Detroit Basketball: Was it the right choice for Antoine Davis to return to Titans?

After announcing he would return to Detroit Basketball, we take a deeper look into Antoine Davis and if this decision was his best option for the future.

With the near-transformation of college basketball in the last few years, the Transfer Portal has become quite the hectic place, translating into what becomes free agency in college hoops. Having already scored more than 2500 points in his collegiate career, Antoine Davis entered that Portal, keeping his options open as he entertained the future. Now, Davis has made it clear that he will return for one final season in Detroit.

Davis originally planned to play his collegiate ball at Houston before father Mike became head coach of Detroit back in 2018. Antoine has been his father’s best player the last four seasons, averaging 24.6 points per game across his first four seasons with the Titans. Davis has become one of the most dynamic players at the mid-major level, but this hasn’t translated to on-court success for the Titans, who are just 45-69 these last four seasons.

Known as a dynamic scorer, who pretty much has free reign on a team like Detroit, Davis put his name into the Transfer Portal last month and was weighing his options these last few weeks. A number of teams expressed interest in Davis, with Kansas State and BYU seemingly being two of the favorites these last few days. Transferring would’ve made sense for Davis, as he would get a chance to showcase his skills at a power conference school, even if his role or scoring numbers would be negatively impacted.

In the end, Davis has announced that he will return to Detroit for a fifth and final year, taking an NIL deal that could be worth six figures. He’s also announced that he will split that money with his teammates. It’s clear that playing under his father has been special for Davis, but his teammates certainly played a role in keeping him with the Titans.

Did Davis make the right decision? The Transfer Portal has essentially become a way for the power conference teams to restock their rosters with some of the very best talent from teams like Detroit. Davis has been the best scorer in the Horizon League for the last four years and was named co-Player of the Year in the conference just two months ago. He’s already proved that he can excel against the likes of Cleveland State and Green Bay on a regular basis, so why not take that step up?

There’s nothing wrong with staying put, and this is certainly the case for Davis. He started his career as a walk-on with the Titans, but his talent as a scorer has been on full display. Consider that Davis shines every night, even if it is in the Horizon League when these teams know they need to contain him in order to win. Davis still regularly scores 20-30 points and has a smooth jumper. He could absolutely take a step up if he played next year in the Big 12 or another bigger conference, but there are downsides as well.

It’s not unusual for players to transfer up and not have the roles they expected on these teams. The specific situations at BYU or Kansas State could have turned out differently, but Davis knows his role with the Titans. He’s getting compensated for his talent, he’s clearly committed to playing with his teammates, and he has a chance to set some truly incredible records. Plus, another kind of season like this might just get more NBA attention than a lesser role for a power conference school.

Davis has already scored 2734 points in his career and has a legitimate shot to top 3500 before all is said and done. In the end, he’s going to make some solid money, play one last season with his father, and shoot for some record books while spending one more year in familiar Detroit; it’s hard to fault someone making a decision like that, especially when they weren’t going to automatically become the focal point of a power conference offense.