UWGB men's basketball welcomes Amari Jedkins, Garren Davis to team
GREEN BAY – University of Wisconsin-Green Bay men’s basketball coach Will Ryan has not yet discussed his thoughts on point guard Kamari McGee recently entering the transfer portal and landing at Wisconsin.
But Ryan did officially welcome the two newest additions to the Phoenix this week after both Racine Case senior forward Amari Jedkins and Clarendon College (Texas) sophomore guard Garren Davis signed their letters of intent with the school.
UWGB’s roster stands at nine players, which includes walk-on Zane Short. The team has five scholarships remaining.
The 6-foot-4 Davis committed to the Phoenix in March after averaging 17.4 points, 3.6 rebounds and shooting 38.1% from 3-point range this past season.
He gives UWGB a much-needed shooter and has two seasons of eligibility remaining. He spent his first two seasons at NCAA Division I Loyola University Maryland.
Davis picked UWGB over other schools such as Manhattan, Louisiana-Monroe and Southern Miss.
It helped that he has a relationship with Phoenix assistant Freddie Owens, who helped coach him for one season at Loyola in 2019-20 before Owens joined Ryan’s staff in Green Bay.
"We are thrilled to have Garren join our program," Ryan said in a statement. "We will definitely welcome his experience and leadership from his years at Loyola and Clarendon. Garren is an exceptional shooter who has the ability to score in bunches. He competes at a high level on the defensive end as well.
“We expect him to come in and make a positive and immediate impact. He's hungry and committed to helping uplift and move Green Bay basketball forward.”
Jedkins committed to UWGB at the end of last month, becoming the fifth player from Racine to play for the school.
The Phoenix was set to have two players from the city on its roster this season, before McGee departed for the Badgers. McGee played at Racine St. Catherine’s and helped the program win a WIAA state title as a senior.
The 6-8 Jedkins averaged 16.9 points, 9.4 rebounds and 2.5 assists this season and helped lead Case to the Division 1 state tournament.
He was an honorable mention all-state selection by the Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association and The Associated Press.
Jedkins also had D-I offers from Western Illinois and Appalachian State University, but he opted to stay in his home state.
Of the nine players on UWGB’s roster, six are from Wisconsin.
“We are really excited to add another Wisconsin prospect in Amari to our program," Ryan said. "The staff and I saw him play a lot last summer and during Racine Case's memorable final four tournament run this season. We loved his intangibles as well as his tremendous upside. He's long, athletic and plays with an infectious energy that fans will love.
“Amari is a versatile, slashing, wing-forward who has an extremely bright future in the green and white."
The Phoenix must land backcourt talent with some of its remaining scholarships after losing both point guards to the portal this offseason in McGee and Lucas Stieber.
Ryan likely will speak about McGee’s departure at some point, but there is a good bet he wasn’t overly pleased by it.
McGee met with Ryan at the beginning of this month to inform him of his decision to leave.
He announced his commitment to the Badgers on Tuesday and will play for a coaching staff that includes assistant Sharif Chambliss, a Racine native and fellow St. Catherine’s alum.
“I felt it was more respectful if I had a face-to-face meeting with him, rather than sending a text or calling,” McGee said about his conversation with Ryan. “I wanted to go talk to him in person.”
McGee wasn’t sure if Ryan was shocked by the decision, although he said Ryan did hope he would reconsider.
“Yeah, you know, any coach would,” McGee said. “We had a good relationship, so I wasn’t surprised at that. For me personally, I just thought there were better opportunities to get better.”
This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: UWGB men's basketball welcomes Amari Jedkins, Garren Davis to team
