Scott Davenport

Last updated
Scott Davenport
Air Force leadership convene for Spring Phoenix Rally 2023 (6) (cropped).jpg
Davenport in 2023
Biographical details
BornJanuary 25, 1957/1958 [1]
Louisville, Kentucky, U.S.
Alma mater Louisville ('84)
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1984–1985 Louisville (grad assistant)
1985–1986 VCU (assistant)
1986–1996 Ballard HS
1996–2005Louisville (assistant)
2005–2025 Bellarmine
Head coaching record
Overall423–192 (.688)
Tournaments26–10 (NCAA DII)
1–1 (CBI)
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
Awards
  • NABC Division II Coach of the Year (2011)
  • GLVC Coach of the Year (2011, 2012, 2017, 2018)

Scott Davenport, also known as "Scotty" (born January 25, 1957/1958), is an American former college basketball coach. He is best known as the former head men's basketball coach at Bellarmine University for 20 years. [2]

Contents

Early life

Davenport, a native of Bellarmine's home city of Louisville, Kentucky, grew up less than a mile from Churchill Downs in the city's South End, an area described by Sports Illustrated writer (and Louisville resident) Pat Forde as "gritty". His father died of a heart attack when he was 9 years old, and he was raised from that point by his mother, a hair stylist who had a sixth-grade education. According to Forde, Davenport "was not blessed with abundant athletic talent, but had an unquenchable love of basketball", playing at nearby Iroquois High School. [1]

Coaching career

Davenport began his coaching career as a graduate assistant coach under Denny Crum at Louisville in 1984. He then moved on to VCU for one season as an assistant to Mike Pollio. He returned to the Louisville area as a high school head coach at Ballard High School where he stayed for 10 seasons from 1986 to 1996. In his first two Ballard seasons, he led the Bruins to the state tournament finals, both against a Clay County team led by future Kentucky star Richie Farmer. The Bruins, featuring future NBA player Allan Houston in both seasons, lost in overtime in 1987 and survived a 51-point game by Farmer to win in 1988. [1] Davenport later coached another future NBA player in DeJuan Wheat. [2] Davenport returned to the Cardinals under Crum in 1996, and would stay on as an assistant coach for Rick Pitino. When Pitino took over from Crum in 2001, he gave Davenport, who then weighed 249 pounds (113 kg), an ultimatum to lose weight; Pitino reminded Davenport of the loss of his father, telling him, "Think of all the things your dad never got to see you do." Within a year, he had lost 78 pounds (35 kg), and has remained at his new weight ever since. [1] Davenport remained at Louisville until 2005, when he accepted the head coaching job at Bellarmine. [3]

Since joining the Knights, Davenport has become the all-time wins leader at the school, and has led the team to six Great Lakes Valley Conference regular season titles and five conference tournament titles, along with 12 NCAA Division II men's basketball tournaments which includes four Final Four appearances (2011, 2012, 2015, 2017), and the 2011 national title. [4] [5]

After a 2021–22 season in which the Knights won the ASUN Conference tournament, Bellarmine named his son Doug, who had played at Bellarmine from 2006 to 2010 and joined the Knights coaching staff in 2016, as his designated successor upon his eventual retirement. [6] Davenport officially announced his retirement on March 10th 2025.

Personality

In a 2020 story for SI, Forde had this to say about Davenport's personality: [1]

The coach doesn't just wear his emotions on his sleeve; he wears them on his trousers, his collar, his forehead ... everywhere. North Carolina coach Roy Williams has declared himself the corniest man in college basketball, but he better make room for the new guy. The guy whose ring tone on his phone is "One Shining Moment". The Louisville lifer who will tell stories for hours about growing up here and wanting to make his hometown proud.

Head coaching record

College

Statistics overview
SeasonTeamOverallConferenceStandingPostseason
Bellarmine Knights (Great Lakes Valley Conference)(2005–2020)
2005–06Bellarmine 14–1411–83rd (East)
2006–07Bellarmine 12–1511–85th (East)
2007–08Bellarmine 14–1411–8T–3rd (East)
2008–09Bellarmine 26–713–52nd (East) NCAA DII Sweet Sixteen
2009–10Bellarmine 23–912–63rd (East) NCAA DII second round
2010–11Bellarmine 33–217–11st (East) NCAA DII national champions
2011–12Bellarmine 29–416–21st (East) NCAA DII Final Four
2012–13Bellarmine 24–812–6T–3rd (East) NCAA DII Sweet Sixteen
2013–14Bellarmine 23–812–63rd (East) NCAA DII first round
2014–15Bellarmine 31–417–1T–1st (East) NCAA DII Final Four
2015–16Bellarmine 23–715–3T–1st (East) NCAA DII first round
2016–17Bellarmine 32–417–11st (East) NCAA DII Final Four
2017–18Bellarmine 29–316–21st (East) NCAA DII second round
2018–19Bellarmine 28–514–42nd NCAA DII Sweet Sixteen
2019–20Bellarmine 20–813–75th
Bellarmine Knights (ASUN Conference)(2020–2025)
2020–21 Bellarmine 14–810–32nd CBI semifinal
2021–22 Bellarmine 20–1311–52nd (West)
2022–23 Bellarmine 15–189–9T–7th
2023–24 Bellarmine 8–234–1212th
2024–25 Bellarmine 5–262–1612th
Bellarmine:423–192 (.688)236–107 (.688)
Total:423–192 (.688)

      National champion        Postseason invitational champion  
      Conference regular season champion        Conference regular season and conference tournament champion
      Division regular season champion      Division regular season and conference tournament champion
      Conference tournament champion

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Forde, Pat (December 3, 2020). "The Rise of the Bellarmine Knights: How a Hometown Hero Built a Division I Basketball Program". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved December 26, 2020.
  2. 1 2 "Bellarmine University - 2023-24 Men's Basketball Coaching Staff". athletics.bellarmine.edu. Retrieved February 16, 2024.
  3. "Davenport Departs to Become Bellarmine's Head Coach". University of Louisville Athletics. April 29, 2005. Retrieved February 16, 2024.
  4. Crush, Patrick (March 26, 2011). "TRUST THE CHAMPS! BELLARMINE WINS NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP!". Bellarmine University Athletics. Retrieved February 16, 2024.
  5. Lane, Tom (November 13, 2019). "LANE | Historic victory for Scott Davenport at Bellarmine". WDRB.com. Retrieved February 16, 2024.
  6. "Doug Davenport named "Coach-in-Waiting" at Bellarmine" (Press release). Bellarmine Knights. May 12, 2022. Retrieved May 15, 2022.