Cruz Davis becomes first St. John's basketball player to enter transfer portal
The guard did not have the season he envisioned when he joined the Red Storm
Cruz Davis was brought into the St. John's basketball program to help Rick Pitino change the culture in Queens and be a player he could trust off the bench to run the team on the court.
Neither really came to fruition for Davis in his first season with the Red Storm as he entered the transfer portal on Tuesday afternoon, two days after the Johnnies learned it did not receive a bid into the NCAA Tournament and declined an invitation to the NIT.
The former Iona guard was limited to just four games for the Storm this season and had not played since St. John's victory over West Virginia on December 1.
Cruz Davis suffered a broken hand during preseason practice but was able to return for the season opener against Stony Brook on November 7, however, there were some major setbacks with his recovery.
Pitino described that Davis had lost feeling in some of his fingers that limited his ability to effectively dribble and shoot. The feeling didn't return, so he visited multiple specialists to try and find a way to get on the court faster, but the best way to get back to full health was rest.
The Texas native was even instructed by Pitino to remain home with his family over winter break and rejoin the team when students arrived back on campus for the second semester in January.
St. John's applied for a medical redshirt for Davis, ensuring that he will still have three years of eligibility remaining.
He scored a total of seven points in 26 minutes this season after averaging 6.5 points per game in his freshman season at Iona.
There is expected to be more roster movement with the Johnnies early in the offseason. Rick Pitino has said he expects four or five players from this year's roster to return for next season.