Davis retires after 4 seasons at Drake; son takes over
Updated: March 21, 2007, 6:54 PM ET
Dr. Tom Davis is retiring from the Division I coaching ranks after 32 seasons, the last four spent at Drake.
Davis will be succeeded by his 35-year-old son, Keno, who has been on Tom's staff all four seasons at Drake and was earmarked in April 2006 to be his father's eventual replacement. Tom Davis will remain at Drake as a special assistant to the athletic director.
"I'll miss it, there's no question," the 68-year-old Davis told the Des Moines Register. "I miss it already. I'll miss the preparation and the practices. I won't miss some of it, in terms of the pressure building heading into a game."
The Register first reported Wednesday that Keno Davis, 35, takes the post under a five-year contract with a rollover clause.
"Today begins a new era for men's basketball at Drake University," said Drake athletic director Sandy Hatfield Clubb. "I am thrilled to announce that Keno Davis will succeed his father as our head coach. He has been mentored by three of the best coaches in college basketball, in not only developing his ability with the X's and O's of the game, but also in making a commitment to the holistic development of the student-athlete.
"Tom Davis has laid the foundation for a winning legacy at Drake and we are eternally grateful for his belief in and vision for Drake men's basketball. Keno is the perfect successor to take us to a new level of success at Drake University."
The elder Davis skipped Wednesday's press conference in an attempt to keep attention focused on his son.
"I can't imagine spending four more enjoyable years than the last four at Drake," Tom Davis said in a statement released through the school. "I'll miss everything about day-to-day coaching, but will do all I can to help Drake, the players and coaches moving forward."
Keno Davis had been Drake's top assistant, and current players and incoming recruits were made aware that he would take the reins once his father decided to step aside.
"I feel like I've been ready to be a head coach for a while now," he said. "A lot of things I've been able to bounce off my father, as far as different thoughts, of things that I might do down the road that he's been able to guide me toward. It's been invaluable the last four years."
Tom Davis -- known as "Dr. Tom" after earning a doctorate from Maryland -- began his head coaching career at Lafayette in 1971, compiling a 116-44 record in six seasons. He also gave current Maryland coach Gary Williams his first break, hiring Williams as an assistant at Lafayette.
"I would not have been a college coach if it wasn't for Tom," Williams told The Associated Press on Wednesday. "Basketball-wise, I saw how important it was to be able to teach. He was a great teacher. It was like a classroom at his practices."
Davis moved on to Boston College, guiding the Eagles to a pair of NCAA Tournaments and an NIT berth in five seasons. He then spent four years at Stanford before taking over at Iowa, where he experienced his greatest success.
In 13 season in Iowa City, Davis racked up a school-record 270 wins and led the Hawkeyes to nine NCAA Tournament appearances, including two trips to the round of 16 and one to the final eight.
He was the Associated Press Coach of the Year in 1987, his first at Iowa, after leading the Hawkeyes to a 30-5 record. But Iowa didn't renew Davis' contract following the 1999 season, and former athletic director Bob Bowlsby tapped current coach Steve Alford as his successor.
In the eight seasons following Davis' departure, Iowa has just one NCAA Tournament victory.
Davis got back into coaching in 2003 when he took over at Drake. He often said that his tenure at Drake was on a "day-to-day" basis, but after guiding Drake back to respectability with a 17-15 mark this season and 6-10 in the Missouri Valley Conference, the elder Davis decided the time was right to walk away.
He finishes his career with a record of 598-355.
"I'm excited about the future of Drake basketball as we look to build upon our recent success," said Keno Davis. "I am appreciative of the strong support of the administration and of the growing support of our alumni, fans and community here at Drake.
"My father laid the groundwork and foundation for success in this program. Without question the highlight of my coaching career has been the opportunity to work under my father for the past four years."
Keno Davis served six years as an assistant coach under former Drake head coach Gary Garner at Southeast Missouri State, before being named the first assistant to join the men's basketball coaching staff at Drake under Tom Davis on May 19, 2003.
He also served as an assistant coach at Southern Indiana from 1995-97 under coach Bruce Pearl who is now the head coach at the University of Tennessee.
"Keno [Davis] is ready," said the elder Davis. "He has prepared himself well. He had so many years on the bench with me that he has a real good idea what we're trying to do and can communicate that to the players and coaching staff. It also was a great advantage for him to have spent eight years working with two excellent coaches in Gary Garner and Bruce Pearl."
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
Copyright 2007 ESPN Internet Ventures
Hurts so good
SAN JOSE, Calif. – No Southern Illinois players got hurt at practice on Wednesday, which, for coach Chris Lowery, isn't just good news. It's news, period.
Tales of the SIU practice regimen followed the Salukis all the way to the NCAA tournament's West regional, where the media wanted to know if their intrasquad workouts really are as brutal as legend has it.
As the story goes, Lowery will have his players take part in a game without any fouls or out of bounds. He calls it "keep playing," and his Salukis proceed to engage in a demolition derby of sorts to teach them defensive toughness.
The practices get so out of hand, though, that players get hurt. In fact, before Southern Illinois' tourney opener against Holy Cross, three Salukis needed stitches.
It gets really crazy," guard Jamaal Tatum said. "Coach has to tell us to calm down sometimes. But for the most part, he lets us go no-holds-barred."
"I think the word 'intense' is probably the proper word to describe it," forward Matt Shaw said. "There's definitely been a countless number of injuries, but nothing too bad. Just a lot of bloody noses and bruises – all that good stuff."
Such unconventional methods have helped shape Southern Illinois into the defensive demon it is today. The 29-6 Salukis yield only 56.1 points per game, third best among all Division I schools (behind Princeton and Air Force), and they allow opponents to shoot a mere 41.3 percent, tops in the Missouri Valley Conference.
Shaw, who is a game-time decision for Thursday's Sweet 16 showdown against Kansas with a sprained ankle, believes this unique defensive approach has helped Southern Illinois stand out from the mid-major pack.
"I think that's what makes our team different from any other team," said Shaw, who, for the record, hurt his ankle in the win over Holy Cross, not on the practice court back in Carbondale, Ill. "We emphasize to keep playing and we just play hard."
Maybe more impressive is the Salukis' ability to not let any ill will fester from their "keep playing" sessions. What happens on the court, stays on the court. No matter how many stitches one had to get.
"That's the one thing that coach always keeps us aware of – that stuff is for practice only and not to carry on that stuff outside the court," Shaw said. "I think everybody understands that."
"We have to understand, as players, that we have to play a game in the next day or two, so we don't want to get anyone hurt," Tatum said. "But sometimes that switch is hard to turn off."
That's why Lowery picks his spots in calling for hand-to-hand combat.
"If we did that every day, we'd have guys in the E.R," he said.
Southern Illinois' defensive principles will be severely tested by the top-seeded Jayhawks, who average 79.5 points a game (12th best in Division I) and shoot 49.4 percent from the field (ninth best). Even with MVC defensive MVP Randal Falker, the Salukis know they can't stop Kansas' offensive talent one on one.
Collectively, though, they feel they have a chance.
"We're not intimidated at all," said guard Bryan Mullins, one of Southern Illinois' three MVC all-defensive team selections. "We're able to frustrate a lot of teams with our defense. We just have to do the same thing: play hard against them and try to limit their easy shots and transition buckets."
In other words, beat them to the punch.
Copyright 2007 Yahoo! Inc. All rights reserved
Vegas the Place to Be for NCAA Tourney
By JOHN MARSHALL
AP Sports Writer
The cocktail waitress weaves her way through the standing-room only crowd, contorting her body through a sea of men scouring wager sheets, trying not to spill a tray filled with a mix of coffee and beer.
All eyes point toward the bank of three dozen or so TVs that cover the front wall or the massive electronic board that covers the entire side wall with green, yellow and red letters and numbers that stream like something out of "The Matrix."
It's 9 a.m. The adrenaline and alcohol already are flowing, apparent from the round of cheers that ring out when a pregame show comes on the big screen.
Yep, this is Vegas, baby, and there might not be a better place to watch the NCAA Tournament outside of being at the games.
March Madness? It's right here, and it's nonstop.
"This is the place to be for the NCAA tournament," said Rich Laguna, of Roseville, Calif., while watching games from inside the Mirage's sports book with a dozen friends who came in from around the country. "There's lots of partying, you've got all the games, you're putting down bets - it doesn't get any better than this."
The city that never sleeps is never more alive than during opening weekend of the NCAA Tournament. There are other big weekends - Super Bowl, New Year's bowl games, Kentucky Derby - but none match the sustained buzz that comes from watching 48 games in four days from morning to night.
The larger sports books, like the Mirage and Mandalay Bay, fill up fast, with die-hards staking their claims to seats before the sun peeks over the mountains. The late arrivers - well, the ones who get there just before tipoff - lean against walls and rails or gather in groups in the room's center.
"It's standing-room only for a lot of people, and they're here all day, which takes a lot of stamina," said Robert Walker, race and sports book director for the MGM Mirage, which sets the line for MGM's 14 books in Vegas.
The Nevada Resort Association has no way of quantifying how much revenue the NCAA tournament generates for the city, in part because it's difficult to break down which visitors are in town to watch college basketball and which ones are there for the rest of what Vegas has to offer. Plus, the Nevada Gaming Commission doesn't break down specific sports other than the Super Bowl.
Even so, there's little doubt the NCAA tournament's first two rounds make for one of Vegas' biggest weekends, with hotels filled to capacity, streets and sidewalks jammed and casinos overflowing.
"The NCAA Tournament rivals the Super Bowl in terms of business, but the difference between the two events is that the first rounds of the NCAA tournament encompasses four days, where the Super Bowl is just the one day with the one game," said Rich Baccellieri, director of the Palms Casino Resort sports book. "The NCAA tournament sets up very well for the sports betting industry, because there's constant betting all day long for the four days."
Watching the NCAA tournament in Vegas is a little different than anywhere else, and it has nothing to do with cocktail waitresses or the constant jangling of slot machines.
In Vegas, the NCAA tournament is all about the point spread. There's no worrying about office brackets or pulling for alma maters, only agonizing over whether the favorites cover the spread.
Even a blowout generates action as those with wagers on underdogs pound tables and high-five each other until the final horn. When Virginia Commonwealth knocked off Duke on Thursday for the first big upset, bettors erupted with joy, chest-bumping and hugging each other as if their favorite team had just won the national championship.
"It's like a college frat party," Walker said. "I've never been to a frat party, but this is what I imagine it would be because it's just nonstop. It's incredible."
All material @2007 Times-News
UC Davis 77, Cal State Fullerton 68
March 3, 2007
DAVIS, Calif. (AP) -Senior Thomas Juillerat had a career-high 28 points and 10 rebounds to lift UC Davis over Cal State Fullerton 77-68 on Saturday night.
Vince Oliver scored 20 of his 28 points in the second half for the Aggies (5-23), who ended an 11-game losing streak.
Justin Burns and Bobby Brown had 15 points each for the Titans (19-9), who failed to get their fifth consecutive 20-game season.
Despite missing 10 straight shots from the field, the Aggies managed to trail the Titans 33-30 at the half. Cal State Fullerton missed six of 14 shots from the free-throw line while UC Davis hit 13 of 15 from the charity stripe in the first half.
The Aggies were behind 32-33 until Juillerat's two-hand dunk completed a 7-1 run to give the Aggies a 39-34 lead with 16:13 left in the second half. Tied 52-52, the Aggies staged a 13-5 run, completed by basket by Oliver to make the score 65-57 at the 4:05 mark.
The Titans cut the lead to four, but four straight free throws each by Juillerat and Rommel Marentez and two more by Ari Wamerdam in the last 1:12 sealed the victory for UC Davis.
The Aggies finished the game by hitting 24 of 26 shots from the free-throw line while Fullerton went 17-for-32 from the line.
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North Carolina A&T 104, Norfolk St. 99 2OT
Feb. 24, 2007
NORFOLK, Va. (AP) -Steven Rush had 35 points, including 21 in overtime, to lead North Carolina A&T to a 104-99 win on Saturday night.
Rush sent the game into double overtime on a 3-pointer with 1:23 to play. The Aggies (13-15, 9-7 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference) never trailed in the second overtime and went on an 11-7 run to complete the game.
North Carolina A&T's Jason Willis sent the game into overtime 81-all with 10 seconds left in regulation on a pair of free throws. Willis scored five points of his 20 points in the second overtime.
The Spartans (8-18, 8-8) went 48.3 percent from the field in regulation but were kept to 31.3 percent shooting in overtime. North Carolina A&T was 46.2 percent in regulation and 60 percent in overtime.
Greg Roberts added 19 points for the Aggies and Austin Ewing had 16. Willis also added 13 rebounds.
Tony Murphy led Norfolk State with 33 points, Corey Lyons had 29 points and nine rebounds, and Calvin Brown had 17 points and eight rebounds.
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Copyright 2005-2006, The Associated Press, All Rights Reserved
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