March Madness: Hofstra's Cruz Davis is quite accustomed to having people count on him Cruz Davis is leading Hofstra toward the NCAA Tournament this week, carrying the team’s hopes as its top scorer with an average of 20.2 points per game. Named the Coastal Athletic Association Player of the Year, Davis is preparing to face Alabama in the first round on Friday. His teammates are counting on him to carry Hofstra through the tournament, a role he has embraced for years. For Davis, this is nothing new. The responsibility of being a reliable figure in his life has been a constant, though it extends far beyond basketball. His younger brother, Cayl, who was diagnosed with autism at age 3 and experiences occasional seizures, has been a central part of his life since childhood. Davis has dedicated himself to ensuring Cayl’s well-being, a commitment that has shaped his priorities and actions. Cayl’s care is a shared effort within the family. Their father, Vincent, left his job as a delivery truck driver about a decade ago to focus on caregiving at home in Plano, Texas. Their mother, Cassandra, works as a nurse but remains deeply involved in Cayl’s needs. Despite this support, Davis’s bond with Cayl is unique. The distance between them—often spanning thousands of miles—has not diminished their connection. Davis has made sacrifices to stay close to Cayl. When they attended the same elementary and middle schools, he would check in on him in person, even paying someone out of his own lunch money to do so during the year they were separated. After leaving home for prep school in West Virginia, he called Cayl three times a day, a habit that continued through his college years at Iona, St. John’s, and Hofstra. Even now, he spends time watching Cayl’s favorite show, The Backyardigans, on his tablet during visits.#hofstra #cruz_davis #cayl #vincent #cassandra
