April 20, 2010
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Dee Davis graduated from Vanderbilt in 2007, but her commute to work every day makes it seem as though she hasn’t left. Each day she heads up 21st Avenue, but instead of turning onto Vanderbilt’s campus, she turns the other direction and heads into the parking lot at University School of Nashville, which sits just across the street from Vanderbilt’s campus.
For the past two years, Davis has served as the head coach of USN’s varsity girls basketball team. This past season, Davis helped USN more than double its victory total from the season before by leading the team to a 15-10 record.
A former point guard for the Commodores, Davis finished her career as the school’s all-time assists leader. Beyond her play on the court, Davis was known for her leadership on and off the court.
“I’ve always been told that I would be a good coach,” Davis said. “Being a point guard, I always direct everybody to where they need to be, and I’ve always had an itch to work with kids. I didn’t know what level and at what point I wanted to do that. It was something I wanted to test the waters in and ended up really enjoying it.”
After completing her second season at the helm of the program, Davis feels at home as a coach. But finding that comfort level did not come as easily as expected.
“It’s been a challenge,” Davis said of her transition into coaching. “Coming into it, I knew the game of basketball, and it was easy to teach that aspect. But I really didn’t know what to expect or how to handle a lot of different situations besides just teaching the game. I’ve learned a lot and have enjoyed it.”
Just having the opportunity to coach each game is enjoyable for Davis, but no game has as much personal meaning to her as when she goes up against former teammate and good friend Cherish Stringfield, the head coach at Centennial High School in Franklin, Tenn. The two have faced each other three times with Dee leading the head-to-head series 2-1.
“It is definitely a very competitive game,” said Stringfield, who, like Davis just completed her second season as head coach. “We were teammates and are really good friends, so it is definitely a good rivalry.”
In the past the game has drawn former Vanderbilt teammates and members of the coaching staff who watch as the former teammates go against one another.
On top of her coaching duties at USN, Davis teaches physical education, weight training and works in the admissions office.
Although she has found a home as a coach, Davis isn’t quite ready to move to the sidelines full-time. Davis last played professionally in 2008 after being drafted in the WNBA in 2007 by the now-defunct Houston Comets. It’s been two years since she last played, but she hopes it won’t be the last time.
“I trained all of last year, but didn’t get an opportunity in the WNBA,” Davis said. “One team folded, and they cut roster sizes down across the league. It really limited job opportunities last year. I am praying for something this year.”
Training camp for WNBA teams opens on April 25, and Davis hopes to be in a camp vying for a roster spot in the league that runs from May through August.
Even though Davis has her sights set on reviving her playing career, she doesn’t plan on leaving the coaching ranks anytime soon. In fact, even if she makes a WNBA roster, Davis plans on remaining at USN as the head coach. It is a unique situation that Davis is grateful the administration at USN is supportive of.
“USN is very supportive of what I want to do and is very excited for me to maybe have that opportunity to play at the next level,” Davis said. “Having someone on the faculty here that is playing at the next level is something they would like to have, as well.”
If she does make a roster, balancing her time between playing and coaching will be a difficult challenge, but Stringfield believes that if anyone can do both, it is Davis.
“All things are possible if someone wants to do something and they work hard enough toward it,” Davis said. “That’s just the type of person that Dee is, and she will cross that line when it comes.”
