Central Michigan University Athletics
Davis Named MAC Coach of the Year
3/11/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Andy Sneddon, CMUChippewas.com
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. - In three years, Keno Davis has taken a bottomed-out program to the top of the Mid-American Conference.
And for that, the Central Michigan men's basketball coach has earned a just reward. On Wednesday, Davis was named the 2015 MAC Coach of the Year in a vote of league coaches.
"I think it's rewarding for everyone involved," Davis said. "When you get an award like that as a head coach you're not going to get it unless you have a staff who has worked extremely hard, and not just in one year, but for us, coming up on three years."
Davis took over CMU before the 2012-13 season, and led the Chippewas to an 11-20 finish in his first season and a 10-21 mark last season. CMU was a combined 7-27 in MAC play in those two years, finishing fifth in the six-team West in both campaigns.
The Chippewas take a 22-7 record into the MAC Tournament in Cleveland this week after a 12-6 league slate and a regular-season championship, their first since 2002-03. The Chippewas will play a MAC Tourney semifinal on Friday.
Davis built a foundation with the current junior class, which includes Chris Fowler and John Simons, who have started every game since setting foot on campus.
"It's a credit to the great student-athletes that we've had here that we were able to build a program, (going) from just a couple of players on scholarship to the point where you're winning a MAC championship," said Davis, whose staff of assistants - Kevin Gamble, Kyle Gerdeman and Jeff Smith - has remained in tact since he arrived in Mount Pleasant. "I think that says a lot about the administration, a lot about the program, and a lot about the character of those student-athletes who are a part of it."
Davis becomes the first CMU coach to earn the MAC honor since 2002-03.
"The key has been hard work combined with not diverting from the original game plan to build a program -- not to take any shortcuts, but to stay to what we believed in as the best way to move the program forward, and not just for a one-year jump, but hopefully to build a program that can compete for championships year in and year out," Davis said. "I appreciate the most the administration not only for believing in me and the staff when they hired us, but even without the winning to have the support from the administration, from the Mount Pleasant community, from the students, to be able to back this team and help propel us to where we are," Davis said.
