Davion Mitchell became a household name this March thanks to his NCAA tournament heroics as the engine powering Baylor's title run. He posted 15 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists in 35 minutes in a win over undefeated Gonzaga and projected top-five pick Jalen Suggs, earning fans nationwide with his defensive intensity, burst, vision and shotmaking ability.
Even NBA players took notice, with the Portland Trail Blazers' Damian Lillard tweeting at Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell, "you play for Baylor bra? I'm confused lol."
Despite clear similarities and a friendship and mutual respect between the two -- they share the same agent -- Davion Mitchell is no Donovan Mitchell clone. Nor is he an NCAA tournament darling who rose up draft boards as a product of the recency bias that comes along with a strong late-season performance.
From grueling open runs at Shuman Recreation Center in his hometown of Hinesville, Georgia, to 4 a.m. workouts in Waco, Texas, to relentless film study with Baylor graduate assistants, Mitchell's journey is a story of resilience and player development. Unseen hours laid the foundation both mentally and physically for Mitchell's transformation from a lightly used freshman at Auburn battling up-and-down confidence as a shooter to a 6-foot-1 star who instantly lifts the level of any workout, practice or game he's involved in and is now projected to be a top-10 pick.
As Baylor assistant coach John Jakus told ESPN over the phone, "He's relentless."