Kyle Davis, formerly of Utah State, Commits to BYU
By Josh Horton
Dave Rose hits the transfer market again, this time with a familiar, in-state face.
Former USU forward Kyle Davis is transferring to BYU and will play for the Cougars after sitting out the 2014-15 season, per transfer rules.
— Greg Wrubell (@gregwrubell) May 16, 2014
That’s right. Former Utah State forward Kyle Davis is joining the BYU men’s basketball team. Per NCAA transfer rules, he will sit out the upcoming season, becoming eligible in 2015-2016.
Despite the Cougars not having any scholarships available for the 2014-2015 season, Davis will become a scholarship player for BYU in 2015-2016, allowing the Cougars to retain its entire roster.
Originally, Davis was at Southern Utah University, where as a freshman he averaged 8.5 points and 5.3 rebounds. After serving a LDS mission in the two following years, Davis ended up at Utah State after SUU’s head coach retired. As an Aggie, Davis scored 9.1 points per game and hauled in 7.6 rebounds per game. He also finished with 1.3 blocks per game, which put him seventh in the Mountain West.
Davis matched up with BYU last season, scoring 16 points and grabbing nine rebounds in the loss.
Spoke w/ Davis; said he had offers w/ immediate scholarships, but that after BYU visit "it just became clear that’s where I wanted to play."
— Greg Wrubell (@gregwrubell) May 16, 2014
Davis told me "the sacrifice for one year is in the long run going to be better than being on scholarship for another year elsewhere."
— Greg Wrubell (@gregwrubell) May 16, 2014
Davis: "There are great benefits to (playing at BYU)...it’s going to be worth it, even though the first year will be a sacrifice."
— Greg Wrubell (@gregwrubell) May 16, 2014
Davis on transfer: "It was a hard decision, but it was a no-brainer in the end—it just seemed like a perfect fit for me at BYU."
— Greg Wrubell (@gregwrubell) May 16, 2014
Davis on deciding to play for BYU: "I love the way that they play...the fan base is obviously incredible. The possibility was great."
— Greg Wrubell (@gregwrubell) May 16, 2014
Davis on leaving USU: "The decision to leave Utah State was just based on me wanting to pursue my basketball career in a different place."
— Greg Wrubell (@gregwrubell) May 16, 2014
Davis: "It was the best decision for me to leave that program and not be a part of it anymore."
— Greg Wrubell (@gregwrubell) May 16, 2014
While some might criticize Davis for being an immature person that transfers from school to school because ‘the grass is always greener,’ the above tweets make it clear that he simply just wanted to be happy playing basketball somewhere. Paying his own way for a year is a testament to that.
According to Greg Wrubell, Utah State restricted Davis to non-Mountain West and non-Utah schools. Davis appealed the restrictions, but was unsuccessful. This tweet from Wrubell below should help explain how Davis was still able to commit to BYU.
Players can transfer to schools not part of the release restriction, but no contact until admittance, and no scholarship for first year.
— Greg Wrubell (@gregwrubell) May 16, 2014