COLUMN: Men's basketball lucky to have Davis
CMU men's basketball head coach Keno Davis applauds before the Chippewas game against Miami (Ohio) on Wednesday, Jan. 14.
The question is no longer whether coach Keno Davis can build a contender out of the Central Michigan University men’s basketball team. The team is making huge strides this season with a 12-2 record and the second-highest scoring offense in the nation.
The question is how long CMU can hold onto the 2008 Associated Press College Basketball Coach of the Year.
Last time Davis had a successful season was in 2007-2008 during his first year as a head coach at Drake University. Davis took Drake to a 28-5 record and a NCAA tournament berth.
The next year, he took a coaching gig at Providence, a school in the now debunked Big East.
Fortunately, it seems like Davis has long term plans in Mount Pleasant.
CMU has seen its share of successful coaches. Brian Kelly and Butch Jones turned Chippewas football into a MAC West powerhouse for a few seasons.
But then they moved on. Kelly is now at Notre Dame, Jones at Tennessee.
The rebuild had to begin again.
CMU fans can only hope Davis has been swayed by a few other wildly successful coaches that have decided to keep their talents in Mount Pleasant.
Margo Jonker has 34 years under her belt and a .620 winning percentage as the CMU softball coach. CMU's stadium is named after her.
Jerry Reighard has coached the gymnastics team for 29 seasons. They’re repeatedly a Top-25 team and appear to get better and better each season.
Steve Jaksa and Sue Guevara have already made names for themselves in baseball and women’s basketball, but haven’t taken the opportunity to get out of town.
Will Davis follow the same path?
“I don’t have a dream job or ending,” Davis said. “I just want to make sure that as I’m coaching. I really enjoy where I’m at and I really enjoy it here at Central Michigan"
It’s taken some growing pains, but it’s easy to see Davis is the right fit for CMU.
He talks about how next year will be the year the team really has potential. He recruits guys like Chris Fowler, Luke Meyer and DaRohn Scott. He dreams about packing McGuirk Arena for every game and creating an atmosphere that “would rival any school in the country.”
Davis has finally brought some excitement to the CMU men’s basketball program.
Let’s just hope CMU is his foundation, not his stepping stone.
