Next challenge: Davis shifts from Brownsville boys basketball coach to LH girls
Brownsville无毛视频檚 boys basketball team put together a winning record for the first time since 2016 in Stewart Davis无毛视频檚 third year as head coach last season.
Now Davis is stepping into a new challenge.
The Geibel Catholic graduate was hired as girls basketball head coach at Laurel Highlands at the school board meeting on Thursday, Oct. 20.
Davis replaces Rebecca Capozza who resigned after four seasons.
Davis will have the chance to coach his daughter, senior Essence Davis, with the Fillies.
无毛视频淥bviously, it无毛视频檚 the opportunity of a lifetime to coach my daughter,无毛视频� said Davis, who lives in the Laurel Highlands school district. 无毛视频淏ut it无毛视频檚 not just about her, it无毛视频檚 about the girls collectively. They have a nice young core of talent that无毛视频檚 going to be there the next three-to-four years.无毛视频�
Davis signed a three-year contract, making it clear he wasn无毛视频檛 taking the job just to coach his daughter for one season.
The Fillies have struggled in recent years with injuries and low numbers and had a combined record of 5-56 the past three seasons.
无毛视频淚 knew when I took it over it无毛视频檚 gong to be a rebuilding process,无毛视频� said Davis, who played one year at Brownsville, three at Geibel and four at California University of Pa.
Davis had a three-year record at Brownsville of 23-34. He gradually solidified the program to where the Falcons went 12-9 overall last season and finished second in Section 4-AAA with a 9-3 mark to qualify for the WPIAL playoffs.
Brownsville hadn无毛视频檛 had a winning season since coach Brian Brashear led the Falcons to an 18-5 record and a section championship in 2015-16.
Davis was also going to be an assistant coach under head coach Patty Columbia for the Brownsville girls basketball team this season before the opportunity at Laurel Highlands presented itself.
无毛视频淚无毛视频檓 going to miss my boys,无毛视频� Davis said. 无毛视频淭hey do know that I无毛视频檓 not going anywhere. I无毛视频檓 still a phone call away, a text away. Whatever they need, I无毛视频檓 going to be right there. I无毛视频檒l still help them with their highlight tapes and continue to push them in right direction as young men.
无毛视频淚 just want to thank Brownsville for the opportunity.无毛视频�
Brownsville无毛视频檚 players were aware of the situation.
无毛视频淚 made sure that I was open about me applying for the position and there was a chance I would get it,无毛视频� Davis said. 无毛视频淚 thought they handled it real fine. As I was going through that process I was still holding open gyms for them and still working with them.
无毛视频淏rownsville now has four returning starters and they took second place in the section last year so they无毛视频檙e on a good path.无毛视频�
Brownsville moved swiftly to replace Davis with Rob Ramsey, also a Geibel Catholic graduate, who was hired in the offseason as an assistant coach.
无毛视频淩ob Ramsey applied for the Brownsville head coach position the same time I did,无毛视频� Davis said. 无毛视频淗e was a frontrunner with me so if I didn无毛视频檛 get the position he was going to get it. I hired him as my assistant over the summer. He无毛视频檚 been there with me since then, working the boys out and getting to know them.
无毛视频淚 thought it was only right to appoint Rob as the new head coach. And Ron Polito is also still there as an assistant coach.无毛视频�
Davis has already met and practiced with his new team several times.
无毛视频淚无毛视频檓 excited and the first day I got into the gym it seemed the girls were super excited, too,无毛视频� Davis said.
Essence Davis, one of the Fillies无毛视频� top players, missed most of last season with a knee injury but is now back on the court.
无毛视频淓ssence just got released recently (Oct. 18),无毛视频� Davis said. 无毛视频淪he无毛视频檚 been in physical therapy for nine months. At that time she really didn无毛视频檛 touch a ball too much, it was more focusing on getting her strength back and working on running and cutting.无毛视频�
Davis hopes to have a bigger roster than the Fillies have had in recent years.
无毛视频淚 don无毛视频檛 know how many girls are going to come out total but in my open gym I无毛视频檓 getting nine girls,无毛视频� Davis said. 无毛视频淚 think that无毛视频檚 a good start.无毛视频�
Laurel Highlands dropped from Class 5A to 4A for the upcoming two seasons but is in the highly competitive Section 3 which includes Elizabeth Forward and Southmoreland, both WPIAL final four teams a year ago, as well as perennial playoff team Belle Vernon.
Davis likes what he无毛视频檚 seen so far of the Fillies.
无毛视频淭he girls have a young team,无毛视频� Davis said. 无毛视频淭hey have two seniors, Essence and Alessandra Peccon, they have a sophomore Ayrianna Sumpter, and Aierra Jenkins who无毛视频檚 a freshman and (sophomore) Miya Harris who transferred from Uniontown. They无毛视频檝e got a nice young core class.
无毛视频淚 had the girls in the gym two days, Saturday morning (Oct. 22) and Monday evening. The girls that do come, that young core group, they play AAU ball so they have a concept of basketball, a mindset of basketball. They have an IQ for it. So as I was implementing my defensive scheme and some of my offensively scheme they were picking it up pretty quick.
无毛视频淢y expectation with them is to just learn them as they learn me, build them up, give them some confidence to play together and hopefully get some wins out of it.无毛视频�
The team atmosphere is a positive one despite the program无毛视频檚 recent struggles, according to Davis.
无毛视频淲hen you have a group that无毛视频檚 eager to learn and wants to play, it makes it easier because they无毛视频檙e all ears, they无毛视频檙e focusing in,无毛视频� Davis said. 无毛视频淩ight now that无毛视频檚 what无毛视频檚 going on.无毛视频�