The Memphis men’s basketball team has officially announced the appointment of Mike Davis as an assistant coach for the forthcoming season.
Davis comes to Memphis following a significant tenure with the Detroit Mercy men’s basketball program, where he recorded a 60-119 overall mark as head coach. He took the reins at Detroit Mercy on June 13, 2018, with his final season concluding with a challenging 1-31 record, achieving victory solely against IUPUI.
His coaching career boasts five regular-season championships with UAB (2011) and Texas Southern (2013, 2015-2017), in addition to four SWAC Tournament titles in 2014, 2015, 2017, and 2018.
Davis gained prominence as the successor to the legendary Bobby Knight at Indiana University, where he guided the Hoosiers to the national championship game in 2002 and secured a Big Ten regular-season championship. During his time in Indiana (2000-2006), Davis amassed a 115-79 overall record, including a 55-41 record in conference play. He was the first coach in Indiana University history to begin his career with three consecutive seasons of at least 20 wins and NCAA Tournament appearances. Under his guidance, the Hoosiers claimed a shared title in the 2002 Big Ten championship and participated in five postseason tournaments (four NCAA and one NIT), defeating 22 ranked teams along the way.
Throughout his career, Davis has received several honors, including being named the Conference USA Coach of the Year in 2011 while at UAB and the Southwestern Athletic Conference Coach of the Year in 2013, 2015, and 2016 during his tenure at Texas Southern.
In the initial five seasons at Texas Southern, Davis secured at least one title each year since 2012. He also significantly influenced the program by mentoring five consecutive Southwestern Athletic Conference Players of the Year: Omar Strong (2012-13), Aaric Murray (2013-14), Madarious Gibbs (2014-15), Derrick Griffin (2015-16), and Zach Lofton (2016-17). This achievement, a unique milestone in the SWAC, ranks as the fourth-longest streak in NCAA history.
In 2014, Davis led Texas Southern to a SWAC Tournament championship, defeating Prairie View A&M. This victory propelled them to the NCAA Tournament that year, where they faced Cal Poly in the First Four. The following year, TSU triumphed over Southern to capture another SWAC title, earning a No. 15 seed and a first-round matchup against Arizona in the NCAA Tournament.
Texas Southern made its third NCAA appearance under Davis in 2017, clinching yet another SWAC Tournament championship with a win over Alcorn State. That season, TSU also claimed both the regular-season and tournament championships within the SWAC.
“I am excited to have Coach Davis as part of our program,” Memphis head coach Penny Hardaway stated in the announcement. “He is a veteran coach with a winning mentality and an impressive resume. Mike has won at the highest level, achieved great success, and is a proven leader. We are thrilled to have him and his family in Memphis.”
Under Hardaway’s guidance, Memphis has achieved a 110-52 record, secured five consecutive seasons with at least 20 wins, claimed the 2021 National Invitation Tournament championship, won the 2023 AAC tournament championship, and made back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances in 2022 and 2023.
Image Source: Mike Davis @ Instagram
