Virginia Tech Basketball: Hokies among several schools in contact with Kennard Davis Jr.

Virginia Tech is eyeing Southern Illinois guard Kennard Davis Jr.

Nov 22, 2024; Gainesville, Florida, USA; Southern Illinois Salukis guard Kennard Davis Jr. (30) drives to the basket past Florida Gators guard Walter Clayton Jr. (1) and Florida Gators center Rueben Chinyelu (9) during the first half at Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center. Mandatory Credit: Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images | Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images

A couple of weeks ago, Southern Illinois guard Kennard Davis Jr. announced his entry into the transfer portal. Since this announcement, he has garnered interest from other top schools in the country, with Virginia Tech being one of the recently-named schools.

Kennard Davis Jr. has recently been in contact with the following programs, he tells TPR:

Mississippi State
Ole Miss
Iowa
Arizona State
Virginia Tech
Miami
LSU pic.twitter.com/P6GTR3HpUd

— The Portal Report (@ThePortalReport) April 16, 2025

Six schools have reached out recently, and over 10 schools have tried to contact Davis. Some have received Zoom calls, thus showing how valuable a prospect he is to many schools.

Davis has spent two seasons at Southern Illinois. He has grown to be a bright spot for the team, going from averaging four points a game as a freshman while playing 21 minutes to being second on the team in scoring at 16 points per game in his sophomore season, with a 13-minute uptick to 34 minutes.

However, this season was different for the Salukis, as the team finished 14-19 after being 19-13 the season prior. This year, Davis started in 31 of the 32 games, and shot the ball well from the floor, with averages of 45% field goal percentage, 37% from three-point range, and 76% from the free-throw line. The season prior, Davis shot 41% from the field, 30% from three-point range, and 62% from the free-throw line.

As of now, the Hokies have lost nine players from this year's team due to transfer and a few others due to graduation. However, the Hokies have recently added some more depth to the team with University of Delaware Guard Izaiah Pasha and West Virginia forward Amani Hansberry. The Hokies are still trying to figure out who will be starting next season as far as lineups are concerned.

Compared to some of these other schools, the Hokies lack in many potential areas, including having a solid foundation from day one. With many of the program's top players leaving for the transfer portal after another tough season and not making it to tournament play, Virginia Tech may have its work cut out for it because some of these schools are more stable options.

That said, it is important to note that we don't know exactly what Davis's goals are in terms of what he may want in a program situation. It is important to note that the Salukis finished sixth in the MVC when Davis came out of high school as a freshman, so the Hokies may still be alive in the Davis Sweepstakes.

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