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Huskies Could Be In the Hunt for Southern Illinois Swingman

The transfer portal opens next week and the UW should be busy remaking its roster.
Dan Raley|
Southern Illinois' Kennard Davis drives around Wichita State forward Kenny Pohto (in 2023.
Southern Illinois' Kennard Davis drives around Wichita State forward Kenny Pohto (in 2023. | William Purnell-Imagn Images

The transfer portal doesn't open until next week, but the University of Washington basketball team already has been singled out as a possible landing spot for former Southern Illinois swingman Kennard Davis, according to 247Sports.

A St. Louis native, the 6-foot-6, 215-pound Davis comes off a breakout season in which he was the Salukis' second-leading scorer at 16.3 points per game and earned a second-team All-Missouri Valley Conference selection.

If the Huskies were to sign him, he would become their first player from that Midwest hub since guard Justin Dentmon, who was a four-year starter in Montlake and a native of Carbondale, Illinois, which is home to Southern Illinois and 100 miles from St. Louis,

Davis entered the transfer portal on March 13, six days after the Salukis were eliminated from the MVC Tournament by Drake and finished 14-19.

As a true freshman, Davis averaged just 4.2 points per game while starting 10 of 32 games and was known as more of a defensive player.

This past season, he was a 31-game starter and a much more well-rounded if not flamboyant basketball player.

He was good in the open court, especially in weaving through traffic and dunking emphatically. He came up with 10 games in which he scored 20 points or more, topped by 26 against Murray State. He averaged 4.9 rebounds and a team-best 2.6 assists an outing.

With the Huskies finishing last in the Big Ten (13-18 overall, 4-16 league) in Danny Sprinkle's first season, a roster overhaul is expected.

The Huskies had six players go through Senior Day ceremonies, though a pair of them, 6-foot-11 center Franck Kepnang and 6-foot-9 forward Chris Conway, could return on medical redshirts.

Freshman guard Jase Butler already has entered the transfer portal, others might join him and the UW could have six or seven spots open up on the roster for next season.

For the latest UW football and basketball news, go to si.com/college/washington

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Dan Raley
DAN RALEY

Dan Raley has worked for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, as well as for MSN.com and Boeing, the latter as a global aerospace writer. His sportswriting career spans four decades and he's covered University of Washington football and basketball during much of that time. In a working capacity, he's been to the Super Bowl, the NBA Finals, the MLB playoffs, the Masters, the U.S. Open, the PGA Championship and countless Final Fours and bowl games.

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