Texas A&M University-Commerce women’s basketball coach Jason Burton announced the return of Lion great Princess Davis to Commerce, as an assistant coach for the Lions in May 2022.
No A&M-Commerce women’s basketball player has played, started, or won more games than Davis, who was one of Burton’s first recruits in Commerce. She played for the Lions from 2014-19.
“It is a no brainer to bring Princess back home and we couldn’t be more excited to have her back in Commerce,” said Burton. “Just as she was as a player, Princess is going to be a tremendous coach and tremendous asset to our university.”
“Very few have represented the A&M-Commerce brand as well as she has. She is a rising star in this profession, and I’m thrilled to have her on our staff.”
In her new role for the Lions, she will be responsible for coordinating junior college recruiting, working with the Lion guards, assisting in scouting opponents, serve as an academic mentor, and have a role in the social media outreach efforts during A&M-Commerce’s first season in NCAA Division I and as members of the Southland Conference.
Davis, a native of Shreveport, Louisiana, ended her Lion career second in assists, third in points, and first in minutes played. She averaged 11.3 points and 3.6 assists per game and was named an all-conference player three times as well as the Lone Star Conference Freshman of the Year in 2014-15. She was also honored as an All-American in 2017-18.
“I am excited to be at Texas A&M University-Commerce as an assistant coach,” said Davis. “I am blessed for this opportunity to coach at my alma mater, and I am thankful for Coach Burton and Lion Athletics for bringing me on. I’m looking forward to getting started and continuing the culture and success of this program.”
She led the Lions to the NCAA Regional tournament in 2018-19, the program’s first since 2006-07. The Lions have made the postseason in every season since then. She was part of the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association’s “So You Want to Be a Coach” training program in 2019, before playing professionally in Europe for ZKK Plamen Pozega in Pozega, Croatia.
Davis’ coaching career began in Athens, Texas, as an assistant coach at Trinity Valley Community College for the past two seasons, including being on the staff in 2020-21, when the Lady Cardinals finished as the national runner up in the NJCAA Women’s Basketball Championship.
She mentored five NJCAA all-region academic players, seven all-conference honorees, eight all-region players, a NJCAA Region XIV Freshman of the Year, and two NJCAA All-Americans. The Lady Cardinals made the NJCAA postseason tournament in both seasons with Davis on the staff.
After graduating with a degree in Kinesiology & Sport Studies from A&M-Commerce, Davis also received her master’s degree in counseling at A&M-Commerce.
