Knox College Director of Athletics Daniella Irle announced the hiring of Ben Davis as the Prairie Fire head men’s basketball coach on Tuesday. Davis was selected from a search that included over 230 candidates.
“We are thrilled to welcome Ben to our staff,” said Irle. “He has a great coaching background as a head coach and in the Midwest, and his teams have had success on and off the court.”
Davis comes to Knox from Green Mountain College in Vermont. In 2018-19, Davis led the Eagles to an overall mark of 18-10 and a Northeastern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (NIAC) Championship. Under Davis’ tutelage, the team ranked first in the nation in defensive points per game (62.0) and defensive field goal percentage (37.8%). He also coached the Association of Independent Institutions (A.I.I.) Defensive Player of the Year. During the 2017-18 season, Davis’ team led the North Athletic Conference (NAC) in rebounding, had 14 freshmen on the squad, and qualified for the conference tournament.
“I am extremely excited to have the opportunity to lead the men’s basketball team at Knox College. I want to thank Daniella Irle, President Amott, and the entire search committee for granting me the opportunity,” said Davis. “Through the interview process, I was blown away by what a special place Knox College is and the support the community and college have for our student-athletes. While on campus, it was easy to see the rapid growth that is taking place under Irle, and I am honored to be part of that growth.”
The Prairie Fire will return a majority of the 2018-19 squad next season, and over half of the players are currently first-years. The team will also feature four seniors and four juniors next season.
“With a young and talented core of guys that seem eager to get to work, all of the pieces are in place for this team to reach new heights,” continued Davis. “I can’t wait to get started.”
Prior to Green Mountain, Davis spent three seasons as the head coach at Dakota County Technical College in Minnesota. In his first stint as a head coach, he inherited a program that posted a 7-21 record in 2013-14. He quickly transformed it into one that played to a 23-8 record the next season. In his last season at the helm, his team finished with a 20-12 record and qualified for the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) National Tournament for the first time in school history. For his success, he received his region’s Coach of the Year honors. In his three years at DCTC, Davis produced five First Team All-Region players, four Academic All-Americans, and a First Team All-American player.
Before DCTC, Davis was the full-time assistant coach and head of recruiting at Clarke University in Iowa for two years. He helped direct the team to a 19-win season in 2011-12, which was third-best in school history.
Davis also spent two years at Carleton College in Minnesota as an assistant coach. He helped the team to a 39-16 overall record during that span. Carleton made the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) tournament both years. His team won the conference championship in 2009-10, making a trip to the NCAA Tournament and losing by one point in the first round to eventual national champions University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point.
Carleton ranked second in the country among Division III institutions for lowest fouls committed during the 2010-2011 season. Davis also coached the MIAC Defensive Player of the Year in 2009-10.
Davis was an assistant at Macalester College in Minnesota before his stint at Carleton. At Macalester, he headed the recruiting efforts while being responsible for the skill development of the team’s post players.
From 2006 to 2016, Davis was director and coach (2006-2013) for the Minnesota Fury AAU team. His success at that level is also noteworthy as his teams went 432-183 and beat teams with players ranked in the top 10 by national scouting services. Davis has had more than 60 players move on to play at the collegiate level, with 27 of them receiving athletic scholarships.
Davis received his Bachelor of Science degree in child psychology with a minor in coaching education from the University of Minnesota in 2007. He received his master’s degree in coaching education from the Ohio University in 2010.
https://prairiefire.knox.edu/news/2019/4/2/ben-davis-tabbed-for-mens-basketball-position.aspx
