Newberry basketball coach leaving program for Winthrop

NEWBERRY – Ninth-year Newberry coaching veteran Dave Davis has resigned as men’s basketball coach effective July 1.

Davis leaves for an assistant coaching position at Winthrop.

“Dave Davis has been incredibly important to Newberry College and the Newberry community since the day he arrived on campus, and will always be incredibly important to all of us that love him,” said Director of Athletics Ralph Patterson.

“I met Dave 33 years ago when he was a young, red-haired assistant coach at Warren Wilson, and we’ve been friends ever since. I’m very proud of all that Dave has accomplished as a head coach at Warren Wilson, Barton, Pfeiffer, and Newberry. He’s made a difference in the lives of literally thousands of basketball players and coaches, and he has in mine, too. Please join me in thanking Dave, and his awesome wife Pam, and wishing them the absolute best in the next step of their journey.”

Davis has led the Newberry program to its best stretch since joining the NCAA in his nine seasons at the helm of the program. He has led the Wolves to five of their top six win totals as an NCAA program, including the program’s second 20-win season as an NCAA institution and a second-place league finish in 2014-15.

Before he was named head coach, Newberry hadn’t had back-to-back winning seasons in three decades; Newberry had seven consecutive winning campaigns beginning in 2011-12. The Wolves ranked in the top 10 nationally in scoring in every season of his tenure, twice led the nation in both three-pointers made and turnovers forced, and have consistently been among the top five in steals, forced turnovers, and three-point scoring.

Newberry has led the league in scoring six times in his tenure and have accounted for a litany of statistical champions as both teams and individuals. His first four recruiting classes all finished their careers as Newberry’s winningest in its NCAA era.

In his time patrolling the sideline at Eleazer Arena, his players have accounted for 17 All-South Atlantic Conference selections and three SAC Freshman of the Year picks. The men’s basketball program has produced an incredible four of the last five SAC Scholar-Athletes of the Year.

His record stands at 143-113 in nine seasons at Newberry. His teams also have a number of notable accomplishments in exhibitions: the 2015-16 squad defeated Marshall 101-89, the Wolves scored 89 points in a loss at South Carolina that represented the second-most points scored on the Gamecocks during their Final Four season, and Newberry forced Miami into 31 turnovers in a loss to a Hurricanes squad that finished second in the ACC in 2017-18.

He has accumulated 486 wins overall in an illustrious career spanning 28 seasons, half of which were spent at Pfeiffer with brief stints at Barton (three seasons) and Warren Wilson (two), his alma mater.

His best seasons came at Pfeiffer, where he advanced to three NCAA Championships, a pair of Sweet Sixteens, and the 2004 Elite Eight. He was a three-time CVAC (now Conference Carolinas) Coach of the Year and was the NCAA’s East Region Coach of the Year in 2004. In a seven-year span beginning in the 1998-99 season, Davis’s Falcons went to three NCAA postseasons and compiled a stunning 161-51 record.

He won 59 games over his first three seasons at Warren Wilson and Barton. As a player, Davis was a four-year starter for Warren Wilson that helped the Owls to two conference championships and national tournament appearances. His jersey was retired after his playing career ended and he is still the program’s all-time leader in assists.

Davis’s coaching tree extends through all levels of collegiate basketball and into the NBA and includes names as diverse as Rob Perron (Catawba), Matt Painter (Purdue), Mike Longabardi (Cleveland Cavaliers), and Brandon Beane (Buffalo Bills General Manager).