Rick Pitino didn’t need to say much to Cruz Davis.
Still, the two-time national-championship-winning head coach compiled a detailed pitch to lure Davis to Iona over multiple Power Five offers in 2021.
Pitino traveled to West Virginia that November to watch Davis, a four-star shooting guard, practice at Huntington Prep High School. There, Davis said Pitino compared his jump shot to Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier’s. Pitino also told Davis that he could help him bulk up and fine tune his shot.
The two stayed in contact over the ensuing months. Davis and his father, Vincent, then took an official visit to Iona the following March. Pitino put Davis through a full workout before they went to an Italian restaurant for dinner.
Afterward, Pitino told them he wanted Davis to commit before they left. Little did Pitino know, his name said enough.
“He didn’t really have to say much to me, it’s Rick Pitino,” Davis said. “Of course you want to go play for a guy like that.”
Davis spent two years with Pitino — one at Iona and another when he followed him to St. John’s in 2023. But then, their careers deviated. While Pitino guided the Johnnies to the NCAA Tournament last year, Davis transferred to Hofstra, tapping into his star potential on Long Island. Across two years with the Pride, Davis is averaging 17.3 points and shooting 43.1 percent from the floor.
Now, the redshirt junior is looking to lead Hofstra to March Madness by winning the CAA Tournament, which begins Friday.
“I always said Cruz Davis was going to be a great player. He just needed the minutes,” Pitino told The Post on Feb. 20.
“Cruz don’t show no fear. He’s a dawg,” former Iona teammate Keither Florence said. “He don’t care what stage he’s on, he’s gonna perform. So I feel like whoever is up next is gonna get the wrath of Cruz.”
Davis started high school at the iSchool of Lewisville (Texas) but transferred to Huntington Prep for his senior year. Huntington Prep coach Arkell Bruce likened him to the San Antonio Spurs’ De’Aaron Fox due to his “extra burst” and defensive effort. Bruce added they often practiced screen and roll drills with Davis to help him pick apart defenses.
He originally committed to Oregon State as a sophomore but switched to Iona once most of the Beavers’ 2021 squad left. Pitino kept up his end of the deal after the decision. He helped Davis improve his off-ball defense and ability to finish at the rim.
Iona’s starting guards, Daniss Jenkins and Walter Clayton, now both in the NBA, also helped. Davis said Clayton taught him how to use his body to get to the basket, while he learned how to become a true “floor general” from Jenkins.
But Davis had limited opportunities at Iona. He sat behind Jenkins and Clayton in the Gaels’ rotation, and he was passive when he did play. Davis also missed 11 games due to injuries — a preseason foot issue that was reaggravated late in the regular season, per Vincent.
Still, Davis averaged 6.5 points per game, a key bench piece in the Gaels’ run to the NCAA Tournament.
Vincent remembers Davis’ reaction to winning the MAAC Tournament vividly. After Iona dominated Canisius, Davis sprinted to the locker room to grab his phone. When he returned to the court, he FaceTimed his family, MAAC trophy in hand.
Though Iona’s season ended in the first round against UConn, Davis had no time to relax.
Three days later, Pitino moved to St. John’s. He had one-on-one meetings with the players he wanted to take with him, Davis included.
Again, Davis’ decision was simple.
“I didn’t really want to transfer, but when (Pitino) left, that’s who I wanted to play for,” Davis said.
“Wherever Coach P would’ve coached, Cruz would’ve went there,” Vincent added.
Davis never gained traction at St. John’s, though. Five weeks before the season, he broke his left hand when he jammed his finger on a ball in practice.
He rushed back for the season opener but never truly recovered. Davis lost feeling in his hand; it was constantly uncomfortable, numb and tingly. He played four of the Johnnies’ first seven games, but Vincent said he couldn’t dribble properly because of a splint engulfing his hand.
Eventually, he was shut down for two months, and he redshirted to preserve his eligibility. Davis was frustrated — he was wasting his chance to prove himself.
Davis still practiced despite being sidelined, something Pitino implemented unless players truly couldn’t participate. Davis completed running, lifting and shooting workouts, albeit modified without using his left hand.
“He made sure that he kept his spirits up,” former St. John’s guard Simeon Wilcher said. “He was just ready to get back out there on the court as fast as he could.”
After the season, Davis and Pitino met to discuss his future. Davis told him he wanted to “test his options” in the portal for a change of scenery, and the two agreed that was his best route.
Davis was in uncharted territory — when he signed with Iona, he expected to play with Pitino for his whole college career. But just halfway through, he was looking elsewhere.
Davis landed with another experienced coach in Hofstra’s Speedy Claxton.
Claxton, a seven-year NBA veteran, and assistant coach Mike DePaoli told Davis he could play 30-plus minutes per game as its starting point guard.
So, after a month in the portal, Davis chose Hofstra.
“He knew that he could go in and play right away,” Vincent said of his son’s decision. “You play for a Hall of Fame coach in Rick Pitino, and then you get to play for ex-NBA (player) Speedy Claxton, that’s a no-brainer.”
Davis has been nothing short of sensational at Hofstra. This season, he leads the CAA with 20.3 points per game on a 44.7 percent clip. He’s found success driving into the paint, pulling up from 3 and even swinging hook passes inside for assists.
Claxton called him the best player in the league after Hofstra’s win over Hampton on Feb. 19. The fans chanting “MVP” after Davis’ 20-point, five-assist performance seemed to agree.
Davis said DePaoli has practiced different finishes with him — off one leg, two legs, high floaters — to round out his game.
For those close to him, though, this isn’t surprising. Former St. John’s forward Drissa Traore emphasized that Davis has always been a “high-major player,” while Florence said he could’ve started at Iona if not for its stacked backcourt.
“I’ve been seeing the same stuff I’ve seen since practice,” Traore said. “It’s just more opportunity. He’s definitely shooting the ball great, making plays for his teammates. These are the things that he’s been capable of doing.”
Hofstra snagged the No. 3 seed in the CAA Tournament with a 12-6 conference and 21-10 overall record. That included Power Five wins over Pittsburgh and Syracuse in December, when Claxton declared that Hofstra would become “the hunted.”
The best way to complete its season would be making the NCAA Tournament.
Florence remembers a police car escorting Iona’s bus to its tournament game against UConn in 2023. Cameras flashed in players’ faces as they got off. He said everyone felt like superstars.
Davis can show the world he truly is a superstar in the next few weeks. And it took leaving the coach that recruited, developed and trusted him to get there. But Pitino’s work still sticks with him today.
“Pitino has a remarkable reputation for developing talent. What you’re seeing from Cruz now, that’s from those workouts, those practices,” Vincent said.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: nypost.com
