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Preparing college athletes for high-level competition requires knowledgeable strength coaches who can teach – and motivate. Such a challenge also requires a charismatic leader, and Auburn University has one of the very best in Damon Davis.
You might know him better as the Director of Sports Performance for the Auburn men's basketball team. You might also know him simply as "Coach D," or maybe even better as "the Viking look-a-like" that sits on the Tigers courtside bench.
Call him what you like, Davis is a slam-dunk when it comes to getting Johni Broome, Dylan Cardwell and company conditioned and primed to fulfill their physical potential on the court.
The Petersburg, Illinois native is now in his 15th season on The Plains.
"I really just wanted to work with athletes," said Davis. "I wrestled at Western Illinois University, so I have a background of being a division one athlete. That's what got me interested in strength conditioning, because without being bigger and stronger, I wouldn't have been able to compete at that level."
After graduating college, Davis interned with the Chicago Bulls in the early 2000's where he cut his coaching teeth working with "Baby Bulls" ballers Eddy Curry, Tyson Chandler, Jay Williams and Kirk Hinrich during the post-Michael Jordan era.
"I really went there because of Al Vermeil," explained Davis. "He's the only strength coach in professional sports to earn championships in both football and basketball, with the NFL's San Francisco 49ers and the NBA's Chicago Bulls. He's really a true legend in our field."
Davis, a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist, spent four years as an assistant strength and conditioning coach at the University of Iowa before heading to The Plains. When he first arrived at Auburn in 2008, Davis trained athletes in track and field, golf, tennis and baseball before moving to men's basketball in 2012.
Like Vermeil, Davis has applied modern technology to his training practices.
"A lot of people would be really interested in what all goes into it," said Davis. "Technology has increased in the past 10 to 15 years, and it's obviously becoming more integrated with what we do to monitor player load."
Auburn men's basketball players wear accelerometers in their shorts during games and practices. These motion-sensing devices track and analyze player movement and gather data on speed, acceleration and changes in direction, providing insights into performance, training effectiveness and even injury risk. They also use jump plates that measure force – a valuable tool that gives Davis a deeper understanding into an athlete's power, strength and movement efficiency, as well as setting individual benchmarks.
"Basketball is one of those sports that you need to be good in all three planes of motion," explained Davis. "You’ve got to be good vertically, you’ve got to have good acceleration linearly to sprint down the court, and then you've got to be able to move multidirectional or laterally to play defense."
With a grueling 30+ game 2024-25 season, Auburn men's basketball is playing one of the toughest schedules in the nation. Intensity must remain high, and it's elite training that's giving the Tigers an extra gear to outlast their opponents on the court.
"We're training twice a week, playing twice a week, and on some level, the lifting and strength conditioning helps manage the fatigue," said Davis. "The movement and the blood flow through strength and power training helps players recover."
Davis says putting in the gym time is what sets great players apart.
"I think if you look at the guys that are still playing at a high level like Walker Kessler, Jabari Smith Jr., Isaac Okoro, Kumar, Jared, or Bryce, whether it be in the NBA or overseas, those guys were usually my hardest workers. They'd come in, do the hard work and trust the process because, ultimately, they had bigger goals. That's what I try and preach to our guys."
A veteran strength coach like Davis has a lot of impact on every single player that comes through Auburn’s basketball program. That's because they spend a lot of time with him, from the offseason to in-season and everything in between. Davis is one of the heartbeats of the team, not only tasked with enhancing performance, but also helping to define the team’s culture and character.
Without a doubt, Davis is a steady secret weapon for Bruce Pearl, the winningest head coach in Auburn men's basketball history.
"I'm blessed to work under such great leadership that has allowed me to be part of the success and have stability for such a long time," said Davis. "Coach Pearl has done such a great job developing this program and building it tirelessly. He works just as hard as the players, if not harder. We've had very little turnover. Our staff has been more consistent than any other college staff that I've ever witnessed."
Davis is also quick to credit the Auburn Family as a big part of the team's success this year. A seat in Neville Arena is one of the hardest tickets to score in the SEC right now.
"When you go to other places, it's not the same, the jungle is the jungle," said Davis. "I love our fan's enthusiasm and it's such an advantage."
In addition to his coaching duties, Davis is also working to complete his master's degree. The husband and father of two welcomes the opportunity to juggle responsibilities – and to make a massive impact behind-the-scenes on Auburn men's basketball.
He relishes seeing the team's hard work come full circle.
"When you get a group of guys all pulling in the same direction, I think you get what you're seeing right now," said Davis. "You see the success, the brotherhood, and all these guys just having fun playing together, and they love each other. Yeah, it's special."
Special thanks to Auburn Men's Basketball Director of Creative Content Steven Leonard for all photos.