July 8, 2011
DAVIS, Calif. - Veteran coach Chris Davis, most recently an assistant coach and also the recruiting coordinator at Providence College in the Big East Conference, has been named assistant men's basketball coach at UC Davis, joining longtime Aggie assistant Kevin Nosek on the staff for new head coach Jim Les, it was announced on Friday.
Davis, who will be involved in all aspects of UC Davis' program, brings more than 25 years of coaching experience to the Aggies which has helped teams at previous schools earn two NCAA Tournament bids and another two bids to the National Invitational Tournament (NIT).
"Chris brings a wealth of experience and success to our staff," said Les. "Having competed against Chris in the Missouri Valley Conference, I always respected his work ethic, recruiting prowess, and high basketball IQ. We are fortunate to have him join our staff and expect him to have a big impact in all aspects of our program."
Davis' first season at Providence in 2008-09 was a memorable one with the Friars winning 19 games overall - most for a first-year staff in school history - including 10 in the rugged Big East. Providence was rewarded with a bid to the NIT.
Davis was also instrumental in the development of standout guard Marshon Brooks who was second among NCAA scorers this season (24.6 ppg) and was selected by the Boston Celtics in the first round of last month's NBA Draft.
Prior to Providence, Davis served as the recruiting coordinator at Drake University, recruiting nearly every member of the Bulldogs' 2008 MVC regular-season and tournament championship team, including the entire starting five. Among that group was Josh Young, the program's all-time leading scorer.
Drake finished its historic season with a 28-5 record, was ranked as high as No. 14 by the Associated Press and earned the school's first NCAA Tournament bid since 1971.
Davis began his coaching career as a graduate assistant coach at Western Michigan in 1986 before becoming Grand Valley State's first full-time assistant a year later. He later joined the staff at Kent State where he helped guide the Golden Flashes to a 1990 NIT appearance.
He returned to Western Michigan in 1995, helping the Broncos win 21 games and advance to the second round of the 1998 NCAA Tournament.
Davis earned his bachelor's degree in secondary education with an emphasis in history and social studies from the University of Michigan in 1983. He received his master's in sports administration from Western Michigan in 1987.
Davis and his wife, Helen, have two children, Xavier and Gabriela.
He'll join the veteran Nosek who will begin his 10th year with the Aggies' program this fall. Nosek, a member of UC Davis' 1998 NCAA Division II championship team, helped complete the program's transition to Division I when he returned to the staff in 2006 after three years as head coach at Menlo College.
Nosek, a ballboy to legendary Aggie coach Bob Hamilton while growing up in Davis, was also an assistant coach for UC Davis from 1999-2003 before moving on to Menlo.
"Kevin is an Aggie and a well-respected coach," said Les. "He is a proven recruiter who relates extremely well with our student-athletes. He has been a head coach who understands what it takes to build a winning program both on the floor and in the classroom. His passion to make UC Davis basketball successful is infectious".
Nosek earned his bachelor's degree in organizational studies from UC Davis in 1999 and later received a master's in sport coaching from the United States Sports Academy.
Nosek and his wife, Nicole, have a daughter, Maya.
