Next challenge: Davis shifts from Brownsville boys basketball coach to LH girls
Brownsville鈥檚 boys basketball team put together a winning record for the first time since 2016 in Stewart Davis鈥檚 third year as head coach last season.
Now Davis is stepping into a new challenge.
The Geibel Catholic graduate was hired as girls basketball head coach at Laurel Highlands at the school board meeting on Thursday, Oct. 20.
Davis replaces Rebecca Capozza who resigned after four seasons.
Davis will have the chance to coach his daughter, senior Essence Davis, with the Fillies.
鈥淥bviously, it鈥檚 the opportunity of a lifetime to coach my daughter,鈥� said Davis, who lives in the Laurel Highlands school district. 鈥淏ut it鈥檚 not just about her, it鈥檚 about the girls collectively. They have a nice young core of talent that鈥檚 going to be there the next three-to-four years.鈥�
Davis signed a three-year contract, making it clear he wasn鈥檛 taking the job just to coach his daughter for one season.
The Fillies have struggled in recent years with injuries and low numbers and had a combined record of 5-56 the past three seasons.
鈥淚 knew when I took it over it鈥檚 gong to be a rebuilding process,鈥� said Davis, who played one year at Brownsville, three at Geibel and four at California University of Pa.
Davis had a three-year record at Brownsville of 23-34. He gradually solidified the program to where the Falcons went 12-9 overall last season and finished second in Section 4-AAA with a 9-3 mark to qualify for the WPIAL playoffs.
Brownsville hadn鈥檛 had a winning season since coach Brian Brashear led the Falcons to an 18-5 record and a section championship in 2015-16.
Davis was also going to be an assistant coach under head coach Patty Columbia for the Brownsville girls basketball team this season before the opportunity at Laurel Highlands presented itself.
鈥淚鈥檓 going to miss my boys,鈥� Davis said. 鈥淭hey do know that I鈥檓 not going anywhere. I鈥檓 still a phone call away, a text away. Whatever they need, I鈥檓 going to be right there. I鈥檒l still help them with their highlight tapes and continue to push them in right direction as young men.
鈥淚 just want to thank Brownsville for the opportunity.鈥�
Brownsville鈥檚 players were aware of the situation.
鈥淚 made sure that I was open about me applying for the position and there was a chance I would get it,鈥� Davis said. 鈥淚 thought they handled it real fine. As I was going through that process I was still holding open gyms for them and still working with them.
鈥淏rownsville now has four returning starters and they took second place in the section last year so they鈥檙e on a good path.鈥�
Brownsville moved swiftly to replace Davis with Rob Ramsey, also a Geibel Catholic graduate, who was hired in the offseason as an assistant coach.
鈥淩ob Ramsey applied for the Brownsville head coach position the same time I did,鈥� Davis said. 鈥淗e was a frontrunner with me so if I didn鈥檛 get the position he was going to get it. I hired him as my assistant over the summer. He鈥檚 been there with me since then, working the boys out and getting to know them.
鈥淚 thought it was only right to appoint Rob as the new head coach. And Ron Polito is also still there as an assistant coach.鈥�
Davis has already met and practiced with his new team several times.
鈥淚鈥檓 excited and the first day I got into the gym it seemed the girls were super excited, too,鈥� Davis said.
Essence Davis, one of the Fillies鈥� top players, missed most of last season with a knee injury but is now back on the court.
鈥淓ssence just got released recently (Oct. 18),鈥� Davis said. 鈥淪he鈥檚 been in physical therapy for nine months. At that time she really didn鈥檛 touch a ball too much, it was more focusing on getting her strength back and working on running and cutting.鈥�
Davis hopes to have a bigger roster than the Fillies have had in recent years.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 know how many girls are going to come out total but in my open gym I鈥檓 getting nine girls,鈥� Davis said. 鈥淚 think that鈥檚 a good start.鈥�
Laurel Highlands dropped from Class 5A to 4A for the upcoming two seasons but is in the highly competitive Section 3 which includes Elizabeth Forward and Southmoreland, both WPIAL final four teams a year ago, as well as perennial playoff team Belle Vernon.
Davis likes what he鈥檚 seen so far of the Fillies.
鈥淭he girls have a young team,鈥� Davis said. 鈥淭hey have two seniors, Essence and Alessandra Peccon, they have a sophomore Ayrianna Sumpter, and Aierra Jenkins who鈥檚 a freshman and (sophomore) Miya Harris who transferred from Uniontown. They鈥檝e got a nice young core class.
鈥淚 had the girls in the gym two days, Saturday morning (Oct. 22) and Monday evening. The girls that do come, that young core group, they play AAU ball so they have a concept of basketball, a mindset of basketball. They have an IQ for it. So as I was implementing my defensive scheme and some of my offensively scheme they were picking it up pretty quick.
鈥淢y expectation with them is to just learn them as they learn me, build them up, give them some confidence to play together and hopefully get some wins out of it.鈥�
The team atmosphere is a positive one despite the program鈥檚 recent struggles, according to Davis.
鈥淲hen you have a group that鈥檚 eager to learn and wants to play, it makes it easier because they鈥檙e all ears, they鈥檙e focusing in,鈥� Davis said. 鈥淩ight now that鈥檚 what鈥檚 going on.鈥�