Kirk Wessler: Too many Coach Davises? Just call the boss Keno

The strangest thing about Drake's happy burst from basketball obscurity to the NCAA tournament isn't the Bulldogs' brainy collection of walk-ons and Division I rejects.

College basketball gives us rags-to-riches stories every year. The name 'Cinderella' gets uttered so many times in March, you pray for midnight to turn the users into pumpkins.

No, this is what's strange about the Bulldogs, who play Western Kentucky in a first-round tournament game this morning at Tampa, Fla.

'Keno does a great job of preparing us to play,' senior point guard Adam Emmenecker says.

Keno is Drake's head coach. And Keno is his first name, not his last.

Understand, in the protocols of college basketball, this is like walking into 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., and calling the master of the house 'George.' Or sneaking past the guards at Buckingham Palace and saying to the lady with the crown on her head: 'Yo, Liz, what's shakin'?'

Coaches, especially head coaches, are known as 'Coach.' Even coaches call each other 'Coach.' So you know what must be expected of mere players.

'I always called my coach 'Coach' and his last name,' Drake sophomore Josh Young says. 'Growing up in the South, that's the way I was raised. It was Mr., Mrs., and Coach; a sign of respect.'

At Drake, though, there was one little problem. It was kind of like the old Dr. Seuss tale of poor Mrs. McCave, who had 23 sons and named them all Dave.

'Coach Davis!' a player would say during practice.

And three coaches would turn their heads and reply, 'What?'

See, there's Keno Davis, the head coach. And Chris Davis, the associate head coach. And Rodell Davis, an assistant coach. No relation.

Something had to give. One day, a player called out 'Keno.' The head guy didn't encourage it, but he didn't discourage it, either.

So here we are.

'It's easier to get his attention this way,' senior Klayton Korver says. 'It's not a sign of disrespect. He's a great coach. It's just easier.'

Keno is in his first year as Drake's head coach, after 12 seasons as an assistant, the last four for his father, Tom.

Contrary to speculation, he wasn't named after a lucky night in Vegas. Many years ago, a guy named Keno Hawker played for the elder Davis at Portage High School in Wisconsin. Tom thought the name was so cool, he gave it to his son.

And now all the Bulldogs are on a first-name basis with Keno and the other Davises.

'Even if I was the only Davis, I wouldn't take it as disrespect,' Keno says with a smile.

'He enjoys it,' senior Leonard Houston says of his 36-year-old head coach. 'It keeps him young.'

Everything the Bulldogs have accomplished this season, they've done together. Given that they've been a perennial bottom-feeder in the Missouri Valley Conference, they're utterly humble. They're aware any team they play is capable of beating them. But they also believe there's no team they can't beat.

Keno Davis has taught his players to trust each other to do the right things, to make the right plays, to back up one another. If being on a first-name basis with the coaches facilitates that effort, who cares about stuffy protocol?

'That definitely builds the trust level and strengthens the relationships we have with the coaches,' Young says. 'In a weird way, we've become closer through this.'

Kirk Wessler can be reached at (309) 686-3216 or kwessler@pjstar.com.