Davis is in his 12th season as head coach of
the Lady Hornets. Since accepting the post prior to the 2000-01 season, he has
led DSU to the most successful run in the history of the program.
The Washington, D.C., native has an overall record of
171-159 (.518) at DSU, including a 117-73 (.616) mark in MEAC regular season
contests. The Davis years at Delaware State are highlighted by a MEAC
Tournament championship and NCAA Tournament berth (2007), a MEAC regular season
co-championship (2003-04), five MEAC championship game appearances and the only
20-win seasons (four) in team history.
Davis further enhanced his credentials after a hard
fought loss to No. 2 seed Vanderbilt in the 2007 NCAA Tournament. His 15th
seeded Lady Hornets trailed by just four points at the half and by six with
eight minutes left to the heavily favored Commodores.
Now in his 20th season as a collegiate head
coach, Davis surpassed the 300-win mark for his career and became Delaware
State's all-time leader in women's basketball victories during the 2007-08
season. He owns a career record of 342-211 (.618), highlighted by nine seasons
with 20-or-more wins.
Delaware State has been particularly tough at home under
Davis. The Lady Hornets an 89-39 (.695) mark at home during the Davis era. He
led the team to a school-record 23 straight home wins from 2003-05.
Delaware State led the MEAC in scoring defense for seven
straight years before the string was snapped last season.
During the 2006-07 season, Davis led the Lady Hornets on
a 13-2 late-season spurt, including a three-game MEAC Tournament sweep en route
to the first league championship in team history.
In 2005-06, Davis led the Lady Hornets to a 21-9 overall
record and an appearance in the MEAC Tournament title game. The 21 wins matched
the most in team history, tying the mark set by his 2003-04 squad. On February
27, 2006 Davis reached a milestone by posting his 100th win at
Delaware State.
One year after setting a national record for scoring
defense, Delaware State was tops in the MEAC and sixth among all Division I
teams in scoring defense at 53.4 points-per-game during the 2005-06
season.
During the 2004-05 campaign, Delaware State set a
national record for scoring defense. That season, the Lady Hornets became the
first Division I women's team to hold opponents to less than 50 points per game
in a season, allowing 49.6 per contest.
Davis also served as the university's interim Director of
Athletics during the 2004-05 academic year.
The previous season (2003-04), Davis led the Lady Hornets
to new heights, recording a school-record 21 wins (21-9) and capturing a share
of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference regular season title for the first time
in team history. His 2003-04 team was defeated by regular season co-champ
Hampton in the MEAC Tournament championship game. That season, Delaware State
was 11-0 at home including a 59-56 win over West Virginia, Delaware State's
first against a Big East opponent.
Davis was rewarded by being named MEAC Coach-of-the-Year
for the 2003-04 season.
In 2002-03, Davis led the Hornets to the first 20-win
season (20-10) in team history. Along the way, the 2002-03 Lady Hornets also
set team records for consecutive wins (10) and conference victories (16-2). In
addition, the team's second-place finish in the final MEAC regular standings
was the best in the program's history at the time.
The team was particularly tough at home, winning its last
10 games in Memorial Hall that season.
During the 2000-01 season, his first at DSU, Davis guided
a Delaware State that was picked to finish 10th in the Mid-Eastern
Athletic Conference to within minutes of a conference championship.
In the four years prior to Davis' arrival, the Lady
Hornets were 36-85, and failed to advance beyond the quarterfinals of the
conference tourney.
Prior to taking over the Delaware State job, Davis was
head coach at Bowie State University (Md.).
In eight seasons at Bowie, he posted an overall record of
171-54 and turned the Bulldogs into one of the top Division II programs in the
country . His tenure was highlighted by three Central Intercollegiate Athletic
Association (CIAA) championships, three NCAA Tournament appearances, and
numerous "coach of the year" awards.
Although Bowie State posted a record of 6-19 in 1992-93,
Davis' first season, it marked the most wins by the team in four years.
The following season, 1993-94, Bowie improved to 14-11,
its first winning team in 10 years.
Davis' 1994-95 team was 19-9 and advanced to the
championship game of the CIAA Tournament. He captured his first CIAA Coach of
the Year award following the season.
The next four years Davis led Bowie State to an
unprecedented run of success in the CIAA. From 1995 to 1999, the Bulldogs
posted a remarkable 110-10 record and a CIAA championship "three-peat."
His 1995-96 team was 28-2 and advanced to the "Sweet 16"
of the NCAA. The squad also ranked first among all Division II teams in scoring
defense.
The 1996-97 team had a 28-game winning streak en route to
a 29-2 overall mark and the CIAA Tournament championship. The team also
qualified for the NCAA Tournament for the second straight year.
The following year, 1997-98, the Bulldogs posted a 28-2
record and captured their second
straight CIAA Tournament. The team was ranked as high as number six in the
national polls.
Davis' 1998-99 team was 25-4 and captured a third
consecutive CIAA championship before advancing to the "Sweet 16" of the NCAA
Tournament.
In 1999-2000, Bowie State was 22-5 and reached the
championship game of the CIAA Tournament.
From 1995 to 2000, Davis' teams won 40 consecutive games
on their home court.
Davis has earned a number of awards for his coaching
success, including CIAA Coach of the Year in 1995 and Women's Basketball
Coaches Association District II Coach of the Year in 198 and 1999. He was CIAA
Tournament Outstanding Coach in 1997, '98 and '99.
Prior to his years at Bowie State, Davis was a teacher
and successful high school coach in the Washington, D.C. area.
Davis was a four-year letterwinner on the West Virginia
State men's basketball team that set NCAA and National Association of Intercollegiate
Athletics (NAIA) scoring records in the late 1960s and early 70s.
He holds a master's in education from Howard University
and a bachelor's in education from West Virginia State College. Davis was
inducted into the West Virginia State Athletics Hall of Fame in October
2008.
