Former IU basketball head coach Mike Davis was announced on Wednesday as an assistant at Memphis under Penny Hardaway.
Davis comes to Memphis after spending the last six seasons as head coach at Detroit Mercy (2018-24). He coached his son there for five seasons.
Davis’ coaching resume touts 35-plus years of experience on the sideline, including 24 years of head coaching experience with 14 postseason trips. His squads have recorded at least 20 wins nine times, while posting a winning record in 15 of his 24 campaigns.
“I am excited to have coach Davis as part of our program,” Hardaway said in a Memphis release. “He is a veteran coach and brings a winning mentality to the team with an impressive resume to back it up, both on and off the court.
Mike has won at the highest level, achieved great success and is a proven leader of young men. He will serve our program in the office, on campus and in the community. We are happy to have Mike and his family in Memphis.”
Davis started his collegiate head-coaching career at Indiana and led the program from 2000-06. There he compiled a 115-79 overall record, a 55-41 mark in the Big Ten, and led the Hoosiers to five postseason tournaments, including a run to the NCAA Championship game in 2002. Davis’ teams tallied a 21-12 record in the month of March and a 7-4 NCAA Tournament mark.
He was named the 25th head coach in Indiana history on Sept. 12, 2000, succeeding Bob Knight. Davis went 21-13, finishing fourth in the Big Ten at 10-6 in his first season. His 21 wins were four more than any other first-year IU head coach.
The Alabama native was also the first coach in Indiana history to open his tenure with three straight 20-plus win seasons and three consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances as he directed the Hoosiers to a share of the 2002 Big Ten championship and an appearance in the 2002 national championship game, while also defeating 22 nationally-ranked opponents during that span.
Prior to being named head coach at IU, Davis spent the previous three seasons as an assistant coach under Knight.