Hawai’i adds former Northern Arizona leading scorer Zack Davidson from portal

HONOLULU – Relationships matter.

Former Northern Arizona forward Zack Davidson announced his commitment to the University of Hawai’i on Thursday, adding another talented scorer to the 2026-27 roster for the Rainbow Warriors.

Davidson, a 6-foot-9 redshirt sophomore, started 13 of the 14 games he appeared in last year with the Lumberjacks and led NAU in scoring before suffering a season-ending foot injury in the first week of January.

Before his injury, Davidson looked primed to be one of the biggest mid-major breakout stars as he led the Big Sky in field goal percentage (61.7%) and ranked top 25 nationally in two-point efficiency.

Davidson posted double figures in nine of his 14 games and tallied four 20-plus point games, including his season-opening 29-point explosion against Drake.

The middle of three basketball-obsessed brothers, Zack graduated from California prep powerhouse Mater Dei in 2023. A teammate of UH commit Scotty Belnap, Davidson also was recruited by Hawai’i head coach Eran Ganot and the Rainbow Warrior staff coming out of high school but ultimately chose to spend his first two years at Montana instead.

He redshirted the 2023-24 campaign and appeared in 16 games off the bench for the Grizzlies the following season, making his collegiate debut against the University of Hawai’i-Hilo and recording seven points and six rebounds in 13 minutes of work against the Vulcans.

Still seeing limited action, Davidson decided to transfer and found a spot at Northern Arizona that allowed him to put his skills on display. The Lumberjacks struggled throughout Big Sky play without the efficient forward, going 5-13 without Davidson with nine of the losses coming by 10 points or more.

Davidson hit the portal again following the tough-luck season and quickly heard from a familiar program:

The University of Hawai’i.

“They recruited me out of high school,” Davidson shared while talking with HSRN. “I felt a great connection with the coaching staff and loved what they are about … they were a big reason I chose Hawai’i and I’m looking forward to playing and learning from them.”

Davidson also heard from multiple other schools, mulling UC Irvine and Saint Mary’s over the most while deciding if the islands would be his home next season. Ultimately, Hawai’i had a few more roses to offer the redshirt sophomore that helped push the Rainbow Warriors over the top.

“There’s so many things I’m excited about,” Davidson said of picking UH. “My best friend since preschool [Scotty Belnap] is going to be an incoming freshman, getting to play for UH in the Mountain West Conference and play in front of the incredibly supportive fan base Hawai’i has.”

The California-born Davidson also joked that the Hawai’i sun didn’t hurt his decision, though he was sure to emphasize that beach days would be limited to “off-days only” during the season.

Davidson joins Marcus Adams Jr. and Jaden Matingou as the newest additions out of the transfer portal to the Rainbow Warrior roster for 2026-27 campaign. Belnap and Tiger Cuff make up the prep class and will join UH with four years of eligibility after returning from two-year church missions.

Tanner Cuff and Isaiah Kerr are the lone two returning players from last year’s Big West Championship roster, seeing Aaron Hunkin-Claytor, Ike Finlinson, Hunter Carter and AJ Economou each enter the transfer portal and six seniors graduate.