Doug Davenport was named the 12th head coach of the Bellarmine University men's basketball program on March 11, 2025.
Before being promoted to the head position, Davenport had joined the Bellarmine coaching staff as an assistant prior to the 2016-17 season and, in May of 2022, was announced as the program’s “Coach-in-Waiting.”
The 2026-27 season marks his second at the helm of the Knights.
DAVENPORT IN D1 ERA
The son of legendary former Bellarmine head coach Scott Davenport, Doug Davenport guided the Knights to an eight-win improvement from the previous campaign in his first season shepherding the program. Davenport helped Bellarmine deliver a five-win improvement in the ASUN along with a first-round victory over Jacksonville in the ASUN Tournament that represented the Knights' first postseason triumph since 2023. Jack Karasinski was named first-team All-ASUN.
In 2021-22, Davenport helped guide Bellarmine to a landmark season in the Knights’ second year in Division I. Bellarmine captured its first-ever ASUN Tournament title and posted its first 20-win campaign in D1.
In 2022-23, Bellarmine opened the season with a victory at crosstown foe and D1 blueblood Louisville and secured a victory over North Florida in the ASUN Tournament.
In the 2020-21 season, Davenport helped guide the Knights to a highly successful transition to D1. Bellarmine sported a 14-8 record overall and earned an invitation to a national postseason tournament (CBI) after falling just one game shy of capturing the ASUN regular-season crown.
In the D1 era, Bellarmine has garnered an ASUN Scholar-Athlete of the Year accolade (CJ Fleming), two NABC All-District recognitions (Pedro Bradshaw, Dylan Penn), six All-ASUN acknowledgements, three ASUN All-Freshman Team citations, 12 Academic All-ASUN Team laurels and 75 ASUN Honor Roll notices.
DAVENPORT IN D2 ERA
In Davenport’s four seasons as an assistant during the D2 era, Bellarmine was among the most prolific programs in the nation. The Knights earned an NCAA II Tournament berth in all four years while making an appearance in the Final Four (2016-17) and another in the Sweet 16 (2018-19).
In that four-year span, Bellarmine was a three-time GLVC Tournament champion (2017-19) and a two-time GLVC regular-season champion (2017, 2018). The Knights posted a 109-20 overall record and 60-14 mark in the GLVC during that stretch with a minimum of 20 wins each season, including three of 28 victories or more. The team’s 32 wins in 2016-17 are the second most in the D2 era, the 29 in 2017-18 are tied for the fourth most and the 28 in 2018-19 are the sixth most.
In Davenport’s first season as an assistant, he helped steer Bellarmine to the 2017 NCAA II Final Four, its fourth run to the national semifinals since 2011. The Knights went 32-4, including 17-1 in the GLVC, and swept the conference regular season and tournament crowns.
Bellarmine again swept the GLVC regular season and tournament titles in 2017-18. The Knights went 29-3 overall with a 16-2 conference mark and advanced to the second round of the NCAA II Tournament.
Bellarmine made a run to the NCAA II Sweet 16 in 2018-19. The Knights completed their three-peat as GLVC Tournament champions after finishing as the regular-season runner-up. They put together a 28-5 campaign that included a 14-4 mark in conference action.
In 2019-20, Bellarmine’s final season in D2, Davenport helped push the Knights to a 20-8 record and their 12th straight berth in the NCAA II Tournament before the tourney was canceled as a precautionary measure against the coronavirus.
In that four-year segment, Bellarmine rose to as high as No. 2 in the NABC’s D2 rankings in both 2016-17 and 2017-18 while the Knights occupied No. 1 for nine weeks in 2018-19 and five weeks in 2019-20.
In Davenport’s four-year tenure in the D2 era, Bellarmine produced a pair of All-Americans in Rusty Troutman and Adam Eberhard. The Knights garnered six All-Region accolades, eight All-GLVC laurels, six GLVC All-Defensive Team notices, three GLVC All-Freshman Team awards and 28 Academic All-GLVC recognitions.
BELLARMINE PLAYING DAYS
Davenport had deep ties to Bellarmine before joining the coaching staff. He’s a 2010 graduate of the university and played guard for the Knights while being a member of the 2010 squad that won the program’s first GLVC Tournament title.
The team earned berths in the NCAA II Tournament in 2009 and 2010, the former ending a drought that had lasted since 1991. Those squads delivered 26-7 and 23-9 campaigns and each achieved top 10 rankings during their respective seasons.
Davenport was a four-time Academic All-GLVC recipient while earning the GLVC Council of Presidents Academic Excellence Award in 2010.
COACHING BEFORE BELLARMINE
Following his playing days at Bellarmine, Davenport served on the coaching staff at Xavier, where he earned a master’s degree in education in 2012.
He went on to serve on Rick Pitino’s staff at Louisville from 2012-2015 (2013 NCAA champions, 2015 NCAA Elite Eight) before moving on to Eastern Kentucky in 2015-16 where he served under Dan McHale. The 2012-13 Louisville squad went 35-5 and preceded its national title run with a Big East Tournament championship.
PERSONAL
Davenport is married to his wife, Alex Stanley Davenport.
