Cruz Davis entered the transfer portal on Monday after a breakout season that made him one of the more prominent names available in college basketball. The 6-foot-3 guard, the CAA Player of the Year, averaged 20.1 points and 4.7 assists per game while shooting 40% from three.
That production put Davis firmly on the radar because he did it with volume, too. He attempted nearly six three-pointers per game this season and had already shown a reliable outside shot the year before, when he hit 38.8% from beyond the arc on 4.6 attempts per game.
Davis’s path has taken him from Iona to St. John’s, where he transferred with Rick Pitino, before he spent the past two seasons at Hofstra. The Monday portal move gives him another step in a career that has already moved through multiple programs and now comes after his best season yet.
The transfer also carries a natural link to Alabama. The Crimson Tide faced Davis and Hofstra in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, and Alabama coach Nate Oats has already seen a similar path work once before with Aaron Estrada, who played two seasons for Speedy Claxton at Hofstra before spending one year with Alabama.
There is a stylistic reason that connection stands out. Alabama played at the fifth-fastest tempo nationally per KenPom, while Hofstra ranked 318th, a gap that helps explain why productive backcourt players from one system can become especially intriguing when they hit the portal. Davis is now one of the latest to test that market, and his numbers suggest he should draw immediate attention.
