Hawks’ Zilinskas, Davis announce they have entered transfer portal, won’t return to QU

QUINCY — A pair of Quincy University men’s basketball players have entered the transfer portal. Junior guard Paul Zilinskas and redshirt freshman forward Connor Davis announced their decisions on social media last week.

Zilinskas, a 6-foot-5 swingman from , was the Hawks’ third leading scorer, averaging 10.9 points while shooting 42 percent from the field and 33 percent from 3-point range. He also averaged 4.0 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 27 games.

In three seasons at QU, Zilinskas averaged 10.1 points and 3.4 rebounds per game. Statistically, his best season was the 2021-22 campaign when he averaged 12.8 points while shooting 48.7 percent from the field and 36.5 percent from 3-point range.

Zilinskas has two years of eligibility remaining and has already heard from multiple schools, including at least three NCAA Division I programs — Eastern Washington, Illinois-Chicago and North Dakota State.

Davis, a 6-foot-5 shooter from Sycamore, Ill., who played at Neuqua Valley High School, played in 25 games while averaging 2.9 points and 1.3 rebounds. He went 18 of 45 from 3-point range, but made just five shots inside the arc.

Quincy finished 14-15 in Steve Hawkins’ first season as head coach and reached the Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament for the first time since 2017. The Hawks must replace three seniors on the roster and have signed one recruit so far — Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin 6-foot-3 guard Jake Hamilton.