The player considered the heartbeat of the SMU men's basketball team has decided to test the NBA waters.
SMU point guard Kendric Davis announced Friday evening that he will enter the 2021 NBA Draft. The 5-11 guard joins forward Feron Hunt as players from this season's SMU roster who will test the professional ranks.
"To SMU and all the PONY fans, you all are the best," Davis said in a tweet. "Y'all accepted me since day one. Made me feel loved since arriving here, and that's why you are the best fans in the country."
Davis then added: "SMU is my second home."
There's a chance Davis could return to the Hilltop next season. He said he will enter the draft "with the possibility of returning to school," which most likely means he will not hire an agent. Hunt has an agent and will not return.
SMU will suffer a blow if they lose Davis, as he was the American Athletic Conference's leader in scoring and assists. He averaged 19.0 points and 7.6 assists per game and led the Mustangs to an 11-6 record and a trip to the NIT.
Additionally, Davis had a 3.2 assist-to-turnover ratio and was the only player in the AAC with a ratio over 3.0.
"Nobody on our team spends more time in the gym when we're not at practice than he does," head coach Tim Jankovich said of Davis earlier in the season. "He's the No. 1 in living at the gym. You could tell, without question, he's transformed himself as a 3-point shooter. He's now I would call a great shooter.
"He's a hard guy to guard. Changes direction as well as anybody I've ever coached, honestly. He can cut on a dime."
With Davis' news, and if he chooses to go pro, SMU will now have to replace several roster players. Davis and Hunt will chase the NBA, while guards Darius McNeill and Charles Smith IV have entered the NCAA transfer portal.
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