Why now? It's Doug's turn. I've coached my whole life based on the premise, you know, you get what you earn. He's earned this opportunity. He deserves it. From being *** student here, *** student athlete here. Coaching at Louisville, Xavier Louisville, Eastern, back to Bellerman lives right here. It's his turn. When did you make the decision? I have no idea. Um I I don't think you ever pinpoint. I, I think. You, you trust experience as the greatest teacher. And it I preached that to players. I have for 47 years. And the experience has taught me. That to assess things, evaluate constantly, and the evaluation was it's time. Did you take, did you know after the last game? No. You didn't. No, so you would never make *** decision like that during *** season. Never. It's too many emotions, uh, the highs, the lows. No, no, never, no. And um. Again, *** lot of it goes back to caring about Bellerman. And I know I can demonstrate how much I care about not only Bellerman but this entire community by entrusting this basketball program in the hands of Doug. When you look back on it 20 years here, the program you took over to what is here now, what, what kind of things go through your mind? Well, I look at *** much bigger picture. I've coached 47 years. 46 of them in this community. And in the statement that I released, I'm proud of this. Uh, my first coaching job in 1978 was at Aaron's High School. It closed 2 in 2 years. They closed it. One of the most segregated schools in in all of JCPS, not based on, on race, based solely on economics. It was *** very underprivileged school wouldn't trade it for anything. The next year. I'm the JB coach at Ballard, one of the most economic advantaged schools. Then if you look at the big picture, I coach at Louisville. Under two Hall of Fame coaches. Uh, charter planes, 5-star hotels, Maui, Final Four. Think of that. Then I'm coaching at Bellerman year one. The year before I come they win 9 games and we're on *** bus going 8 hours to Rockhurst University. So I'm proud of that. Because I have *** source of appreciation from having. Gone at every level, every corner of this community. I was raised in the South End, Frasier Elementary, Southern Junior High, which is now Olmstead North Iroquois, going to the University of Louisville, coaching at Aarons, coaching at Louisville, coaching at Bellarman. I, I've kind of been so fortunate to have seen it all. And I think that in this day and age is *** huge, huge asset. What now? Well, I wanna to help Bellerman, and I will take my last breath on my, my message to the to every player I ever coached, not just at Bellerman at Louisville, at Ballard, at at Aaron's VCU, Lionel Bacon, one of our own. I will be here for those players trying to take my last breath. Because that's what people did for me. And any way I can show how how appreciative I am. Of those Teachers, coaches, administrators, parents, everybody. I mean, you think of my journey 47 years, think of the, the, the people that I've been exposed to and been around and I never used the word oh I worked for. I'm fortunate. I worked for and I worked with. Incredible, incredible people. Basketball and coaching and teaching is about. Human beings, they're, they're, they have emotions, they have feelings, they have passion and, and my goal, I, I, I got *** call, I got *** call. It was an incredible phone call. Um, CJ Fleming. Now *** high school coach having *** second child and, and. Cincinnati Um Bob ups were just crying. But I think the reason it's important, there's. Hundreds of thousands of players that look like *** CJ Fleming, *** Justin Betts. How come they're not? And I think that's the goal is to get it out of why people got that out of me. I could have gone the other way. As *** young person, uh, on the streets of the South End, I could have gone the other way. I had great teammates, great close friends that did. How come? How come I was so lucky. I think athletics brings things out in us that that we've never ever seen before. I'm an example. Those teachers, those coaches brought things out in me and I always realized they were doing it for me. They were not doing it to me. What when when you're in the middle of it, when you're coaching. The losses tend to affect you more. Those are the ones that you remember. Now that you're, you're finished, which wins stand out to you? What are the memories, the vivid memories that come back? Is it the guys jumping up and, I mean, Alan Houston winning the state championship, winning the national championship, things like that, um. Golly, what *** question. It's not just about championships. Yes, championships stand out. Uh, it, it is about that, that random phone call. Coach, I wanna share with you, Coach, she got this promotion watching ***, ***, *** young man that had *** very difficult upbringing like little Mike Perry ship played here was *** walk on and earned *** scholarship, walking across the stage earning *** diploma, *** Bellerman diploma, um, yes, championships, doing something. On March 8th, 2022, that's never been done in the history of college basketball, *** transitioning school from Division 2, Division One, winning the conference tournament championship and seeing those 9000 people storm that court. Uh, you mentioned *** state championship going to *** Final Four, but then I go back. And I stand in ***, I sit in the back pew and watch *** wedding and there's 7 teammates up there with *** with *** teammate who's getting married and he never, they never knew one of them till they stepped foot on this campus. They're from all over the, the Midwest, sometimes all over the country. Um, gosh, the biggest wins. It, it just I've said Throughout my career I'd be able to cash those emotional paychecks *** lifetime I can do it now. When I run, maybe I won't be thinking about individual instruction that day. I can be thinking about. Maybe reflecting back on one of those moments. Maybe I'll run *** little harder, run like Rocky. Is the state of college basketball, how much does that play into this decision? I, I'm not, I'm so past that, uh, NIL, the poor, that's what everybody thinks people my age are gonna say. I'm not, my biggest concern is the game, the actual game. Uh, the application of the rules or lack of. That's my biggest concern. Um, and I, I think, I think the game should be *** game of finesse, *** game of, of execution, *** game of fundamentals, uh, you know, and it's harder and harder to, to teach that with the physicality. What, what will make Doug *** good head coach here? I, I'll tell you, his junior year, I'm meeting with him. At Bellerman And I ask him, I'm gonna divert him away just because of knowing his academic background and I pose *** question to every junior, OK, what's gonna be your plan *** year from now when you graduate? Doug, what's you're gonna do *** plan? Law Street, uh, Wall Street, uh, law school. What's your plan? Dad, I'm gonna be *** basketball coach and I just nodded because I go back to when he was in high school. And he sent He's at the University of Lou in my office, and he and Kevin Willard had *** very, very, very powerful meeting. Mick Cronin, before he left to go to Murray had already had that meeting, said, you'll come with me and be *** student assistant wherever I am. Kevin was adamant. Kevin had played for his dad one year at Western Kentucky, and he said it was the most valuable year ever because he, it defined what *** great locker room was. So Kevin was adamant. No, Doug, you need to go to Belman and play for your dad and experience *** great locker room. So Doug is well prepared because he was part of us establishing, he came my 2nd year here. He was part of establishing *** great locker room that has maintained over the last 20 years, so he knows what it is. So you go back to *** Kevin Willard to Mick Cronin, when he was in high school, then you get him in college and then you, you see, he, he has experienced it. He knows what *** great locker room in this day and age. *** great locker room is an absolute necessity for success. How much of *** factor is it that you've, you've gotten through this stretch? I mean, did you, did you think was it ever in your back of mind like we'll get into the, into the NCAA Division One, we'll get through the transition period, and then that timing could work out, um, and obviously this season didn't go the way you wanted it to, but hopefully I would have never put this on anyone else plan with those restrictions on you, never. I would have never done that. So I know, I knew I was gonna go through the four years. Yes, my last dream. Was to fill Knight's hall. The floor, the, the, the, to the rafters on Selection Sunday and hear them say, let's go live to Bellarmine University in Louisville, Kentucky. Well, that dream now I'll pass that on to Doug. I'm guessing you'll be there. What, what would that, what would that, I mean, it's gonna happen, it's gonna happen. I I would want to stay as far back as I could. To watch everybody If you don't believe that, go to the 19 or excuse me, go to the 2011 national championship game in Springfield, Miss uh Springfield, Massachusetts. The horn sounds and I shake hands with Ken Walsh, the head coach of Hawaii BYU Hawaii, and I vanished. I vanished. I wanted to go as far away to watch the players. We had 13 busloads of students from Bellar and go all the way to Springfield. I want to watch the parents. I want to watch the managers. I want to watch everybody. That opportunity when it happens, I want to be as far away maybe up in the catwalk to where I can look down and see every single person. Um That has always been my greatest thrill in coaching. What, what's the grandkids, I would imagine they may be the big winners here, they get some, they get *** free babysitter and with *** bunch of free time. Wren gave me *** present for retirement. Ran's 6 years old. She goes, she loves school. She gave me *** present and she was very, very proud of her present. She gave me the car seat to put in my car so I could pick her up if she needed *** ride to dance or Girl Scouts or basketball or soccer or cross country. She said, I have *** present for you because you can now ride me instead of deferring to my wife with *** car seat in her car. That was my present that's my my retirement gift. What would you change? The transition rule. That's so easy for me. What, what The Pressure it put on this university staff financially, the commitment that it made on this university. Of dotting I's, crossing T's for 4 long years, don't do it to the players. Pyres had nothing to do with that. Do it financially. It's *** commitment. Do it facilities wise. It's *** commitment. Do it, uh, staffing wise, do it, it's fine. Don't do it to the players. Why is that difficult? People kick back at me. You knew what you were getting into. Oh, nothing's changed in the last 5 years, has it? Why didn't we change this? The Ason's going to be *** one-bid league. We weren't cost anybody money. We weren't taking *** spot. I mean, it scarred me. March 8, 2022, we earned that bid. They didn't give that to us, we earned that. And it should have been rewarded. They, those players should have been rewarded. Why is, why is it so difficult for me? I am the one that looked him in the eye. I know what it was like. No one else did. But myself and that staff. Was that in that moment. When you went You think you can go to the NIT, right? There was confusion at the time. Yes, I found out at 10 o'clock the next morning. How how tough was that? How, how tough was it from, how tough was it to tell your players? Those kids that you recruited here. That you're not gonna coach him. This new new team. You told them when you, you told them last night. Now they all knew we had *** plan all along. Now we had *** plan all along. They know in the recruiting process that Doug was gonna be the next coach. Why is that important? Because I, I don't, I, I just kind of downplay the word culture. I, I stress the word program means we have *** plan and we have *** plan. Uh, I went through the transition from Coach Crom to Coach Pitino. From Coach Olson to Tom Church, I, I know you gotta have *** plan and, and I want, I want all these players to know we have *** plan and that plan is academically, athletically and socially because socially now is part of the plan has to be so no they're fine. We had them all at *** game in January. They were all here together. All the players that are coming all came on the same, all but one. He's the farthest away, but now they're, they're *** very, very close group and *** very talented group, and we've made *** commitment to recruit high school players. I mean, there are, there's ***, ***, *** great class, not *** good class. It's *** great class because high school players were being passed over. They are, it's reality. I mean, it's no breaking news. Would would this decision right now happen if what happened in April hadn't happened, if you had, I mean, when you have two kids come at the end of the portal and, and. Say they're leaving 3 there were 3, there were 3. So last year we lose two starters who both left here with their MBAs. One works for ISCO, the Kirstdorfer's phenomenal business, one works at Morgan Stanley with Tom Peroni and Will Wolford, unbelievable careers. And the portal last year was 6 weeks. It wasn't 4 weeks like it is this year. And *** day and *** half to go on the portal we lose 3 starters. Here's *** decision that was very, very difficult. After 6 weeks of the portal being open, what's left? Because don't kid yourself. The 6 weeks, it's, it's done much before that. So it's probably 8, 1012 weeks. *** day and *** half left. Slim pickets, there's not much left. I had to make *** tough moral decision. Am I gonna compromise 19 years of what I've invested in my life to do things the right way academically, athletically, socially and take this pool of players or am I gonna open it up and lower my standards? I couldn't do it. We brought in Jack Krasinski, Miles Watkins, phenomenal young men. We, we, we, we, we hit it great with them. So, you know, it, that was *** tough, tough moral decision. But we wanted to do it the right way. There's too much invested academically in this program, what they've achieved. Uh, we, we're very, very strong in the internship program. I mean, you look at these players are interning in Norton Healthcare, Morgan Stanley, ISCO, um, Superior uh mobility, uh, you go, I'm gonna start leaving them out. You go on and on and on, um, argue Financial. I mean, we've had people interning with incredible, incredible situations because that's real and I. That's gonna pay off the next 45 years of their life. Those are careers. So. That was very important to us in making that moral decision, get the type of players that we're gonna. These people that are so generous with these internships would want these people in and we've had them all around this community, uh, I mean I can go on and on who we've had them with and it's, it's unbelievable. Jeff walked to one of our own players and he does uh medical devices and he's just rolling through our players and they're they're careers if they play basketball in, in, in Europe or in Australia, great, but you're doing it with *** Bellamer degree in *** pocket and you have *** future. Finally, your message to basketball fans in this community who have watched you go through this, this journey and gone along with you. I have two messages. One, obviously I'm so thankful. But If one young person. At *** Frasier Elementary. Uh, and Olmstead North and Iroquois. *** summer type school. If they spend *** little time and say, well, how did he do it? How did he make it? How did this guy make it who lost his dad at 9 years old, had *** mother with *** one room schoolhouse education who ran her own business. Well wow, he didn't have things either, and he made it. If one kid says, man, I can do that, then it'll all be worthwhile. It's real ironic We won You referenced the Aun Conference championship on March 8th. You can imagine that night was incredible. The next morning You're trying to reflect and this is prior to me finding out no NITs. It was really, really ironic because Coach Pitino. Had Challenged me To get healthy. To take care of myself so that I would see Russ and Doug. Achieve lifelong accomplishments. And how thoroughly is he knew. And in that one year I lost 73 pounds to avoid my father died of *** heart attack. When I was 9 15 ft from me. And I was talking to Coach Pitino this morning. And we recap the story. So we went on the 8th, uh, Tuesday night the next morning. It's unbelievable. And I'm thinking, wow. And now I've lived *** life of seeing Russ and Doug do great things. That morning when I'm like, what did we just do it's my dad's birthday. How does that happen? Cause now you're immediately thinking. What would he think? Would he think like I'm so proud of of my family, what would he think? I mean, You know, you can just, you just speculate and dream, but that's amazing. Uh, so I think young people, I told our players last night, most difficult meeting I've ever had in my life. As you go forward, aspire, aspire. To To allow yourself an opportunity to show people how much you appreciate them, parents, teachers, coaches, grandparents. You know, I never got that opportunity. And I, I, I spoke to the team last night and I, my last words to them. I said let's say that somebody magical walks in this locker room right now where we're sitting and says Coach Davenport, whatever you want, you got your wish. What do you want? You got it, whatever you want, you can wish for anything. It'd be *** very easy answer. I wish I could do it all again. I wish I could do it all over. If they chase dreams and at the end of their careers, they look back and say, boy, that was great. I wish I could do it again, they'll all be successful. That was my last words coaching.