QUEENS, N.Y. – Rick Pitino has signed rising sophomore guard Cruz Davis who will join the St. John’s men’s basketball program after playing last season for the Hall of Fame coach at Iona.

“Cruz is an elite athlete who is long and very active defensively,” said Pitino. “He is an extremely quick left hander with outstanding potential and upside.”

A unanimous All-MAAC Rookie Team selection, Davis served as a valuable member of Iona’s 2022-23 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) championship team that won 27 games and earned a No. 13 seed in the NCAA Tournament. The Plano, Texas, native appeared in 24 games, making seven starts, and averaged 6.5 points over 18.9 minutes per contest. A 6-foot-3 guard, Davis also shot 41.9 percent from the field and 76.3 percent at the free-throw line.

Davis elevated his production in conference play, averaging 8.3 points in 13 MAAC appearances, five of which were starts. All five of his double-digit scoring efforts came in league action. Davis was named MAAC Rookie of the Week on Jan. 9, after posting a season-high 16 points on 8-of-13 shooting against Marist (Jan. 6), followed by a 13-point performance at Quinnipiac (Jan. 8). Despite missing 10 games due to injury, Davis returned to the hardwood for Iona’s NCAA Tournament matchup with eventual national champion UConn.

Prior to his time at Iona, Davis played his senior campaign at Huntington Prep in West Virginia, where he averaged 16.7 points and 5.0 assists per game. Touted as a four-star shooting guard by ESPN.com, the newest Johnnie was ranked No. 27 at his position following the 2021-22 season. Prior to Huntington, he starred at iSchool of Lewisville in Texas where he was ranked as a top-30 guard in the Class of 2022 by 247Sports. Davis scored 1,153 points during his high school career.