Northwood principal Shannon Wall was busy cooking food Monday evening for the boys basketball team which will soon be without a coach.
On the menu were ribs, pulled pork, chicken, sausage, mac and cheese, baked and green beans, rolls and bread, along with some tasty (as opposed to hasty) pudding. Wall fed about 45 people for around $300, saving the program and the school a ton of money.
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Outgoing basketball coach Jimmie Marvin Davis, who previously served at Airline as an assistant coach, partook in the repast before jumping across the Red River to become Airline’s head boys basketball coach.
That means Wall was busy beefing up the Falcons for whomever is selected to replace Davis, who has been around the area coaching, educating and directing student-athletes for more than 20 years. He was 35-48 in three seasons at Northwood.
NEW HIREE: Northwood hires Airline assistant Marvin Davis as boys basketball coach
MAKING A MOVE: Mansfield coach makes move to Airline
Northwood boys coach Jimmie Marvin Davis
“I am grateful for the opportunity to coach at Airline and I appreciate the time I had with coach Wall and the Northwood community for the past three years,” Davis said. “Coming back to Bossier City is an exciting opportunity and I am looking forward to getting to know the players at Airline and beginning to prepare for the 2025-26 season.”
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A 1996 graduate of Quitman High School, Davis picked up his education degree from Louisiana Tech before heading into the working world.
“Coach Davis has dedicated his life to developing student-athletes on and off the court,” Airline athletic director Toby Todd said in a release.
His coaching career began at Lakeside where he served as the girls basketball coach and he saw his team advance to the LHSAA playoffs in four of his five seasons there. The Lady Warriors advanced to a playoff quarterfinal, a regional final and two bi-district finishes under his direction.
“That reflected his strong ability to build competitive teams and mentor young athletes,” Todd said.
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Davis then moved on to Mansfield and was an assistant to Mansfield girls coach Kendra Jones for three seasons before moving over to be the coach of the Wolverine boys for six seasons. Davis was 53-82 at Mansfield and led the Wolverines to the playoffs three times. He was named the District 1-2A Coach of the Year in 2016-17 when his team won the league title. His teams were runner-up in district during the 2017-2018 and 2018-2019 seasons.
“Coach Davis is known for his discipline, strategic approach and ability to inspire young athletes to reach their potential,” Todd said. “We are excited to welcome coach Davis back to the Airline family.”
Current Plain Dealing coach Eddie Hamilton coaxed Davis into joining his Airline staff in 2020, then Davis moved to Northwood in March 2022.
“Marvin has proven over time that he’s a man of character and his knowledge of the game of basketball is second to none,” Hamilton said when he hired Davis.
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Davis is the son of longtime northwest Louisiana coach Jimmie Marvin Davis Sr. The senior Davis, an All-American at Alcorn State, coached at Jonesboro-Hodge, Arcadia and North DeSoto during 30-plus plus years in the Louisiana system.
“He was my mentor and inspiration to get involved in coaching and working with all children regardless of the background,” Davis said previously.
Jimmy Watson covers Louisiana sports for the USA TODAY Network. Email him at jwatson@shreveporttimes.com and follow him on Twitter @JimmyWatson6.
This article originally appeared on Shreveport Times: Northwood’s Marvin Davis returns to Airline as boys basketball coach
