Cruz Davis’ college basketball career brought him all over New York, before landing at Hofstra University this year. The sophomore guard took his spot at Hofstra and ran with it.
Davis, a family-oriented man, started playing basketball when he was 7 years old.
“My favorite memory is when I hit my first three, and my dad came to my game,” Davis said. “He was just laughing at me, saying, ‘Do it again’ because it was my first one ever. I remember him saying I couldn’t do it again.”
Davis’ first stop in New York was Iona University and then St. John’s University after that – all because of one legendary coach.
“I went to Iona because of Rick Pitino; he’s a Hall of Fame coach,” Davis said. “I wanted to learn from him, he’s one of the best coaches to ever coach basketball. I knew he could help my game and help me become a better player. When he decided to go to St. John’s, he asked me to follow him, so there was no reason for me to go anywhere else.”
Pitino is widely considered to be among the greatest college basketball coaches of all time. The two-time national champion left Davis with a unique mindset that he took with him to Hofstra.
“His competitiveness,” Davis said. “He always told me to be competitive and his hate-to-lose mentality, he hated losing. He would always talk about how it would kill him and ‘don’t get comfortable losing with anything in life’ and to always do the best for yourself.”
Davis averages just under 35 minutes of play per game and has taken the reigns of the offense. In doing so, he’s shocked Hofstra head coach Speedy Claxton. Claxton has also kept tabs on him since high school and at Iona when he had faced off against the Pride in non-conference games.
“He’s actually exceeded expectations,” Claxton said. “I knew that he could be a good player, but he hasn’t had much success at the collegiate level, and [it’s] only because he hasn’t had on-court time; he didn’t get to show what he could do. I was focused on what I saw from him in high school, and I did like what I saw from him playing for coach [Pitino] at Iona and St. John’s – I knew that he would be well-coached.”
After one season at Iona and an injury-shortened season at St. John’s, Davis transferred to Hofstra to play for Claxton with the Pride.
“Coming to Hofstra, it was my second time in the portal, so I knew what I was looking for. I just wanted to go somewhere I could make an immediate impact,” Davis said. “Hofstra was one of the first schools to reach out to me, and they gave me everything I was looking for, so I had to come here.”
Claxton played a role in Davis’ decision, as well as the great guard-play from Aaron Estrada and Tyler Thomas who came through the program over the last few years.
“[Claxton] played here at Hofstra, and he let his previous guards play, so he told me he would give me that opportunity, [too],” Davis said. “It’s been fun playing for [Claxton] … He gives us the blueprint and leaves it all up to us. It was easy [buying into Claxton’s philosophy]. The main thing here is defense, we don’t gamble over here. We play solid team defense and a lot of pick-and-roll on offense.”
Davis has played a huge role for the Pride this season as the team’s leading scorer. This season, he has averaged 14.5 points per game, 4.2 assists per game, 1.5 steals per game and he’s shot 41.9% from the field and 38.2% from behind the arc.
“Whenever he scores 15 or more points, it puts us in a good position to win and so much relies on him,” Claxton said. “He’s playing the point guard position for the first time in his life, so he has his ups and downs, but that’s to be expected. He’s coming around these last couple of weeks.”
The 6 foot 3 inch guard has taken over games in the second half, allowing Hofstra a chance to win just about any game. Since Jan. 30, the Pride’s record is only 2-6, but Davis was a big reason that his team was competitive in those games.
“Being a former point guard, you want to have the ultimate confidence in giving your point guard the ball and allow him to make plays not just for himself but for others,” Claxton said. “Cruz is more than capable of doing that, but like I said, he’s still learning the position. He’s going to have some mistakes, and we just have to live with him.”
A lot has worked out in favor of Davis this season, but he thinks there’s one part of his game that’s shined brighter than the rest.
“Getting to the basket has worked pretty well for me and being able to space the floor,” Davis said. “My jump shot has definitely improved this season, so being able to hit open threes and stretch the floor out, makes it easier for me to get to the basket.”
In just one season with the Pride, Davis has built a foundation of relationships with both his teammates and his coaches. Claxton added, “He’s probably closest with Jean [Aranguren]. I think they’re getting really buddy-buddy, and that’s good because those two guys are our two best players.”
“[Davis] is naturally a quiet, shy kid,” Claxton said. “When you get to know him, he opens up to you a little bit more, but he’s a hard worker. He’s somebody who loves the game of basketball.”
For Davis, playing basketball is deeper than the game.
“My mom, she always did everything for me, and my baby brother has autism,” Davis said. “Growing up and going to school with him, I also knew I would have to take care of him and one day my mom, too.”
This purpose fuels his goal including none more important than making it to the big dance.
“Definitely make it to March Madness and win as many games as we can,” Davis said. “[I also] wanted to make any of the All-Conference teams and make the All-Defensive team, too.”
It’s almost time for Hofstra to take a trip to Washington D.C. to compete in the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) Championship. The Pride will have an uphill battle this season considering they’re one of the four lowest ranked teams in the conference, but it’s all about getting hot at the right time. If Davis is shining under the brightest of lights, the Pride has a chance against anybody.
