Keno Davis secures 200th career win in 106-60 victory over Trinity Christian
Central Michigan head coach Keno Davis coaches the Men's Basketball Team during a timeout against Trinity Christian Nov. 23 at McGuirk Arena.
Keno Davis emerged from the basement tunnel of the John G. Kulhavi Events Center that leads to McGuirk Arena, sporting a navy blue sports coat, light blue collared dress shirt and orange tie.
He shook hands with NAIA Trinity Christian coach Jason Hawkins. The Trolls, now at 4-7 overall, weren't expected to be much of a challenge.
Davis, in his eighth-year as Central Michigan's coach, joked around with the officials near center court as his team was introduced.
As his starters were getting ready to take the floor, Davis assumed his role as the leader – greeting them one-by-one before returning to his spot on the bench.
A win against the Trinity Christian at McGuirk Arena would mark Davis' 200th career win as a college basketball coach.
"I had a lot of people that told me in the last week," Davis said.
He was successful.
The Chippewas (5-1) ran away with Saturday's contest, earning a 106-60 win against Trinity Christian to bounce back from an 82-57 loss to Big Ten opponent Minnesota.
Davis accumulated 28 wins as the coach of Drake in the 2007-08 season, 46 wins with Providence from 2008-11 and now 126 at the helm of the Chippewas since 2012.
"It's nice to be able to do it with a team that has the potential to be really good," Davis said. "It doesn't mean as much if you were racking up wins and didn't feel like your team could compete at a level with your conference and competition."
Since Davis was hired as the head coach prior to the 2012-13 season, the Chippewas have a 52-72 record in the Mid-American Conference.
Central Michigan is still more than a month away from its MAC opener against Miami (Ohio), but Davis said the nonconference will prepare his squad for conference play.
Moving to 5-1 on the season, CMU has defeated three NAIA programs – Michigan-Dearborn, Siena Heights and Trinity Christian – along with Mississippi Valley State, one of the worst Division I teams in the country.
When Davis got the locker room, the members of his team celebrated by dousing him in water from the Gatorade container.
"I thought everyone was just really thirsty, so I didn't see that I was going to get drenched," Davis said. "When you get a milestone like that, there's a lot of hard work that goes into it."
Senior forward Kevin McKay led the way with 18 points, six rebounds and one assist.
"I've been a part of a lot of wins, and he's been coaching for a long time," McKay said of Davis' milestone. "To be part of the team where he reaches 200 wins, it's an honor."
Central Michigan forward David DiLeo makes his second of back-to-back three-pointers in the first half against Trinity Christian Nov. 23 at McGuirk Arena.
Senior forwards David DiLeo and Rob Montgomery scored 16 and 15 points, respectively, while junior guard Deschon Winston chipped in 12 and five assists.
Junior forward Romelo Burrell scored 12 points and pulled down eight rebounds. Junior guard Devontae Lane logged seven assists.
Annihilating Trinity Christian
DiLeo had made 269 career 3-pointers and shot 38.1% from beyond the arc prior to Saturday's game. But he was coming off a 1-for-11 stretch in his last two games against Siena Heights and Minnesota.
Davis knew this, but he also understood DiLeo's development. He never had to tell the senior to make an adjustment.
"He's always had a really high basketball IQ," Davis said. "One thing he doesn't get enough credit for is how he's turned into more of a complete player."
DiLeo started the game firing the basketball off his right hand. He missed his first three shots – all from 3-point range.
The 6-foot-8 senior began working his way from the inside out, and it immediately brought a fist pump and smirk out of Davis' emotional toolbox.
DiLeo scored a layup to give CMU a 24-13 lead at the 9:03 mark in the first half on an assist from junior guard Dallas Morgan. On the ensuing possession, he collected an offensive rebound, gathered himself and went back up strong to score on a contested layup.
"Those are things you saw today that he probably couldn't have done a couple years ago," Davis said.
Then, DiLeo found the groove he had been missing.
Giving the Chippewas a 36-24 lead, DiLeo comfortably caught a pass from Lane at the top of the key and hit his mark.
He did it again.
On another assist from Lane, DiLeo's second 3-pointer gave CMU a 39-24 lead with 4:22 remaining in the first half.
Central Michigan guard Travon Broadway Jr. dunks the basketball off an alley oop from guard Devontae Lane against Trinity Christian Nov. 23 at McGuirk Arena.
Holding a 17-9 lead earlier in the contest, junior guard Travon Broadway Jr. – one of the players Davis brought in from an NCJAA program – sliced to the basket and missed an open layup.
Davis let out a sigh.
But Broadway made up for it on the next possession, throwing down a dunk after Burrell dove on the floor to secure a loose ball.
Over the course of 22 seconds in the first half, McKay turned the ball over twice while trying to dribble in the paint. The smaller Trinity Christian forwards made it tough for McKay to do what he does best – create space for himself by dribbling to get in position for a layup.
The emotions from Davis were clear. He frowned, but his facial expression quickly turned the other direction.
That's when DiLeo heated up.
Central Michigan continued to seek and destroy from an offensive standpoint, pushing the ball every chance it got against the Trolls. The result was a relaxing 53-29 lead at halftime.
Davis' group forced 10 turnovers in the first half, and the amount grew to 23 by the final buzzer.
"I like the aggressive nature of our team," Davis said. "The first thing our guys talk about in the locker room is defense. This year's identity is a team that wants to get down and after you defensively."
Davis' group kept Trinity Christian at bay, utilizing a fast-paced offense swarming defensive attack. It was exemplified with 16:26 left in the game, as Lane stole the ball and tossed an alley-oop to Broadway for a transition dunk and 30-point lead.
Even DiLeo, a typical mainstay on the 3-point line, dunked the basketball after stealing it away at half court for an 86-48 lead.
Everyone on the bench, including Davis, smiled.
The regular six that take on most the playing time were done at the 8:09 mark. Davis ran with a lineup of seventh-man Winston, eighth-man Burrell, redshirt freshman guard PJ Mitchell, senior guard Corey Redman and redshirt junior forward Kevin Hamlet.
Michael Kemp came into the game with 3:43 remaining and immediately made an impact. He scored a put-back layup to give CMU a 102-56 lead.
Davis couldn't help but smile.
The bench erupted in cheers when Kemp scored a second time on his own offensive rebound.
"When you hear our players cheering for him, it's not just cheering for him because he's the last guy to get in," Davis said. "It's because they know the hard work he's put in."
Capping off a 106-60 victory, Davis walked slowly off the court behind his team, back into that same tunnel where he came from to begin the game.
This time, he walked with 200 wins.
