The Winston-Salem State Rams went into to its past to carry on its future when former Rams great Paul Davis returned as the team’s assistant coach. After a stellar career on the collegiate and the professional level, Davis will look to impart his wisdom and knowledge of the game onto the next generation of Rams men’s basketball players.

Prior to returning to Winston-Salem State, Davis enjoyed a strong playing career as a professional basketball player. Davis signed his first professional contract in 2011 with Palangos Krepsinio Klubas “Naglis” (also known as Basketball Club Naglis) in Palanga, Lithuania. During his career, he also played on teams in Australia, Thailand, Chile (twice), Saudi Arabia, Colombia, Tunisia, and Lebanon. The highlight of his career came in 2016 with the Al Fatah Basketball Club when his team won the Prince Faisal Basketball Cup.

As a collegian, Davis had a stellar career at Winston-Salem State University, finishing his career as one of the top centers in school history. During his career, Davis led the Rams in blocked shots for four straight seasons and was the team’s leading rebounder in three of the four seasons that he played. It took him just over two seasons to become the school’s leader in blocked shots and he finished his career with 209 blocked shots, more than doubling the previous record held by Rams greats, Corey Thompson and Marcus Best. Davis also finished his career with 986 total points and averaged 8.6 points per game. He is also ranked seventh in school history with 839 rebounds. For his efforts, Davis earned several honors, including being named the Mary Garber WSSU Male Student-Athlete of the Year in 2010 and the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) Defensive Player of the Year in 2011. He also earned first team All-CIAA honors. He was also named to the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) All-Independent second team as well and completed his career playing in the HBCU Classic All-Star game.

Prior to his historic collegiate career, Davis began with a stellar high school career at Marlboro High School, where he played for head coach Ken Spencer, now the head coach at Fayetteville State University. He was named the team MVP for two seasons in a row and played in the North/South All-Star game. He also earned all-state, all-region, and All-Hoop Zone teams as well.

Davis is a 2012 graduate of Winston-Salem State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Physical Education.