Reports: BJ Davis to Enter Transfer Portal Signals Sweeping Changes for SDSU

Tuesday afternoon reports came down that SDSU guard BJ Davis will enter the transfer portal per his agency. Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports announced the news via social media.

BJ Davis is first SDSU player to be named as entering the portal this off-season, but he will not be the last. In a rare season where the Aztecs failed to earn a seed in the NCAA Tournament, big changes have certainley been on the horizon. Davis’ departure however signals just how sweeping they will be.

Regarded as the team’s most productive bench player all season, SDSU was among the tops in the nation in that category thanks to BJ’s steady leadership. His 10.8 points per game and clutch shot making really made a difference in a team that overall underachieved all season.

But it was his comfortability and confidence that really underscored his leadership on a team that was often in search for identity during some rough stretches.

Through injuries and those setbacks Davis earned several starts for the Aztecs this season only to see his production drop off mid season. When true freshman Elzie Harrington assumed the starting role BJ slid back into the bench spot and quietly picked his game back up to a comfortable position.

By the end of the season when Harrington had gone down with his personal injuries, Sean Newman Jr. was thrust into the starting spotlight to keep BJ’s momentum off the bench an asset for the Aztecs. The move paid off handsomly.

SDSU won two of three games in the Mountain West Conference Tournament and it was BJ Davis heroics vs New Mexico that kept the Aztecs hopes for post season play alive another night.

So what does it all mean: For arguably the most consistent player on coach Brian Dutcher’s roster that has eligibility left, to make the move on transferring out of the program is a sign of big sweeping changes on the way.

For a large part of the season it’s been expected that Miles Byrd was playing out his final year on the Mesa. Magoon Gwath having removed himself from the portal last off season to return to SDSU, is a fringe return for the Aztecs.

With potentially five players from the current rotation leaving either due to transfer or graduation, BJ would’ve been considered a lock down returner with valuable experience stepping into his final season.

Davis’ market value may never be as high as this off season however. His game is coming into his own and he’s proven he can ball against the top teams in the Mountain West.

With the downward trajectory of the Aztecs the past two seasons, the time to make a change is likely the best for Davis at this point. To take a chance by capitalizing individually, while also trying to help a program reach the NCAA Tournament collectively, is very doable.

On the other side of the coin for the Aztecs—as unfortunate as it is to see players that Aztec Nation have come to love from freshman year to senior—in the grand scheme of it all this move is likely a wash.

With the shortcomings of the current class over the past two years the lack of team production has taught us all one thing, things fall apart to come back together again. Redefining themselves is likely best for this program’s success moving forward.

Dutcher and staff have their hands full, no doubt. But if the current NCAA Tournament is any indication, success can find a way to formulate together in teams despite the 4 and 5 star rankings or the highest NIL price tags.