Xavier reinstates guard Myles Davis after a 15-game suspension

A key midseason addition could make Xavier a bigger threat to reigning champ Villanova in the Big East race.

The Musketeers get back one of their best guards after a suspension that lasted 129 days and 15 games.

Xavier coach Chris Mack announced after Saturday’s 97-82 victory over St. John’s that he will reinstate senior Myles Davis on Sunday. Davis’ suspension stems from an August incident in which he allegedly smashed his ex-girlfriend’s phone on the sidewalk and struck and dented the door of her car.

Davis originally faced two misdemeanor criminal damaging charges. In November, he pleaded guilty to one reduced charge of disorderly conduct.

“I think he learned some valuable lessons from his mistakes, his 15-game long suspension and his reinstatement,” Xavier coach Chris Mack said in a statement he read to reporters after the game.

“I think he needs to continue to make good choices in order to keep his standing within our program. He’s obviously had a long road to this point. His role on our basketball team will be no different from the other 14 guys in our locker room. He’ll earn everything he gets from this point forward. So he has a lot of work to do and I think he recognizes that and understands that.”

Xavier’s second-leading returning scorer, Davis averaged 10.8 points and 4.1 assists last season for a Musketeers team that won 28 games. The 6-foot-2 combo guard will boost a Xavier offense shooting a modest 34.7 percent from behind the arc and ease some of the pressure on Edmond Sumner to be the Musketeers’ primary playmaker.

In Davis’ absence, Xavier is off to a solid 13-2 start yet is still looking for its first marquee win of the season. The Musketeers’ only two losses came last month in back-to-back road games at Baylor and Colorado.

A contrite but excited Davis addressed his reinstatement in a tweet posted shortly after Mack’s announcement.

Xavier next plays Tuesday at top-ranked Villanova. While it’s unlikely Davis will play a big role in that game, look for him to ease the burden on Sumner, Trevon Bluiett and J.P. Macura, all of whom are playing 33 or more minutes per game. Davis’ presence could also give the Musketeers the roster flexibility to play Bluiett at either forward position instead of mostly on the wing.

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Jeff Eisenberg is the editor of The Dagger on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at daggerblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

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