The Drake basketball team’s unbelievable 21-game win streak has brought a lot of questions about the previously overlooked Bulldogs. That attention includes interest in first-year coach Keno Davis’ name.
Some have joked that the name could be linked to the lottery-type keno game played in casinos, but Davis says its roots are in his dad Tom’s basketball career.
Davis says way back when his father Tom started coaching high school basketball, he had a player named Keno. Keno says Tom Davis is one of the most common names and his mom and dad decided to go away from the common and went to the "far extreme."
The 35-year-old Keno Davis inherited the now nationally ranked and Missouri Valley Conference leading team from his father who retired after four years as Bulldog head coach that culminated in the team’s first winning season in 20 years. Keno says his dad never figured his son’s name would get so much interest.
Davis says his dad never knew he would become a public figure and draw so much attention to his name. Keno has gotten used to the questions about the name. "I’ve enjoyed the name growing up, it’s been quite a story-telling name," Davis says.