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Kendric Davis was the American Athletic Conference's Player of the Year this season after averaging 19.4 points a game at SMU to lead the league. He decided to transfer when Mustangs head coach Tim Jankovich announced his retirement in March and ranked No. 2 in Sports Illustrated's top prospects in the transfer portal. Davis wrote an exclusive blog with SI breaking down his decision and the thought process behind it.
Hey world, this is Kendric Davis and I’m here to talk about my commitment.
Well, first I would like to thank SMU for everything they’ve done for me. The fanbase was incredible to me and without their support none of this would be possible. I mean that.
With that being said, me and my mom have decided that I’ll be attending the University of Memphis.
It came down to Memphis, Texas Tech, TCU Kansas and Houston, and I can tell you that there were definitely some sleepless nights because I had some really great options.
Coaches were really making great pitches and I was being pulled in a lot of different ways.
For me, though, it was all about the fit.
I wanted to go somewhere that I could showcase my game, but also be on the big stage.
Of course, everyone knows who Coach Penny (Hardaway) is; he’s one of the greatest point guards of all time, and just being in the city of Memphis is gonna be super dynamic with me and Ja Morant to watch.
John W. McDonough/Sports Illustrated
You’re telling me you get to go watch Ja one day and Kendric the next!
Man! It’s gonna be big!
The ultimate deciding factor was that Penny Hardaway was gonna be my mentor and teacher. He told me coming there would be the biggest news since Tyreke Evans and Derrick Rose.
For him to say that, it meant a lot to me and my family. Just to have that level of expectation is something I really embrace.
It’s bittersweet because, Lord knows, I didn’t want to leave SMU. Being in the portal, that just means that someone left and you have to look for the right fit again.
The good thing, though, is that I know that I found that in Memphis.
When I knew that I was gonna pick Memphis, I FaceTimed Coach Penny while he was in the gym working out.
He just screamed and hollered and started running around with his hands up and everybody around him was worried like they didn’t know what was going on.
He just kept saying, “We got him! We got him! The city is about to go crazy! The city is about to go crazy!”
Then he said he had to call me back. He was so excited he needed a minute! Haha!
It was love!
It’s easy to play for a coach that knows your game already. We’ve played in the same conference together and had several battles. He said he wants to use me the same way SMU did because he knows that it works. There’s no real adjustment with it; going to another school they’d have to make adjustments and learn things about my game.
I’m so relieved.
My uncle and my mom were the two that were getting blown up every day and they were so ready for all of this to be over.
Now, I can focus on my pre-Draft workouts and just relax more because I’ve found the perfect fit.
I put my name in the Draft and I’ll do pre-Draft in Phoenix, but after that I’ll be in Memphis.
I’m going through the process but I’m definitely planning to be in Memphis. I’m excited about it.
I picked Memphis because I felt like I could take my game to the next level under a proven coach who dominated the position I play. I feel like we have the pieces to make a run, and I’m excited about the fans and the city.
Ja reached out to me and he just kept saying that we’re gonna turn up the city!
I want the city of Memphis to get ready because it’s gonna be a show!
Go Tigers go!
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