The “Let it Fly” playing style that Creighton men’s basketball adopted under previous head coach Greg McDermott left an impression on BJ Davis when his San Diego State Aztecs played against the Bluejays early in the 2024-25 season. Two years later, Davis will get the opportunity to play in that system under new head coach Alan Huss.
After spending three seasons at San Diego State, Davis committed to Creighton as a transfer in mid-April.
“Just how they embrace letting the ball fly, kind of just playing fast and getting up a lot of 3s [stood out to me],” Davis said. “That’s something I saw when we played them, and I really like about this program … I just think the opportunity they presented to me, just what they’re all about here and the history of the program, I feel like it’s a good fit for me.”
BJ Davis (24) shoots a lay up during practice. Photo by Brandon Tiedemann.
Davis averaged 10.8 points and 2.2 assists in 22.2 minutes per game for the Aztecs last season. He described himself as “a make-the-right-play-point guard who can guard the ball, can move the ball around, get my teammates involved in the game.”
The assist numbers certainly don’t scream “point guard,” but the Creighton coaches believe their system and the floor spacing around Davis will unlock that part of his game more than fans saw at San Diego State, where five players averaged between 2.2 and 3.0 assists.
“It’s going to be fun playing with a lot of shooters around me, so just being able to penetrate, make plays for other guys, it’s going to be really fun,” Davis said.
While Davis is excited about the offensive opportunity at Creighton, it’s what he does on the other end of the floor that likely drew the Creighton coaches to him.
“We’re trying to be a little bit more active into the basketball, we’re trying to do a better job of creating some turnovers and some easy opportunities to play transitional basketball, and BJ is no exception to that,” Huss said. “He’s a guy that has some physical ability and he’s got some experience in a defense that’s been disruptive at times at San Diego State. For him, I think it’s just having the confidence to not let all the new — new setting, new systems, new teammates — trying not to let that paralyze him, and I think he’s done a great job, especially the last couple of weeks, to really step into that into that space.”
Creighton ranked 100th in adjusted defensive efficiency and 354th in opponent turnover rate last season, according to KenPom. One of Huss’ stated goals at his introductory press conference was to be more disruptive on defense, and Davis certainly fits that bill. His 3.3% career steal rate is significantly higher than anyone who played major minutes for Creighton last season on top of his ability to move his feet and stay in front of his man.
“Pressuring the ball and making people uncomfortable … that’s something I really pride myself in a lot,” Davis said. “Being a smaller guy, smaller guard, you don’t really have the luxury of being tall and getting away with that, so being tough, playing defense is how I got here.”
San Diego State ranked 11th, 16th and 16th in adjusted defensive efficiency during Davis’ three seasons there, and the Aztecs ranked 19th in opponent turnover rate this past season. Playing defense is essentially a requirement to get on the floor for Brian Dutcher, and Davis is looking to carry everything he learned with him to Omaha.
“I feel like it kind of laid my foundation, so I understand all the principles they’re trying to do,” Davis said. “The names of everything are a little different, but as far as the concepts go, it’s pretty much the same stuff … Just the foundational work, all the defensive drills we did, and just learning the technique that they taught over there. If you know that, you can use that anywhere.”
Davis is an important piece as Huss attempts to shift his team’s defensive approach, but the head coach said the effort across the board has been strong as the team has embraced the change.
BJ Davis (right) celebrates with
freshman Trevon Carter-Givens at practice. Photo by Brandon Tiedemann.
“We’re not talking about a total overhaul, so a lot of our concepts and terminology are still the same; just a few subtle details that are different,” Huss said. “But I think they’ve really been eager, and they’ve tried. That’s the number one thing you have to have to have a successful defense, you’ve got to have buy-in, and I think our guys are really trying to do what we’ve asked them to do, even though it’s been a little bit different.”
Creighton has a talented backcourt with Davis, South Florida transfer Wes Enis, TCU transfer Bugg Edwards and freshman Katrelle Harmon all competing for minutes and reps while returner Austin Swartz continues to rehab from his season-ending surgery. Davis’ mindset during these summer workouts has been to force his teammates to bring their best every day, which in turn brings the best out of him.
“If I compete at the highest level, and they compete at highest level, then iron sharpens iron, so each day we’ll get better,” Davis said. “… I think just the motor that the guys have, just the way they attack the day and their mindset is pretty rare, especially in this day and age. So, I appreciate having guys like that around me to bring the best out of me.”
Davis said he’s seen some of the sights in Omaha and met a lot of people, but his favorite part about being a Bluejay thus far has been the connection with his teammates.
“I think we have a lot in common, and we’re all striving and working towards the same goal, so it’s fun being around those guys, pushing each other, motivating each other.”
