Middle Tennesee State University Athletics
Fate giving Shuler, Davis unique opportunities
12/16/2020 12:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball, BRAA
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — It may take a while to come to fruition, but it sometimes seems like fate wins out in the end — at least, that's been the case with a couple of Middle Tennessee's men's basketball players.
Growing up in the northwest Columbia suburb of Irmo, South Carolina, Jordan Davis and Dontrell Shuler struck a friendship when they were in elementary school. They were on the same AAU team, developing dreams of one day playing in high school and college.
Their paths would then go separate ways, but, as fate would have it, they're back together all these years later and playing key roles for the Blue Raiders. They're pacing the team in both points and minutes played, Davis scoring 11.8 points in 31.2 minutes per game and Shuler pouring in 10.2 points in 27.6 minutes per game as MT's sixth man.
"It truly is a blessing to be able to be here and play with Jordan," Shuler said. "Personally, I know I put in a lot of work to get here. … I'm trying to take advantage of the blessing that I've gotten."
Basketball was always at the center of their relationship. They met on the hardwood, and when they were young, Shuler and his brother would often go to Davis' house after practice to play NBA 2K video games or shoot hoops.
"We would go over to Jordan's and play 2K, and the announcers would say Jordan's player's full last name on the video game. My brother and I would always get mad because we didn't have a Shuler in the NBA so it wouldn't say our last name," Shuler said.
Unsurprisingly, it was basketball that again brought Shuler and Davis back together.
Davis originally committed to Dayton out of Dutch Fork High School. He played two years for the Flyers before transferring to Middle Tennessee and sitting out all of last season due to NCAA transfer rules.
Shuler, who graduated from Legacy Charter School, played at Charleston Southern for two years then transferred to MT this summer. He was granted immediate eligibility by the NCAA to play this season.
When Shuler was looking for his next stop after Charleston Southern, the Blue Raiders stood out for an obvious reason.
"Knowing that I had someone here that I knew, that was the main reason why I wanted to come here," he said. "It was automatic when they told me they wanted me to come here because Jordan was here."
Davis and Shuler have both fit in beautifully with the Blue Raiders and Middle Tennessee community so far. That could be because Murfreesboro has some of the same characteristics as Irmo.
"It's kind of similar to Murfreesboro. It's small but has some of the big town kind of feel to it," Davis said. "There's a lot of young basketball talent out there."
The Columbia area has become a hotbed for college basketball talent in the past few years. In 2014, the South Carolina Hornets AUU team featured NBA Rookie of the Year Ja Morant and 2019 NBA Draft No. 1 overall pick Zion Williamson, but another future college star on that squad was Shuler's older brother, Devontae.
Devontae eventually committed to Ole Miss and is now a senior for the Rebels. As fate would have it yet again, they'll travel to Murfreesboro Wednesday to take on Middle Tennessee, the fifth time in the NCAA this season brothers are scheduled to play against one another.
Just like back in the day at Davis' house, the Shulers and Davis will all be on the same court again.
"It's honestly a blessing. Our whole lives, we've wanted to play against each other," Shuler said. "We've had our one-on-one games and fights on the court. … To be able to do it for our pops, that's a great feeling. I'm really proud of him.
"We're going to talk at each other and going to compete. It's going to be a fun one."
Call it fate, coincidence, destiny — whatever you want to call it, multiple paths are crossing this season for Shuler and Davis, from playing together to playing against Shuler's older brother.
The Blue Raiders couldn't be happier being able to suit up together, and they couldn't be prouder of one another.
"Everybody says it's a small world, and that's a fact," Davis said. "It just feels right. … I expect big things from Dontrell and for him to keep doing well."
Gallery: (12-16-2020) Dontrell Shuler and Jordan Davis
Growing up in the northwest Columbia suburb of Irmo, South Carolina, Jordan Davis and Dontrell Shuler struck a friendship when they were in elementary school. They were on the same AAU team, developing dreams of one day playing in high school and college.
Their paths would then go separate ways, but, as fate would have it, they're back together all these years later and playing key roles for the Blue Raiders. They're pacing the team in both points and minutes played, Davis scoring 11.8 points in 31.2 minutes per game and Shuler pouring in 10.2 points in 27.6 minutes per game as MT's sixth man.
"It truly is a blessing to be able to be here and play with Jordan," Shuler said. "Personally, I know I put in a lot of work to get here. … I'm trying to take advantage of the blessing that I've gotten."
Basketball was always at the center of their relationship. They met on the hardwood, and when they were young, Shuler and his brother would often go to Davis' house after practice to play NBA 2K video games or shoot hoops.
"We would go over to Jordan's and play 2K, and the announcers would say Jordan's player's full last name on the video game. My brother and I would always get mad because we didn't have a Shuler in the NBA so it wouldn't say our last name," Shuler said.
Unsurprisingly, it was basketball that again brought Shuler and Davis back together.
Davis originally committed to Dayton out of Dutch Fork High School. He played two years for the Flyers before transferring to Middle Tennessee and sitting out all of last season due to NCAA transfer rules.
Shuler, who graduated from Legacy Charter School, played at Charleston Southern for two years then transferred to MT this summer. He was granted immediate eligibility by the NCAA to play this season.
When Shuler was looking for his next stop after Charleston Southern, the Blue Raiders stood out for an obvious reason.
"Knowing that I had someone here that I knew, that was the main reason why I wanted to come here," he said. "It was automatic when they told me they wanted me to come here because Jordan was here."
Davis and Shuler have both fit in beautifully with the Blue Raiders and Middle Tennessee community so far. That could be because Murfreesboro has some of the same characteristics as Irmo.
"It's kind of similar to Murfreesboro. It's small but has some of the big town kind of feel to it," Davis said. "There's a lot of young basketball talent out there."
The Columbia area has become a hotbed for college basketball talent in the past few years. In 2014, the South Carolina Hornets AUU team featured NBA Rookie of the Year Ja Morant and 2019 NBA Draft No. 1 overall pick Zion Williamson, but another future college star on that squad was Shuler's older brother, Devontae.
Devontae eventually committed to Ole Miss and is now a senior for the Rebels. As fate would have it yet again, they'll travel to Murfreesboro Wednesday to take on Middle Tennessee, the fifth time in the NCAA this season brothers are scheduled to play against one another.
Just like back in the day at Davis' house, the Shulers and Davis will all be on the same court again.
"It's honestly a blessing. Our whole lives, we've wanted to play against each other," Shuler said. "We've had our one-on-one games and fights on the court. … To be able to do it for our pops, that's a great feeling. I'm really proud of him.
"We're going to talk at each other and going to compete. It's going to be a fun one."
Call it fate, coincidence, destiny — whatever you want to call it, multiple paths are crossing this season for Shuler and Davis, from playing together to playing against Shuler's older brother.
The Blue Raiders couldn't be happier being able to suit up together, and they couldn't be prouder of one another.
"Everybody says it's a small world, and that's a fact," Davis said. "It just feels right. … I expect big things from Dontrell and for him to keep doing well."
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