Dee Dee Davis has been promoted to recruiting coordinator.
@MANHATTANWBB / INSTAGRAM
Ariana Cariddo, Staff Writer
On Sept. 1, Dee Dee Davis, assistant coach for Manhattan University’s (MU) women’s basketball team, was promoted to recruiting coordinator.
Heather Vulin, head coach of the women’s basketball team, spoke with The Quadrangle about the matter.
“I think her investment in this program has been an incredible influence on the athletes, her love for the university and how much she believes in MU,” Vulin said.
Davis began her career as a player for the Jaspers, spending five seasons with the program before transferring to the University of Rhode Island for her final year of eligibility. She was a member of two MAAC [now Metro] Championship teams in 2022 and 2023, and averaged 15.4 points her senior year, according to GoJaspers.com.
When Vulin was looking for a new assistant coach, Davis’ experience with the program made her a natural candidate. As a team captain and standout player during her time at MU, Davis had already demonstrated the leadership qualities Vulin valued and wanted to continue developing.
After completing her playing career, Davis returned to MU as an assistant coach in the fall of 2025, bringing her back to the program where she spent much of her collegiate career. Now, she has taken on another role within the program as recruiting coordinator.
“She’s an all-time great for the program’s history,” Vulin said. “There’s no better person on staff because she played for me. She loves basketball and she loves Manhattan. So, it’s really a joy to work with her.”
Davis has been connected to MU basketball for nearly a decade, first as a player and now as a coach. Her relationship with Vulin has remained a constant throughout that time.
Vulin was the coach who recruited Davis to MU, and she has since watched Davis develop from a college athlete into a team captain, graduate and now member of the coaching staff.
“Going from athlete to coach has been nothing short of a full-circle moment,” Davis said. “For Vulin to recruit me back then and for her to just watch my growth. She’s really seen it all.”
Davis’ time as a student-athlete at two different programs gave her a firsthand look at the college basketball experience from multiple perspectives. She understands the process of choosing a school, adjusting to a new program and finding a role on a team. Those experiences now shape the way she approaches recruiting, allowing her to understand what coaches look for in prospective athletes while also considering what athletes want from their next program.
“I think everyone in college athletics talks about being a family, but for me, it was important to see what that really meant,” Davis said. “When I came to home games and saw alumni still showing up and supporting the program, that spoke volumes. I felt that sense of community and family, and I think every student deserves that, especially when they’re leaving home for the first time.”
That true sense of family and community is what Davis hopes to bring to prospective student-athletes. With all of her experience at the university, both on and off the court, she understands the community MU has to offer.
For Davis, recruiting is not only about finding athletes who can contribute to the team but also helping them navigate their journey and careers for the next four to five years, and beyond college.
“I want them [prospective student-athletes] to understand that they will be taken care of long after their time here is over,” Davis said. “I’m living proof of that. Coach V has always advocated for people while they’re here, but also after they transition out. That’s something that will stay with me for the rest of my life.”
Davis’ commitment to building connections extends beyond the basketball court. Throughout her playing career, she developed a strong social media presence centered on her experiences as a student-athlete, allowing her to connect with an audience beyond the MU community. That experience has given her firsthand insight into how people communicate, build relationships and find community online. These are skills she now brings into her role as recruiting coordinator.
“My wife’s friend encouraged us to start sharing our lives online,” Davis said. “We stayed consistent, and eventually it created a life of its own. Now we have nearly 3 million followers, and we’ve always wanted to spread love through laughter.”
Social media has become more than just a platform for Davis; it has become a way to connect and build relationships, which is something she hopes to carry into the recruitment process. Today, college athletic recruiting has shifted heavily to social media. It’s one of the main sources that prospective student-athletes use to figure out what school is the right fit for them.
“I get a lot of girls that reach out to me through social media,” Davis said. “For those that I can respond to, I do immediately, where I ask them to send me what I need.”
Social media has been a helpful tool for Davis as recruiting coordinator because it keeps her in the loop on what’s happening in the basketball world online and what that means for recruiting the next class of athletes. Rather than only telling recruits about MU, Davis can use her own experience to show them what being a Jasper can look like.
Looking forward as recruiting coordinator, Davis now has the opportunity to shape the future of the program she once played for. Her experience as a former Jasper, a transfer student-athlete and coach gives her multiple perspectives on how to recruit future Jaspers. For Davis, her new role is not just about recruiting; it’s about finding the future Jaspers who will both shine on and off the court during their time at MU.
“I want to win a championship,” Davis said. “That’s what it’s been since I set foot on this campus seven, eight years ago. My job now is to help and be impactful in my new role, and that’s to recruit the next generation of Jaspers.”
The championship goal has always remained the same for Davis. Even though she is no longer an athlete, she is eager to be a part of the program and help build the team up so that they will win their next championship. Her focus is no longer just on what she can accomplish on the court, but on finding the players who can help take the Jaspers to the next level.
“At the end of the day, the student comes before the athlete. I think graduating our players and helping them find internships and careers beyond this place is really important to me.”
After once being an athlete searching for the right school to call home, Davis is now on the other side of recruiting, where she can help athletes who were just like her decide if MU is the right place for them.