Doug Davenport will replace father, Scotty Davenport, at Bellarmine

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kentucky-bellarmine-finalizing-deal-to-play-this-week — (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

Head coach in-waiting hires have not been used utilized much in college athletics after the move became popular over a decade ago in college football. However, college basketball most recently used it with Jon Scheyer at Duke, and now a rising mid-major is putting it in play.

On Tuesday, both Pat Forde and Jon Rothstein reported that Scotty’s Davenport will eventually be replaced by his son, Doug, as head men’s basketball coach of the Knights.

Source: Bellarmine will name assistant Doug Davenport — the son of current head coach Scott Davenport — as head coach in-waiting.

No timeline has been set.
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) May 12, 2022

Sources: An agreement has been reached for Bellarmine assistant basketball coach Doug Davenport to succeed his father, Scotty, as the head coach of the Knights. Timing on the succession is TBD. Scotty built the program into a DII power and a strong DI newcomer.
— Pat Forde (@ByPatForde) May 12, 2022

Last season, Bellarmine became one of college basketball’s biggest surprises in March as the former Division II program won the ASUN tournament in just their second season in Division I. However, due to a silly four-year transition rule enforced by the NCAA, the Knights were not eligible to grab the conference’s automatic bid and sat the 2022 postseason out.

Scotty Davenport — a former head coach at Louisville (Ky.) Ballard and a 10-year assistant under both Denny Crum and Rick Pitino — is set to enter his 18th season at Bellarmine and owns a 395-133 overall record. The Knights brought home a Division II national championship in 2011 and are attempting to become a rising mid-major force in the ASUN.

Doug Davenport is a Bellarmine alum who served time on Pitino’s coaching staff at Louisville from 2012-15. Davenport joined his father’s staff at Bellarmine beginning with the 2016-17 season and has been with the Knights ever since.

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As Kentucky looked for a replacement after a COVID-19 cancellation forced Louisville to drop the annual rivalry game, John Calipari reached out to Scotty Davenport to try and schedule a game. A quick agreement was unable to be set, but the two head coaches agreed to meet down the road.

“There is an agreement between Coach Calipari and myself,” said Davenport. “We do not have a contract yet but we will play this year, this coming year.”

Bellarmine will make the trip to Rupp Arena in the 2022-23 season to go along with contests against Duke, Louisville, and UCLA. The Knights are a rising program whose future is now in the hands of an alum and son.