Kendric Davis picks Memphis basketball as Penny Hardaway adds ESPN's No. 1 transfer
Kendric Davis – rated the No. 1 transfer in the country by ESPN and CBS Sports – is a Memphis Tiger.
The reigning AAC Player of the Year, who is also a multi-year All-AAC first-team selection, chose Memphis over offers from Duke, Kansas, Texas Tech, Gonzaga, Houston and others.
The SMU point guard announced his commitment Friday, a week after taking an official visit with the Tigers. Davis is testing the NBA Draft waters but did not sign with an agent to maintain his college eligibility.
Memphis coach Penny Hardaway said earlier this year that he planned to hit the transfer portal hard this offseason.
“I just think it’s the best for both worlds,” Davis told The Commercial Appeal. “I get a chance to be around one of the best coaches and one of the best players ever and (Hardaway) gets a chance to coach one of the best point guards in the country.
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“(Hardaway) kept telling me, 'If we get you, the city's gonna go nuts.' I'm here. So, just tell the city of Memphis, I’m ready to turn it up."
Hardaway has been criticized in recent seasons for a perceived inability to attract top-tier point guards, largely relying on Alex Lomax – who also played for him at East High.
Hardaway has tried to run a "position-less" offense. Besides Lomax, Boogie Ellis, Damion Baugh, Lester Quinones, Emoni Bates, Tyler Harris and Jayden Hardaway have each, at times, handled point guard duties. The results have been mixed.
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Adding the shifty, savvy Davis gives the Tigers a bona fide star at point guard – one that is as capable as a scorer as he is a facilitator.
The 6-foot, 180-pound Davis was a four-star recruit out of high school (Sam Houston, Houston, Texas) and spent his freshman season at TCU. He started all 37 games for the Horned Frogs in 2018-19 and displayed plenty of promise. Davis hit double figures in scoring eight times and put up 22 points against No. 17 Iowa State.
But Davis blossomed at SMU, much to many Memphis fans' chagrin. He has been a unanimous first-team all-conference selection each of the past two seasons. As a junior, he led the AAC in scoring (19.1 ppg) and assists (7.6), the only player in the country to lead his conference in both categories. In 2021-22, Davis put up 18.7 points and four assists per game.
Davis and the Mustangs are 5-2 vs Memphis over the past three seasons – including a 2-1 mark at FedExForum ("I only lost once at FedEx, I'm happy to say that," said Davis). In his seven career games vs. the Tigers, Davis averaged 15 points, 3 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 1.8 steals and 3.1 turnovers. He shot 37% from the field and 29% from beyond the arc against the Tigers.
Davis could also provide significant boosts for Memphis in a couple of its problem areas. He was a career 85.3% free throw shooter at SMU. The Tigers ranked 258th in the nation last season, shooting 69.4%. Memphis was even worse at taking care of the ball, turning it over on 22.5% of possessions. Davis sports a career assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.37-to-1.
The Tigers have also added Georgia Southern senior guard Elijah McCadden, who was named the Sun Belt's Sixth Man of the Year in March.
Reach sports writer Jason Munz at jason.munz@commercialappeal.com or on Twitter @munzly.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Kendric Davis commits to Memphis basketball, Penny Hardaway from SMU
