Dee Dee Davis shoots a three-pointer in the 2023 MAAC quarterfinals.
GOJASPERS/COURTESY
Amy Forster, Asst. Production Editor
This season, the Manhattan University women’s basketball team experienced the return of star player Dee Dee Davis — this time as an assistant coach. During her five years playing for Manhattan University, Davis shined as the team’s star guard, being named First Team All-MAAC and scoring a career average of 14.3 points per game.
While her accomplishments on the court were record-breaking, to the athletic program, it is her heart, dedication and compassion that make her a true embodiment of what it means to be a Jasper and a member of the women’s basketball program.
When discussing both Davis’ time as a player and her strengths as a coach, Head Coach Heather Vulin emphasized not only Davis’ incredible basketball skill and knowledge, but her spirit as an individual.
“[Assistant Coach Davis] has just brought me so much joy,” Vulin said. “She brought me so much joy as a player in terms of her competitiveness, her ability to connect with people, and to be a good teammate. Her will to win, she just had all these amazing tangibles as a player, but now to see her as a coach and really be an incredible mentor to our players; but also come from a place where she played in our system for five years, had an incredible career, but she also dealt with adversity during that time and is able to really just share her experience off the court as well as on the court with them.”
When discussing her choice to return to the women’s basketball program, Davis highlighted her admiration for the program, the university and Head Coach Vulin.
“Coach Vulin is probably one of the greatest individuals I’ve ever met in my lifetime. We have a rule in our family, when you find great people, you honor great people,” Davis said.
She elaborated on the importance of the culture the program has.
“Our culture is very specific, you have to be overall a phenomenal human being, and that’s exactly what we have,” Davis said. “There is not a single soul in this program, in the women’s basketball program at Manhattan University, that is not an outstanding human being.”
Coach Vulin further detailed this dynamic culture.
“We have a saying: Sometimes in life, you get a chance to be a part of something bigger than yourself, and when you get that chance, give it everything you’ve got,” Vulin said. “I really feel the players that have been here, especially the players that have been here four or five years, depending on the COVID year, really, they become family.”
Current senior guard Alyssa Costigan spoke to Davis’ unique strengths as a coach, detailing how her previous experience as a player factors into her ability.
“As the season goes on, she [Assistant Coach Davis] is going to continue to be a great mentor for us girls because she’s been through it,” Costigan said. “She was a player at one point, she understands the mental battles, the physical hardships, the challenges we face because she’s been in our shoes. Having someone like that on staff is just amazing.”
Costigan additionally highlighted a story she recalled from her freshman year when Davis, at that time a player, demonstrated her compassion and selflessness.
“One thing we pride ourselves on as Jaspers is our team culture and our team DNA,” Costigan said. “One time my car broke down and she was the one that helped me get it fixed when I didn’t know what to do. As a lost freshman, moving to a new state, not knowing where to go, not knowing how to do things, she’s the one that literally held my hand, guided me through it… She’s a very caring and passionate person, so having someone like that on your team or as your coach to have your back is one of the most impactful things that I have personally felt on the court.”
In discussions on her new role as a coach, Davis highlighted coaching mentality, especially her dedication to the players as both a coach and a role model.
“I show up at a thousand, and that is what they deserve,” Davis said. “That is what I promised them when they got recruited, and I don’t waver on that… I am here to coach, I am here to mentor, that is all encompassing.”
When asked where the program’s culture stems from, Davis’ answer was immediate.
“The people,” Davis said. “I spent my time there, for five years consecutively, and then said I loved it so much I’m going to come back.”