Rapheal Davis- 6’5” 200 lbs. Shooting Guard (La Lumiere School) Twitter: @RaphealDavis35

Rapheal Davis is one of the best shooting guards you will find in the Hoosier State. Davis is a knockdown shooter from mid-range and beyond the arc. He has a great frame for a shooting guard and is tough to stop driving to the hoop. He plays for La Lumiere School who is on its rise to become a national basketball powerhouse. They were recently invited to play in the ESPN Rise National High School Invitational. Only eight high school teams are selected to play in the high school showcase and includes prestigious Findlay Prep, whom La Lumiere beat earlier this year. Davis committed to play for Coach Matt Painter and the Purdue Boilermakers early into his high school career in May of 2009. Purdue’s recruiting class is ranked the 16th best class in the country by ESPN.com, and Davis is considered their best recruit. Look for Davis and the rest of the 2012 Purdue class to do great things while at Purdue.

RN: What were some of the deciding factors in your decision to commit to Purdue?
Davis: Great basketball program and great coaches. My mom graduated with a Purdue degree, and it is close to home.

RN: How would you assess you and your team’s performance your senior season?
Davis: Good year. We accomplished a lot.

RN: Have you set any goals for yourself while at Purdue?
Davis: Win championships.

RN: What areas of your game would you like to improve on?
Davis: Defense, Ball handling, and Shooting.

RN: How beneficial will your experience with Jay Simpson be when you are both at Purdue?
Davis: We have great chemistry already. I played all 3 years of high school AAU with AJ too.

RN: Any games you are looking forward to when you’re at Purdue?
Davis: Playing IU.

RN: Who helped you out the most with your recruiting process and in what ways?
Davis: My mom, dad, AAU coach Jared Quarles, and mentor Brian Rogers. Just kept me humble and kept me working hard.

RN: Any hidden talents off the court?
Davis: I have a 4.0 GPA, so school.

RN: Any idea what you will major in at Purdue?
Davis: Law or business management.

James Robinson- 6’3″ 195 lbs. Point Guard (DeMatha) Twitter: @Ja_RobinsonIII

Alongside Syracuse commit Jerami Grant, Robinson helped to lead DeMatha Catholic to a 27-5 record. After suffering a tough loss to Paul VI in the WCAC title game, DeMatha finished their season ranked as the 17th best team in the nation in the Xcellent 25. Robinson is a true leader on the court.

When Jaimie Dixon started recruiting James Robinson back in 2008, he was fully aware of how talented Robinson was and would be. What Coach Dixon did not realize was that he was picking the perfect time to land a 4 star point guard. Robinson will be heavily relied on to fill the shoes of senior point guard Ashton Gibbs. James has excellent court vision and is consistent scoring in transition and finishing with contact. 

Pittsburgh is having their worst season since Ben Howland took over as head coach in 1999. Their streak of ten consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances will come to an end this year. After going 5-13 in Big East play, Panther fans cannot help but to turn the page on this year’s team. The Pittsburgh’s 2012 recruiting class is a great reason for Pittsburgh fans to look forward to next year. With five-star Steven Adams and a versatile guard in Chris Jones joining James to round out Pittsburgh’s 2012 class, Pittsburgh will once again be a top ten team.

RN: What makes Pittsburgh a good fit for you?
Robinson: The coaching staff has a lot of good history developing their guards into big time players (one of them currently an assistant coach). When I visited, the players were only caring about winning and working hard and that’s what I’m about too.

RN: Can you describe your relationship with Coach Dixon?
Robinson: I would say it’s a pretty close one. We talk pretty often about school, sports, or anything else that comes up.

RN: How tough was it to handle your loss to Paul VI in the finals?
Robinson: Very tough. We were trying to make history and came up a bit short. The shot I took on the last posession is one I hit every morning but came up off. With everything going on at school this week, we had to keep that one game in perspective though.

RN: Overall, were you pretty satisfied with your senior season?
Robinson: Definitely. I felt like we fought as hard as we could. We got better each day in practice. Obviously not winning the championship sucks but gave us all a sense of greater motivation going forward on and off the court.

RN: You have been under Pittsburgh’s radar for a while. But at what point of your life did you realize that you are capable of playing against the best competition in college basketball?
Robinson: I have never been one to read much into rankings. My family and I surrounded myself with great coaches that had developed players to player and higher levels of college basketball. At that point, I just had to listen to my coaches who I trusted to get me to where I am today.

RN: Who has had the biggest influence on you on and off the court?
Robinson: My parents definitely. They have been my biggest supporters but kept me humble by being my biggest critics (in good ways).

RN: Are you looking forward to playing against Jerami Grant?
Robinson: Yes. Even though we are great friends we are both competitors too. At the end of the day, it’s Pittsburgh vs. Syracuse, not me vs. him.

RN: What does Pittsburgh need to do to get back on track?
Robinson: One “off” year doesn’t wipe away the previous great years Coach Dixon and the staff had. Just making sure we follow his lead and work hard together is going to be the goal.

RN: Are you looking forward to learning first-hand from former Panther guard Brandin Knight?
Robinson: Yes. Having him and Tray (Woodall) there will give me 2 people who have succeeded at a high level and allow me to learn a lot from them.

RN: At this point in your basketball career, what would you say has been your biggest accomplishment?
Robinson: Other than commiting to Pittsburgh, I would say winning 3 consecutive WCAC and City Titles.

RN: What is the biggest upside of Pittsburgh moving to the ACC?
Robinson: I don’t really know. I haven’t played in either of the conferences yet. With a Big East schedule, I would be comin g home to play Georgetown. Now, in the ACC I’ll be coming home to play Maryland.