Get to know UPB’s Player Development Coach Russell Davis

September 15, 2022

By Madisen Carter

Unlimited Potential Basketball’s newest Player Development Coach, Russell Davis, has been playing basketball since he was 10 years old. He was introduced to the game by his father, as his father is an avid Golden State Warriors fan and played the game himself. Since his introduction to the game, Davis went on to play middle school, high school and college basketball. 

As Davis got older and started attending high school at Bishop O’Dowd in Oakland, that is when his love for the game really started to grow. He said knowing the history of the basketball program and all of the talent that came in and out of the school pushed him to want to be on the same level as those athletes. He took the time to work on his craft, and once he started to see the results of his improvement, that motivated him to stay in the gym and made him realize he wanted to take his basketball career to the next level.

Davis graduated from O’Dowd in 2013 and went on to play all four years at Dominican University of California in San Rafael. At Dominican, Davis totaled 112 points, 74 rebounds and 26 steals, and in 2016, he was Named to the PacWest Academic All-Conference Team. He then went on to graduate in 2017 with a degree in Business Administration. 

After graduation, Davis became a full time accountant. He expressed that although he is older, his love for the game has not gone away. He had heard of UPB through his connections at O’Dowd, and when he saw on LinkedIn that UPB was hiring, he thought it would be the perfect opportunity to keep the game close and blend that into the lifestyle he has now. 

“I think [UPB has] built a really great environment. All the kids seem to come in, want to put in the work, [and] have fun. I just want to keep that going. Just keep that same vibe and just learn,” Davis said. 

Davis got into the coaching side of basketball in high school and college. He helped out Triple Threat Academy during the summers he was at O’Dowd as well as helped Dominican University with their summer camps. As he continued to get older and playing full time was not an option, he realized that coaching and training was enjoyable and helped him stay close to the basketball community.  

Davis has been at UPB for almost three weeks now and has been involved in both the group and private training at the facility. When he is working with an athlete, first and foremost he wants the athlete to enjoy their time and enjoy the grind that they are going through. He also wants to help produce well-rounded athletes and does this through his philosophy centered on “simplicity with detail.”

“That ‘simplicity with detail’ came from my college coach. He would always have these catchphrases, and that one really stuck. Even as I got older, that still applies to life you know, just keep it simple,” Davis said. “When I'm training kids, I just try to implement [that] and try to help them understand [that] they don't need to get sped up, just keep it at your pace.”

As Davis continues to keep the game in life and spend his time at UPB, he hopes to continue to learn and soak in all he can to become a better coach every day. He looks to find his voice, gain more experience, and get more involved within the basketball community. 

“It's just the community aspect. Everyone is showing up ready to get better, [and it is] always cool to just work with someone who's passionate… I think it's just drawing me back outside of just helping and just sharing the knowledge, [it] is just really the community aspect,” Davis said. “Everyone's trying to get better, everyone's enjoying it. [It is] just good vibes.”

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