HOUSTON- Texas Southern University has announced the appointment of Mike Davis to the position of Interim Head Men’s Basketball Coach. Davis arrives to TSU after spending the past six seasons at the helm of the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) men’s basketball program.
“We’re very pleased to announce that Mike Davis will be joining our men’s basketball program for the 2012-13 season,” said TSU Director of Athletics Dr. Charles McClelland. “Coach Davis brings with him an impressive resume both on and off the court as clearly shown by the success his student-athletes have achieved academically and athletically. We’re elated to be able to bring someone with his credentials to lead our program next season.”
Through five seasons with the Blazers, Davis owns an impressive record of 122-72 overall with a 62-34 mark in Conference USA play during his six years in Birmingham. Davis holds a 237-151 overall career record in his 12 years as a head coach highlighted by seven 20+ win seasons.
Davis also led his teams to success off the court and in the classroom, as the Blazers achieved a team GPA of 3.0 during the 2010 fall semester. Additionally, the squad also had four consecutive semesters of a perfect 1000 APR score while Davis was at the helm of the program.
“I’m really excited for the opportunity to lead the Texas Southern men’s basketball program,” said Davis. “Basketball has grown tremendously in the state of Texas over the past years and I’m looking forward to being apart of the TSU athletic department and the local community.”
Davis had a highly successful season at UAB in 2010-11, as he guided the Blazers to the program’s first-ever Conference USA regular season title. In doing so, he was named the 2011 Conference USA Coach of the Year, while also earning NABC All-District Coach of the Year accolades.
In 2010-11 Davis also guided the Blazers to an NCAA Tournament at-large berth with a record of 22-9 and a 12-4 mark in league play. UAB earned at least 20 victories in the regular season in four-straight years under Davis tenure (2007-2012), marking the first time that feat had been in achieved in program history. The Blazers also won at least 11 conference games in each of those seasons.
Under Davis the program clinched four consecutive postseason berths (three NITs and one NCAA Tournament). Davis subsequently etched his name in the record books as he became only the second coach in UAB history to reach 90 wins in a four-year span. The only other coach in program history to accomplish the feat was Hall of Famer Gene Bartow, who reached the pinnacle with a school record 94 from 1983-87.
The Fayette, Ala., native arrived at UAB from Indiana University, where he served as the head coach of the Indiana Hoosiers from 2000-06. While there, he compiled a 115-79 record. Davis teams played some of their best basketball during the postseason, evidenced by Davis’ 21-12 record in the month of March and his 7-4 NCAA Tournament mark, including a run to the NCAA Championship game in 2002.
Under Davis, the Hoosiers enjoyed considerable success, including a trip to the 2002 national championship game against Maryland. Named the 25th head coach in Indiana history on Sept. 12, 2000, Davis had the most successful first season of any of his 24 predecessors. His 21 wins were four more than any other first-year IU head coach. His success was not limited to just IU, as his 21 victories ranked him second among first-year head coaches in the country in 2000-01.
Prior to being named head coach Davis had already contributed significantly to the Indiana program. He spent the previous three seasons as an assistant coach with the Hoosiers. His successful recruitment of several of the country’s top prep players earned him national recognition at Indiana.
In addition to his recruiting success, he was instrumental in the development of several players including A.J. Guyton, the Big Ten’s Most Valuable Player in 2000, Kirk Haston, a first-round NBA selection in 2001, and 2002 Big Ten MVP and consensus second-team All-American Jared Jeffries, who was the 11th overall pick of the 2002 NBA Draft by the Washington Wizards. In Davis’ three seasons as an IU assistant, the Hoosiers compiled a 63-32 overall record and advanced to the NCAA Tournament all three seasons.
Davis came to Indiana after a two-year stint (1995-97) as an assistant coach under David Hobbs at the University of Alabama. The 1995-96 Crimson Tide basketball team posted a 23-10 record and advanced to the NIT Final Four. Davis’ coaching tenure with Alabama marked his return to the Crimson Tide.
The Fayette, Ala. native spent his collegiate-playing career with the Tide after earning the state’s Mr. Basketball honor and All-America status in 1979. He was a standout for four seasons at Alabama and finished his career in the Top 25 on the Crimson Tide’s all-time scoring list with 1,211 points. In his first season, he played for the legendary C.M. Newton and then spent his final three years playing under another coaching legend, Wimp Sanderson. Davis averaged 10.1 points per game for his career and ranks third all-time on the school’s steals list with 165. During his four seasons at Alabama, the Crimson Tide posted an 80-42 record and advanced to two NIT and two NCAA Tournaments.
Davis takes over a Texas Southern basketball team that compiled a 15-18 overall regular season record last year including a 12-6 mark in Southwestern Athletic Conference play.
