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A RESOLUTION honoring and congratulating former Bellarmine University men's 1
basketball coach Scott Davenport upon the occasion of his retirement. 2
WHEREAS, Scott Davenport, a Louisville native and graduate of Iroquois High 3
School and the University of Louisville, has enjoyed a successful 47-year career as a 4
basketball coach at both the high school and college levels, 46 of which were in his 5
beloved hometown; and 6
WHEREAS, Scott Davenport began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at 7
the University of Louisville under legendary coach Denny Crum, then, after one year as 8
an assistant at Virginia Commonwealth University, he returned home to become the head 9
boys' basketball coach at Ballard High School; and 10
WHEREAS, in 10 seasons at Ballard, Scott Davenport led the Bruins to the 11
Kentucky High School Athletic Association (KHSAA) Sweet Sixteen tournament five 12
times, winning the championship in 1988 and finishing as runner-up in 1987, while 13
coaching legendary players such as Allan Houston and DeJuan Wheat; and 14
WHEREAS, in 1996, Scott Davenport returned to the University of Louisville as an 15
assistant men's basketball coach, where he served until 2005 under head coaches Denny 16
Crum and Rick Pitino. He was part of Louisville's run to the National Collegiate Athletics 17
Association (NCAA) Final Four in 2005; and 18
WHEREAS, Scott Davenport became the head men's basketball coach at 19
Bellarmine University in 2005, and soon turned the Knights into a powerhouse at the 20
NCAA Division II level, making the NCAA Division II tourney in 11 straight years from 21
2009 to 2019, and making the Final Four on four occasions; and 22
WHEREAS, the pinnacle of Scott Davenport's coaching career came in 2011, when 23
he led the Knights to the NCAA Division II national championship, becoming the only 24
coach in history to win both a KHSAA and NCAA championship; and 25
WHEREAS, later in his career, as Bellarmine transitioned to a Division I program 26
in the NCAA, Scott Davenport's Knights continued their success, winning the Atlantic 27 UNOFFICIAL COPY 25 RS BR 2036
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Sun Conference Tournament in 2022; and 1
WHEREAS, Scott Davenport was universally respected by his peers in the 2
coaching profession, as evidence by this quote from Duke University coach Mike 3
Krzyzewski, who lauded his team after they played an exhibition game in 2012, "That 4
team, those kids and coaches are champions. For our guys to play against their team, 5
veteran team, so well coached, was excellent for our basketball team."; and 6
WHEREAS, on March 9, 2025, Scott Davenport announced his retirement from 7
coaching, having compiled a record of 423 wins against 192 losses in his 20 years at 8
Bellarmine; and 9
WHEREAS, the lives of young men impacted by Scott Davenport over his 47-year 10
coaching career dwarf any wins or losses his teams might have experienced, as he is 11
universally recognized as one of the most positive, open, and caring people in the sport, 12
and his legacy, both at Bellarmine and the city of Louisville, will be enduring; 13
NOW, THEREFORE, 14
Be it resolved by the Senate of the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of 15
Kentucky: 16
Section 1. The members of the Senate join Senator Cassie Chambers Armstrong 17
in recognizing Scott Davenport on the occasion of his retirement as head coach of the 18
Bellarmine University men's basketball team, applauding his many accomplishments 19
over his 47-year coaching career, and wishing him a healthy and happy retirement. 20
Section 2. The Clerk of the Senate is directed to send a copy of this Resolution 21
to the Office of Senator Cassie Chambers Armstrong for presentation to Scott Davenport. 22