I've known Keno Davis since he was 14. If I'd told him then that I was talking to a future millionaire, we'd have both laughed.
One time in the early 1990s, I was heading back to Cedar Rapids from Ames after an Iowa State basketball game. I stopped in the Meskwaki casino to play some two-dollar craps when such a thing existed. There at the table was college student Davis, not playing particularly well. College kids.
Several weeks ago, Drake sports information director Mike Mahon introduced Keno to me, but he quickly told Mike he already knew me. "Tama," he said. It took me a while to remember what he was talking about.
Tuesday, Keno inked a seven-year, $7 million contract with Providence. At 36, he's a Big East head coach. He's a good guy from a good family. Here's hoping he drives the likes of Rick Pitino and Bob Huggins crazy in that conference.
And here's hoping Drake Athletic Director Sandy Hatfield Clubb weighs all her options before deciding on Keno's replacement. Private schools with smaller budgets than BCS conference schools can win and be nationally ranked, but they have no margin for error when it comes to hiring a coach.