Davis Accepted the WBCA Coach Of The
Year Award at the WBCA Convention on
April 6th in St. Louis, Missouri.
(Courtesy of the WBCA) | | 
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(Courtesy of the WBCA) – The Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) has selected Russ Davis of Vanguard University as the 2009 RUSSELL ATHLETIC/WBCA National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Coach of the Year. Davis becomes the 25th coach to receive this accolade, which has been selected by the WBCA since 1985.
“I am delighted to present Russ Davis with the RUSSELL ATHLETIC/WBCA National NAIA Coach of the Year Award,” said WBCA CEO Beth Bass. “Russ and his team have had a tremendous season thus far, and we are glad to reward his efforts.” During the 2008-09 season, Davis has led his team to a No. 2 national ranking, a 29-3 overall record and a 19-1 ledger within the GSAC conference capturing the regular season crown. In post season play, Davis’ team won the GSAC Tournament title, defeating Point Loma Nazarene. This was the sixth time this feat has been accomplished at Vanguard. Davis has won nine GSAC titles, made 11 NAIA Tournament appearances and four Final Four® appearances. He was named NAIA Coach of the Year in 2008 after leading his team to the NAIA Championship. Davis’ teams have averaged 26 wins and less than seven losses in the 12 years he has been coaching at Vanguard, and he sports a career coaching record of 349-83. In 2005, Davis received his first honor as RUSSELL ATHLETIC/WBCA NAIA Coach of the Year, and in 2006 he received Coach of the Year honors for the West Region. Davis earned the NAIA National Coach of Character in 2007 and the NAIA Phyllis Holmes Coach of the Year Award in 2008. He also serves as member of the WBCA Board of Directors, and is a member of the State Farm Coaches’ All-America Team Committee. “Russell Athletic is proud to honor Russ Davis as the winner of the WBCA’s Coach of the Year Award. Russ embodies the true values of a dedicated and successful coach,” said Catherine Gammon, Sr. Director of Sponsorships, Russell Athletic. Davis is one of six RUSSELL ATHLETIC/WBCA National Coaches of the Year selected, which also names winners for each of the other four WBCA collegiate divisions (NCAA Divisions I, II, III and JC/CC) as well as High School. The winner is selected through a two-level process. The first level is by region, in which coaches from each WBCA geographical region vote for their respective top coach. Davis, having received the most votes in WBCA NAIA Region 1, advanced as a finalist to the national level of the selection process along with the other five Regional Coaches of the Year in the NAIA division. The WBCA would also like to recognize the following regional NAIA Coaches of the Year: Region | Coach | Institution | 2 | Earl Woudstra | Northwestern College | 3 | John McCullough | Oklahoma Baptist Univ. | 4 | Mark Youngs | Davenport Univ. | 5 | Dale Neal | Freed-Hardeman Univ. | 6 | Marty Rowe | Lee Univ. |
Davis and the national winners from the other five divisions will be honored at the Russell Athletic/WBCA National Coach of the Year Luncheon on Monday, April 6, 2009, at 1 p.m. CT in the Hyatt Regency St. Louis Riverfront Grand Ballroom. The luncheon is part of the WBCA National Convention, held in conjunction with the NCAA® Women's Final Four® in St. Louis, Mo. About RUSSELL ATHLETIC
For more than 100 years, Russell Athletic has supplied America’s high school, college, and professional athletes and teams with the innovative products and uniforms. Russell Athletic active wear and college licensed products are broadly distributed and marketed through department stores, sports specialty stores, retail chains, and college bookstores. For more information, log onto www.russellathletic.com. About the WBCA
Founded in 1981, the WBCA promotes women’s basketball by unifying coaches at all levels to develop a reputable identity for the sport and to foster and promote the development of the game as a sport for women and girls. For additional information about the WBCA, please visit wbca.org. |