Keno Davis is the new head coach at Providence.
Davis, 36, was the National Coach of the Year after leading Drake to the NCAA tournament in his first and only season at the school.
“We are very excited to have Keno Davis leading our men’s basketball program,” Providence president Father Brian Shanley said. “Over the last several weeks, we have conducted a thorough search. During this process, we talked to some of the most knowledgeable members of the college basketball community. It was our task to find a coach who would lead our student-athletes and embrace the College’s mission. Keno Davis met all of our selection criteria.”
In his first season as a head coach, Davis led the Drake Bulldogs to a 28-5 mark, which included a 15-3 record in the Missouri Valley Conference. His team captured its first MVC regular season title since 1971 and its first ever MVC Tournament title. Drake became the first MVC school to win both the regular season and league tournament titles since 2002.
There is talk that Davis may bring his father, Tom Davis, the former Drake coach, with him in some capacity.
Providence chose Davis after the school struck out on several other candidates, including Jim Larranaga of George Mason and Travis Ford of UMass.
