For the first time since the Spring 2018, the Detroit Mercy athletic department is looking for a new head men’s basketball coach. This comes after the university announced on March 7 that the school and Coach Mike Davis had agreed to mutually part ways.
While on paper Davis’s 60-119 record here is rather underwhelming considering his previous successful stops at three schools, there still was good basketball getting played in Calihan Hall under the Davis regime. It was a regime without scandal (unlike the previous staff) that brought great PR to the university while putting multiple professionals on the court for fans to enjoy.
However, college basketball is a business, and businesses need results. So after the 1-31 finish this season, it was time for Davis to pay the piper.
“On behalf of our entire community, I want to thank Coach Davis and his family for their dedication, commitment and competitive spirit he brought to Detroit Mercy,” Detroit Mercy athletic director Robert Vowels said in a press release at the timing of the decision. “We wish the best for him and his family as his coaching journey continues.”
Looking forward, the school is tasked with finding a leader in the new and ever-changing transfer portal era. It is an era that has left them potentially depleted next year already as guards Jayden Stone, Marcus Tankersley and Ryan Hurst have entered the portal.
Stone, who won the regular season conference scoring title, has received extensive interest with schools like Kansas, Florida State, Ole Miss and Utah making the call. Tankersley won’t be far behind and Ole Miss has shown interest in him as well (both had 20 + points in a near win @ Ole Miss in November). Hurst will have interest at the Division 1 level too, but the common option for all three is to come back if they choose to do so.
This isn’t something that’s uncommon either as guys choose to come out of the portal and return all the time, much like Antoine Davis did in 2022. It is truly dependent on who the university and their consulting firm that has been hired to aid in this decision, decides on and if they could see themselves sticking around as a fit in their scheme. With how fast commitments can happen in the NIL world, the school shouldn’t take too long to make a hire if they hope to have a chance to get these guys to suit up again in the red and blue.
Some added roster continuity could be on the way as well from guys like guard Mak Manciel and forward Emmanuel Kuac. Both came on late as better shooters and Kuac’s athleticism on the defensive end is valuable to any coach.
Who the next coach might be is really a guessing game right now, as they are currently rumored to be narrowing the search down from 60 candidates. Getting the right candidate is a priority for the university.
“It’s essential that UDM has a strong and competitive men’s basketball program for the city of Detroit, the University community, our alumni, supporters and friends and most of all for our student-athletes,” Detroit Mercy president Donald Taylor said in a press release at the time of Davis’ departure. “We all share pride in our athletic programs as representative of the University and we will work together to earn their interest and support in the program moving forward.”
The university is using Collegiate Sports Associates (CSA), a leading college athletics executive search firm, to aid in the search.
