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When Mick Cronin began to assemble his coaching staff at the University of Cincinnati, one element he wanted to have on his staff was another person who had been a head coach at a Division I school. The dean of the Cincinnati coaching staff, Larry Davis, has compiled a quarter century worth of experience in the college coaching ranks, including nine as the head coach at Furman University. As the right hand of Cronin, Davis is tasked with the job of orchestrating recruiting, practice, and team preparation, while focusing a great deal of his time with the guards. Davis, who is the Bearcats' associate head coach, served as the head coach at Furman from 1997-2006, prior to joining UC. There, he undertook a massive revitalization of the Paladins' program, directing the school to a record of 124-139. A significant part of his rebuilding plan was to infuse new talent. He did so by recruiting the likes of two-time all-conference selection Guilherme Da Luz, the first player in Southern Conference history to top 1,000 points, 600 assists, 500 rebounds and 200 steals in a career, and 2,000-point scorer Karim Souchu. Furman posted three winning seasons after 2002 and achieved its first winning record in conference play in over a decade, under Davis' guidance. Davis was an assistant coach at Minnesota for three seasons (1994-97), helping the Golden Gophers compile a 69-29 record and make three postseason appearances. He was credited with the recruiting of all-Americans and future NBA Draft picks Bobby Jackson and Quincy Lewis. Previous coaching stops included a year at Ball State (1993-94), four seasons at Wake Forest (1989-93), and four years at Delaware (1985-89). At Wake Forest, Davis helped the school rise from last place in the Atlantic Coast Conference to make three straight NCAA Tournament appearances (1991-93), coaching the likes of long-time NBA veteran Rodney Rogers. Davis launched his career as a graduate assistant at East Tennessee State following his graduation from Asbury College in 1978. After three seasons, he became a head coach in the high school ranks, serving a year at Cloverport (Ky.) and two at Oak Hill Academy in Virginia, where he compiled a 51-9 record. Davis and his wife, Treva, live in Cincinnati with their son, Jordan. Their daughter, Morgan, graduated from Furman University.
