Sam Davis getting ready to lead Cypress CC

Cypress Community College head coach Paul Bottiaux should field a very talented team this year, but he’ll be without one of his best players when the Chargers open the season this Friday in the Cuesta Tournament.

Sam Davis, a 6-foot-7, 205-pound small forward will miss some of the early-season games while he rebounds from off-season knee surgery. But once he’s ready, Bottiaux is expecting big things from Davis.

“He’s kind of a slasher and he’s a good 3-point shooter as well. He led our team in rebounding last year as a freshman, averaging almost 10 rebounds a game. He averaged about 11 points per game,” the coach said. “Besides his game, he’s really got a good head on his shoulders. I think that really kind of separates him from maybe some other players that physically might be as good. He’s a mature kid, a solid student.”

Davis projects as a small forward or even a shooting guard at the next level, and Bottiaux said his well-rounded prospect “can really shoot it well from the perimeter area. And he handles himself really well around the basket as well.”

When he hits the court again in a couple of weeks, Bottiaux said he’ll be counting on Dais to once again be a tough rebounder, and he’ll will also be leaning on Davis heavily to get the team’s offense going.

“We’re obviously going to look to him for a lot of our offense. He generates a lot of offense for himself, but also for other people,” the coach said. “He’s going to draw a lot of attention from the defense, so we’re going to rely upon him for that particular part of his game.”

Nevada, Oral Roberts, Long Beach State, and Cal Riverside are among the schools that are recruiting Davis the hardest.

“They’ve been talking to him about visits in the fall and all of them like his play,” Bottiaux said. “I don’t think there’s any question that any of them would not want to have him in their program.”

As for favorites, Bottiaux said Davis is keeping all doors open.

“He’s not being closed-minded at all. He’s being pretty open about it right now.”