Deonna “Dee” Davis is in Peoria to assist the Bradley women’s basketball program in getting to the next level. She will serve head coach Andrea Gorski and her staff in any way they need, especially in the recruiting area.
Davis has committed her professional life to basketball. After breaking the Vanderbilt University career assist record with 730, she was selected with the 14th pick in the WNBA draft. Davis played professionally for three years in the WNBA and overseas.
After retiring from professional basketball, Davis began coaching at the high school level while also serving as an admissions counselor at the University School of Nashville where she worked for 10 years. Throughout her career as a coach, she developed many beneficial relationships which have led her to Bradley.
“I reached out to one of my mentors, Don Stanley, and asked what else I needed to do to align myself to be ready for the next opportunity,” Davis said. “Don told me that Bradley had an open position and reached out to [Gorski] on my behalf.”
Davis accepted the job offer and moved to Peoria, a city she had never heard of before.
“Bradley has a beautiful campus and I can already tell that everyone in the Peoria area love Bradley,” Davis said. “Everyone here has been super accommodating and supportive. Without football, basketball is the premier sport and I cannot wait to get the program back to where it can be.”
Davis will look to bring positive energy and creative ideas to the team. She brings deep knowledge of the game and expertise about what it means to play at the highest level.
With much of her position with the Braves revolving around recruiting, Davis’ experience in scouting and breaking down film will also be part of her day-to-day duties.
“I will be able to show athletes what Bradley is all about, as well as enjoying the glitz and glamour of the recruiting process,” Davis said.
Even though this season will be the first time Davis has been on a Division I staff, she wrote a “Player’s Guide to College Hoops” in order to help athletes navigate through the recruiting process.
Davis’ passion for the sport of basketball will help Bradley’s program thrive under coach Gorski’s leadership.
“Coach Gorski has inspired me each day to work hard and she is the right person to get the program back towards the top of the conference,” Davis said. “She also challenged me by giving me the task of running elite camp my first week.”
Dee Davis plans on bringing the positive energy needed for the Bradley women’s basketball team to achieve success this season.
