How BYU wing Kennard Davis Jr. got the nickname ‘Moo’ — and why he transferred to the Cougars

You may hear some mooing at the Marriott Center this season.

Not booing. Mooing.

In years past, fan favorite big man Fousseyni Traore drew choruses of “Fouuuuuuuss” from BYU faithful. Imagine that, but with a loud “Moooooooooo” instead. It could be the new normal at BYU.

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Southern Illinois transfer Kennard Davis Jr. is one of the new Cougars on the block, and he’s already endeared himself to fans with his unique nickname: Moo.

“I’m a junior, so I have the same name as my dad,” Davis told reporters Thursday following Marriott Madness and BYU’s Blue/White scrimmage. “That was his childhood name growing up, so it got passed down. He’s big Moo, and I’m little Moo to our friends and family.”

According to BYU director of recruiting Justin Young, Davis is “probably the first ‘Moo’ in school history” — a shocking development.

But don’t be shocked if the man called “Moo” emerges as BYU’s top defender this season. The St. Louis native may not have arrived in Provo with as much fanfare as fellow newcomers AJ Dybantsa and Rob Wright, but Davis is being counted on to play a pivotal role for the Cougars in their championship aspirations.

As a sophomore at Southern Illinois last year, Davis averaged 16.3 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game, also shooting 37.6% from 3-point range and swiping 41 steals.

When he entered the transfer portal in March, Davis garnered interest from plenty of power programs — including a few Big 12 schools — but ultimately landed at BYU to play for Kevin Young and his staff.

“Obviously KY, his background and the people he brought with him, and then being able to play at the highest level against the best players,” Davis said of why he chose the Cougars out of the portal. “I just felt like it was a great fit, and then academically, everything came together.

“... It’s an amazing coaching staff. I think about it every day, I don’t have no regrets on coming here, you know? They push you every day, and it’s a very intelligent, smart coaching staff. I’m learning every day. It’s a good experience.”

At 6-foot-6 and 215 pounds, Davis can play both guard and forward, and sharing the wing with All-America candidates in Dybantsa and Richie Saunders should open up plenty of scoring opportunities for himself.

But it’s Davis’ physicality and defense that should be most valuable for the Cougars.

“Look at our games where we didn’t have success last year. There was a commonality to it where we needed to have a real physical piece to that game and athleticism,” Justin Young said on the “Church Ball” podcast over the summer.

“... For us to compete at the level we want to compete against ... we can’t just show up with some featherweights. We’ve got to come in there with some heavyweights, and we need guys like Kennard Davis to come in there and be a perfect balance to who we have with AJ and Richie and Keba (Keita), all those other guys we have in that style of play.”

Davis will be one of eight new players in the program this season — nine if you count Khadim Mboup, who is now eligible to play after joining the team at midseason last year and redshirting.

Assuming he cracks the starting five, BYU will have three new starters in Dybantsa, Wright and Davis to couple with returners Saunders and Keba Keita.

With so many new faces, building quick chemistry is clearly essential for BYU, especially considering the intense nonconference schedule looming ahead.

Off the court, Davis says he and his new teammates have gone bowling, hung out at Lagoon, and played video games in addition to battling against each other in practice.

“It’s been nice, you know, knowing that we have basically a brand new team,” Davis said. “We’re all trying to see what each other can do, but I feel like we’ve accomplished a lot in that short time we’ve had with each other.”

But of course, given the expectations for this BYU team, Davis is locked in for the chance to make history. He wouldn’t have chosen to come to Provo if he wasn’t.

“I mean, the ceiling is high, you know. We just got to live up to the potential,” Davis said. “We got to work every day. That’s really what I would say, just working every day, taking it day by day, stacking days is what we say.”

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