Bio Blast: Hofstra guard Cruz Davis

Kentucky landed its first portal commit of the offseason on Wednesday with the addition of Washington point guard Zoom Diallo. He was the Wildcats’ very first visitor of the spring, ultimately choosing to play for Mark Pope after two seasons with the Huskies. Now it’s time to keep the momentum rolling.

Kentucky is in the middle of hosting several visitors this week. Furman guard Alex Wilkins and Colorado forward Sebastian Rancik spent their Thursday familiarizing themselves with Rupp Arena. More visitors are expected in the coming days. One of them is Hofstra guard Cruz Davis, who Joe Tipton of On3 reports is planning visits to Kentucky, South Carolina, and Grand Canyon. Davis was visiting Texas Tech as of Wednesday night.

A rising redshirt senior, Davis is coming off a 2025-26 campaign that saw him win the Coastal Athletic Association’s Player of the Year award. The 6-foot-3 guard is considered among the top 30 transfer players to enter the portal this offseason. Let’s get to know Davis a little bit better through another edition of KSR’s Bio Blast.

A former Rick Pitino product turned Hofstra star

A native of Plano, TX, Davis spent his senior high school season at well-known Huntington Prep (WV), where he was considered a three-star recruit and a top 200 prospect by the Rivals Industry Ranking. He received offers from the likes of TCU and Oregon State, but landed at Iona, coached at the time by Rick Pitino. Davis made an impact right away for the Gaels, averaging 6.5 points in 18.9 minutes per outing across 24 games played. He was named to the All-MAAC Rookie Team before following Pitino to St. John’s.

Unfortunately, a season-ending injury after just four games played in 2023-24 sent Davis to the bench for good with the Red Storm. His playing time was limited in the four games he saw action in before going down, but he was able to earn a redshirt because of it. From there, Davis made the move to Hofstra ahead of the 2024-25 season to play for head coach Speedy Claxton. Davis spent the next two years there and quickly became a star for the Pride.

As a redshirt sophomore, Davis averaged 14.4 points, 4.4 assists, 3.8 rebounds, and 1.5 steals in 35 minutes per contest. He shot 41.2 percent from the field, 38.8 percent from deep on good volume, and 73.2 percent from the free-throw line while starting all 32 games played. Success didn’t follow, though. Hofstra went 15-18 on the season before bowing out early in the CAA Tournament.

But this past season was the one that put Davis on the map. He led the CAA in both scoring (20.1 PPG) and minutes (37.9 MPG) while being named the CAA Player of the Year. Hofstra won plenty of games because of it, going 24-11 (12-6; CAA). The Pride went on to win the CAA Tournament and made the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2001. Hofstra lost to Alabama in the first round, but not before Davis posted 14 points and six assists in 40 minutes of action against the Crimson Tide.

Davis started all 35 games for the Pride in 2025-26, scoring in double-figures in all but three of them. He dropped at least 30 points in five games and 20 or more points in 18 games. He was also tabbed as the CAA Scholar-Athlete of the Year for his work in the classroom. In addition to his 20.1 points per game, he also added 4.7 assists, 3.7 rebounds, and 1.1 steals per outing on shooting splits of 44.0/40.0/83.0.

What the advanced stats say about his game

Davis did most of the heavy lifting for Hofstra last season. Only one of his teammates scored more than 10 points per game. That led to a usage rate of 27.6 percent, ranking in the 93rd percentile among all Division I guards, per CBB Analytics. That number ballooned to 31.5 percent in six games against Quad 1 and 2 opponents. His shooting efficiency graded out as average, in part due to a poor two-point percentage (45 percent; 36th percentile). But he was an elite three-point shooter on high volume (40 percent on 5.9 attempts per outing) in 2025-26.

As a passer, Davis posted an assist rate of 26.4 percent, grading out in the 91st percentile. He is not someone who attacks the glass on either side of the floor, and his all-in-one defensive numbers don’t jump off the page. But he has proven he can score at will with heavy minutes and usage loads. He also gets to the rim at will and works his way to the free-throw line consistently.

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