Episode 166: Coach Russ Davis (Head Women's Basketball Coach Vanguard University) Costa Mesa, CA

Russ Davis, four-time NAIA Coach of the Year, led the Lions to the 2008 NAIA National Championship and is a member of both the NAIA and Vanguard University Hall of Fame. He is first in active NAIA coaches with overall career winning percentage (0.806). His squads have captured 12 GSAC titles and he personally has nine GSAC Coach of the Year awards under his belt. Additionally, he is the all-time leader in wins and winning percentage for the GSAC. In all, Davis' teams at Vanguard have made 21 trips to the NAIA National Tournament. The Lions have made five Fab Four appearances (2003, 2006, 2007, 2008, and 2017) at the NAIA Division I Women's Basketball Championships, finishing third the first three times before winning the National Championship in 2008. Davis and his squads have been to the Elite Eight 11 times during his coaching tenure. Coach Davis has 35 wins at the NAIA national tournament, ranking him the highest of any active coach. His teams have appeared in 187 straight national polls—dating back to 2002, and Davis’ Lions have been ranked No. 1 in the nation 44 times. Vanguard women’s basketball, under Davis, ranks third in the history of the NAIA in overall number one rankings in coaches’ polls. Union and Vanguard are the only programs to have spent an entire season ranked #1: Vanguard in 2005-2006 and 2006-2007. Vanguard also holds the GSAC record for the most conference victories in a single season, going undefeated (20-0) in GSAC games in back-to-back seasons from 2005-07. Six of Davis’ players have been voted as National Players of the Year: 2005, Lisa Faulkner; 2006, Kelley Schmidt; 2007, Jessica Richter; 2010, Bridgette Reyes; 2014, Nicole Ballestero; Claire Lamunu, 2017. No other coach in the NAIA has produced six POY’s. Vanguard has had 15 First-Team All-Americans and 67 NAIA Scholar Athlete All-Americans under Russ Davis. Named the WBCA (Women's Basketball Coaches Association) National NAIA Coach of the Year award in 2005 and 2009, and WBCA's Coach of the Year for the West Region in 2006, Davis earned the NAIA's National Coach of Character in 2007 and added the NAIA Coach of the Year to his accolades in 2008. Russ is a National Rater for the NAIA, and previously served as President and Vice President for the NAIA Women's Basketball Coaches Association. He is also a member of the NAIA All-American committee. He is also on the Kodak Women's Basketball All-America Committee and has served on of the Board of Directors for the WBCA since 2005. [email protected]  @CalSwish_Nike