Really excited to see how he grows in the year off with Drew and company.
BeahinBoston
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Welcome aboard Davion!
Justin Kates
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Great fit. Welcome home DM!
-Justin Kates
Lance_smith15
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can't wait to see what Drew and co. can do with his talent! Excited to have a bigger guard that is versatile and can shoot well and drive to the basket consistently, we've been missing that in our teams recently
Marlin
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Welcome to Baylor Davion! I can't wait to see you on the court.
Clavin
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This guy has what only God can provide...elite quickness. Medford, Chery and Manu didn't have it. I would prefer Mitchell be a better shooter, but with his ability to break down a defense, we need to surround him with 3 pt shooters, not mid range shooters.
Sprite
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Sicem Davion!

And since you are now in the club, Ashley is not a girl. Just thought you should know.
boxster
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Welcome to the MBB family, and to the Baylor family! Ready for November, 2019 to get here to see you do your thing on the court.
Ashley Hodge
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Sprite said:

Sicem Davion!

And since you are now in the club, Ashley is not a girl. Just thought you should know.
Lol- since we spoke on the phone I'm pretty sure he put 2 and 2 together
IASIP Rocks
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No way to describe how pumped I am to see him in Green and Gold...





BUbearinARK
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Oh yeah! Welcome home!!

Fozzie
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Welcome aboard Davion! You chose wisely. You will find the Baylor community to be warm and welcoming and loyal to you for the rest of your life. Sic'Em.
Fair&Balanced
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If Davion truly likes math, he might consider taking economics. It's been a long time since I had a MBB player in one of my classes. Kerry Castleberry if I remember correctly.
Ashley Hodge
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Fair & Balanced said:

If Davion truly likes math, he might consider taking economics. It's been a long time since I had a MBB player in one of my classes. Kerry Castleberry if I remember correctly.
the dismal science? Good call lots of options coming out of economics and finance.
ButterflyFX
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Sounds like Davion wants a real college degree and a successful career. Thank goodness Drew rescued him from the SEC. I admire anyone who loves math. The career opportunities are much better when you aren't afraid of math. I speak from experience.
#45 Bryson Jackson, LB, 6'2" 211 lbs
2020 Graduate, Mansfield, TX
GP -:13, Tackles - 7 (3 solo)
Quinton
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Clavine said:

This guy has what only God can provide...elite quickness. Medford, Chery and Manu didn't have it. I would prefer Mitchell be a better shooter, but with his ability to break down a defense, we need to surround him with 3 pt shooters, not mid range shooters.
Agree. We haven't had great athletes at guard since Pierre. From what I understand, Mason is also a better athlete than those last 3 too.
NoBSU
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Ashley Hodge said:

Fair & Balanced said:

If Davion truly likes math, he might consider taking economics. It's been a long time since I had a MBB player in one of my classes. Kerry Castleberry if I remember correctly.
the dismal science? Good call lots of options coming out of economics and finance.
Let's see. The options from an Economics Bachelors:
1. MBA
2. Masters in Economics
3. Barista
4. Law School

I think I ordered those properly.
Ashley Hodge
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ha, actuary, financial analyst, consultant

Truman used to look for one handed economists. He said, "my economists always tell me ___ on this hand but on the other hand ____. I want a one handed economist."

NoBSU
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Ashley Hodge said:

ha, actuary, financial analyst, consultant

Truman used to look for one handed economists. He said, "my economists always tell me ___ on this hand but on the other hand ____. I want a one handed economist."


You probably couldn't guess my BBA concentration. I used to say sell shoes at Kinneys but they went out of business.

Most opportunities for economics needs a masters. I was always good at drawing graphs and charts though. Excel kind of made that commonplace.
PartyBear
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Is he really good? Is this a fair trade for Stidham?
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