By BRENDAN MCGAIR
Sports Writer

PROVIDENCE — And just like that, the two black eyes Bob Driscoll has been on the receiving end of these last few weeks have cleared up.

Locking up the reigning AP national coach of the year might have something to do with Driscoll, the PC athletic director, at last seeing straight.

A four-plus week stretch to find a men’s basketball coach for Providence College concluded Tuesday with the hire of Keno Davis as the 14th coach in school history. Davis’ hiring comes after a lengthy search process in which two candidates — George Mason’s Jim Larranaga and UMass’ Travis Ford — turned down the job.

Davis inked a seven-year deal worth to be in the $1 million range annually, which represents almost a $20,000 hike over what Tim Welsh made last season. It is not believed to contain a buyout clause, meaning Davis can depart at any point without owing Providence the rest of his salary.  

Providence’s hiring of Davis completes what was a whirlwind 12-month stretch for the 36-year-old. He succeeded his father, Dr. Tom Davis, at Drake last March, becoming a head coach for the first time ever.

All Davis did was transform a Bulldogs squad that wasn’t taken seriously in its own league (picked ninth out of 10 teams in the Missouri Valley preseason poll) into a Cinderella story long before the NCAA Tournament tipped off. Drake blossomed the following: the program’s first appearance in the Big Dance since 1971, win 21 straight games, a conference championship and become a regular in the top-25, where the Bulldogs found themselves residing in for eight straight weeks.

Davis’ star rose so high that he appeared to fall out of Providence’s range. Yet with the question of who would replace Welsh hovering over the school for nearly a month, the Friars can be satisfied they found a coach whose first instinct is to shy away from the stiff challenges the Big East has to offer.

“I was really surprised people would turn down more money from a better league and a beautiful place,” said Driscoll.

Driscoll said he tied different tactics in tabbing a replacement for Welsh. With Larranaga, Driscoll tired to sell the PC alum on the idea of returning to his college roots. In Ford’s case, Driscoll reached out to Rick Pitino and Billy Donovan, both of whom Ford holds in high regards.

With Davis, Driscoll needed to adopt a different strategy, that of selling the idea of returning to an area he knew as a youngster. Davis’ formal years saw him grow up down the road from Boston College, where his father was the Eagles’ head coach from 1977-82.

“I knew Keno’s dad and the Boston piece was an important one. I watched what he did [at Drake] and it’s similar to what I need [at PC,” said Driscoll. “Drake’s relationship with the Missouri Valley and the top-five schools isn’t all that different from Providence’s relationship within the Big East. You have those schools that are always the top guns.”

Davis might have just one season of head coaching experience under his belt, but he was instrumental in landing the bulk of the Drake players who achieved a dream 29-5 season.
Instead of banging heads with Creighton and Bradley, Davis will now wage war on the recruiting trails against Hall of Fame coaches in Jim Boeheim and Jim Calhoun. Davis said he briefly exchanged words with Calhoun the day before both Drake and Connecticut fell in the first round of the NCAAs in Tampa.

“We would not just focus on finding the best players, but really the best character. That’s something we believed we could sell kids on Drake University,” said Davis. “There’s no problem finding talent; everybody knows about the best players out there. You want to find the best fit.”
Driscoll didn’t fret over Davis’ lack of head coaching experience.

“He has been around his dad since he was a kid,” said the AD. “I think if you can coach, you can coach.”

Saying that Providence “is at a tipping point where we can do something special” before an estimated gathering of 300 inside Alumni Hall, Davis inherits a core of Friars eager to taste success. The Friars’ top nine scorers return (that’s presumed Dwain Williams doesn’t transfer. Williams, not present for Tuesday’s announcement, is rumored to still be on campus). Plus Davis gets added offensive potential in point guard Sharaud Curry, who missed virtually the entire season with a broken foot.   

Providence has gone to great lengths to make sure it keeps its head above water in the expanded Big East. The Dunkin’ Donuts Center will be fully refurbished by the next time season arrives. The on-campus improvements include a state-of-the-art fitness center. This summer the hallway outside the men’s basketball office will be redone.

Whether he agrees with it or not, Davis’ hiring might just represent the last slab of concrete the Friars have to lay in.

“[Providence] had some great candidates in before me,” said Davis. “I’m not saying I’m going to be the answer to some coach who didn’t have as much success as people would have liked, but I’m going to expect incredible work ethic from the players.”

Driscoll classifies Providence College landing the national coach of the year as a “wow.” For a search that featured a pair of rejections, Davis coming to Providence also means a sense of relief.