4-star Davis-Ray eyes more trips to Fayetteville
Consensus 2025 4-star prospect BJ Davis-Ray has visited the University of Arkansas basketball program twice and has his eye on making two more trips to Fayetteville in the near future.
Davis-Ray, 6-7, 190 pounds, of Duncanville, Texas, lists schools like Arkansas, Kansas, Creigh- ton, Stanford, Alabama and Michigan State standing out for his services.
“I definitely want to take some official visits here coming up soon this summer and in the fall for sure,” Davis-Ray said.
Arkansas Coach Eric Musselman and staff are relentless is their pursuit of Davis-Ray.
“Man, it’s been very consistent,” Davis-Ray said. “They’re been hitting me up almost every day. Checking in with me. Even Coach Muss, so I just really appreciate them doing that. They’re checking in all of my games and who we play and how the games went. So they’re very tied in with me and my school and I appreciate that.”
Davis-Ray made his first trip to Arkansas for the basketball game against Missouri in January of last year with his then teammates at Link Academy in Branson before he transferred to Duncanville. He and his family also visited Fayetteville for the BYU football game last September.
“The energy was there,” Davis-Ray said. “It was live. They showed me a great time. They did the [Hog] call, it was super loud in there. It was great energy. I had a lot of fun.”
Davis-Ray plans to make an unofficial visit to Fayetteville in the near future followed by an official visit at some point.
He’s averaging 20 points, 9 rebounds and 4 assists while shooting 40% from beyond the three-point line this season. The On3.com industry ranking lists Davis-Ray the No. 17 shooting guard and the No. 61 overall prospect in the nation for his class.
Musselman is known to like lengthy guards, with former Duncanville/Razorback and current Orlando Magic guard Anthony Black being one.
“Coach Muss is telling how he likes my shot and how I’m very versatile,” Davis-Ray said. “I can score the ball well and how I can guard multiple positions. I just hit a 1,000 career points and he told me congratulations not too long ago.”
His father, Brandon Davis-Ray Sr., also complimented the Hogs for reaching out to him, including Musselman and assistant director of recruiting and scouting Blake Wetherington.
“It’s always good to talk to the head guy in charge,” Davis-Ray Sr. said. “They’ve been supporting BJ and his team the whole season. Just providing direction and just telling him lead the team and how he’s been doing well with the little things. It’s not always about scoring, just impacting the game in other ways. He’s told me Coach [Keith] Smart has reached out and has told him just impacting the game and keep playing hard. It’s always good to have a coaching staff supporting your kid, pushing him in the right direction.”
When Davis-Ray attended Link Academy as a sophomore, it was a tough adjustment for him and his closeknit family.
“We wanted to make the sacrifice because we thought it would be good for him in his development and it really was,” Davis-Ray Sr. said. “He left a young man and came back a full grown man it almost seems.”
The elder Davis-Ray is thrilled to have his son back home.
“There’s things you want to share with your kids,” Davis-Ray Sr. said. “Having him back, we’re able to do the little things, going out to dinner and just hanging out. Have a movie night, watch games together.”
Davis-Ray, who also has scholarship offers from Texas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Auburn, TCU, LSU, Illinois, Tennessee and others, helped Link to a 27-1 record as a sophomore while capturing the GEICO Nationals championship. Davis-Ray Sr. praised Link Coach Bill Armstrong and the staff for his son’s experience.
“We made some phenomenal relationships at Link with some phenomenal people,” Davis-Ray Sr. “Absolutely a class act of people up there. Coach Bill, the staff. Brothers for life with those guys. They’re national champions, so that’s something that made the sacrifice worthwhile.”
Musselman and staff keep the younger Davis-Ray updated on the Hogs’ season.
“They tell me when they play if they got the W or if they lost, where their next game is going to be,” Davis-Ray said. “They even tell me when they have a big home game coming up, they invite me out. I haven’t been able to make one yet but I’m trying to put something together with me and my family to get down there.”
While Arkansas’ season hasn’t got as expected after two Elite Eight runs and a Sweet 16 appearance, Davis-Ray remains optimistic.
“I definitely know how good of a coach Coach Muss is, so I think he’s going to turn this season around pretty soon,” Davis-Ray said.