Paul Davis was named head coach on October 4th, 2021, Coach Davis is in his fourth coaching position and first as head coach. He previously served as an assistant coach at Livingstone College, Queens University of Charlotte, and Winston-Salem State University.
Davis, a true leader, teacher, and relentless recruiter will oversee The Lady Big Blue transition from an Independent Division II program into a talented and well-coached competitor at the Division II level as a member of the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association.
“Bluefield State University is truly blessed with the addition of Paul Davis. He will bring a new look to our women’s team. His combined playing and coaching experience will help our women on and off the court,” said AD Price. Welcome to the family, Coach Davis!
In his inaugural season at Bluefield State University, Coach Davis inherited a program that returned only three veteran players with the addition of twelve freshmen. He created and maintained an athletic program promoting the overall philosophies of the academic institution while transitioning to a full competitive Division II schedule. Coach Davis had five players receive conference honors, including Alexus Tucker, who was named USCAA 2nd Team All-American. Autumn Spangler and Katrina Davis were named to the AllAcademic team. Azariah Binford and Londen Coleman were named Honorable Mention All-Americans.
During coach Davis’s second season, he led the way while The Big Blue improved their win total by .26% doubling the wins from the previous season. The Big Blue began to write history as they would start the season 5-0, which would be the best start in NCAA school history. The history does not stop there. The Big Blue captured their first victory over a PSAC program in school history beating Edinboro University of Pennsylvania 76-67 on Nov. 19, 2022. They captured their first victory over Concord University since 2015, captured their first victory over a CIAA opponent since 2015, and they captured their first victory over West Liberty University since 1998. The Big Blue would also set a record for the most made three pointers in a single game with (18), most steals in a single game (27), forced the most turnovers in a single game (42) and tied the record for the most assist in a single game (30). The Big Blue would also set the record for the most scored points in USCAA history under Coach Davis (113). Coach Davis played a key role in the emergence of The Big Blue Players Aerihna Afoa, Dani Janutolo, and Azariah Binford. He developed Aerihna into a premier play maker in the NCAA DII as she was named USCAA All-American, selected as USCAA All-Tournament team and finished as one of the best free throw shooters in the country at the number three spot before falling to number nine. Aerihna only missed 7 free throws all year! Dani Janutolo a USCAA Honorable Mention became the school’s all-time leader in steals and set the record for the most steals in a single season with 73 on the year. Azariah Binford was also named USCAA Honorable Mention as she was the captain of The Big Blue and dished out 79 assists for The Lady Big Blue. Davis had his team ranked as the No. 2 seed in the USCAA National Championship as it was his first post season appearance as a head coach.
A native of Clio, South Carolina, Davis’s playing career was launched while playing prep ball at Marlboro County High School in Bennettsville, SC. During his time at MCHS Davis was named to both the All-region and All-State Team and put an exclamation point on the end of his high school career by becoming a unanimous selection to play in the Carolinas Classic All-Star Basketball Game.
Upon graduating high school, Davis elected to attend Winston-Salem State University making an immediate impact starting as a true freshman. With the ability to play any position in the front court, Davis led his team in blocked shots and field goal percentage every year of his collegiate career and led his team in rebounding three of his four seasons. Davis compiled 209 career blocks, more than doubling the previous school record and became WSSU’s all-time leader in blocked shots. He also finished his career with 986 points scored with 839 boards, Davis became seventh all-time in his school’s history for rebounds. In his senior season Davis wrapped up his playing career in a big way, leading the Central Collegiate Intercollegiate Athletic Association in rebounding in 2010-2011.
Before graduating, Davis received the Mary Garber WSSU Male Student-Athlete of the Year Award and went on to play in the HBCU Classic All-Star game. To conclude his career, Davis walked away with the league’s Defensive Player of the Year Award, CIAA First-Team All-Conference Award, and NABC Second-Team AllDistrict honors. With aspirations of playing professionally, Davis entered his name in the NBA Draft prior to his senior season but elected to play out his last year at Winston-Salem State University. Although Davis received NBA interest, he elected to take his talents overseas to play for the International Basketball Federation (FIBA). Davis spent six years playing professionally overseas for teams in Lithuania, Australia, Thailand, Chile, Saudi Arabia, Colombia, Tunisia, and Lebanon. At the conclusion of his professional career, Davis continued to follow his passion outside the lines taking a coaching position at his alma mater WSSU. Davis spent two seasons with WSSU men’s basketball team before moving on to Queens University of Charlotte in Charlotte, NC for one season.
In his first year, Davis helped Queen’s capture their first ever outright regular season conference championship (19-1). Posting an overall season record of 31-5. The Royals continued on to win the Southeast Regional Championship and advance to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Division II Men’s Basketball Championship Tournament. At all three of his coaching stops, Davis has mentored several All-Conference and All-Academic selections, including conference tournament most valuable players, conference players of the year, and conference freshman of the year.
Coach Davis graduated Cum Laude earning a Bachelor’s Degree in Physical Education Recreation from Winston-Salem State University in 2012 where he also served as a member of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee. In 2021, he received his Master’s degree in Sport Management and a Project Management Certificate from Western Carolina University.
“A huge thank you to Athletics Director, Derrick Price and President Capehart. I am so excited and blessed to be here at Bluefield State University and working with some amazing people. My goal is to make sure this program reflects a family atmosphere in all that we do. I care deeply about all these players and their success on and off the court. I’m going to push them to achieve their highest goals as well as love them and respect them throughout the process. We have a lot of work to do and a lot of goals, but we can only get there by taking advantage of each practice, each weight room session, each film session etc. Controlling what we can control and getting a little bit better each day,” said Coach Davis.
The Coach Davis File
Full Name: Paul Kendall Davis
Birthplace: Clio, SC
Education: B.S., Physical Education, Winston-Salem State University
M.S., Sport Management, Western Carolina University
Certificate in Program Management, Western Carolina University
Paul Davis Coaching Timeline
Assistant Coach | Winston-Salem State University (2)
2016-17 | 2017-18
Assistant Coach | Queens University of Charlotte (1)
2018-19 Assistant Coach | Livingstone College (2)
2018-19 | 2019-20
Head Coach | Bluefield State University (3)
2021-22 | 2022-23 | 2023-24
Paul Davis Head Coaching Record
2020-21 Head Coach | Bluefield State University 5-19
2021-22Head Coach | Bluefield State University 12-14
Paul Davis Championships
2019 – SAC Regular Season | Queens University of Charlotte
2019 – Southeast Regional | Queens University of Charlotte
Paul Davis Post Season Appearances
2019 – Elite Eight | Queens University of Charlotte
2023 – USCAA | Bluefield State University
