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Durant Gets Berkeley Coach

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By DAREK SHARP

The Tampa Tribune

Published: August 13, 2008

PLANT CITY - Coaching volleyball at Berkeley Prep is a pretty ideal situation for anyone involved in the sport. The school is a powerhouse every year and takes volleyball as seriously as any school in Florida.

So to get Jeff Davis to leave Berkeley, a special opportunity had to be presented.

Enter Durant High, which last week announced that it had hired Davis as its new head volleyball coach.

"I was pretty well planted at Berkeley, so I had to think about it for a few days. I can't wait now," said Davis, 40.

The former longtime assistant for Durant's first head coach, Teri Ohme, Davis left when she resigned in 2004 and quickly got a job at the Tampa school. He served under legendary Berkeley head coach Randy Dagostino the past five years.

This was to be his sixth year there, but suddenly Durant needed a coach. Justeen Patton, who had been hired to replace Dawn Hough, changed plans and decided to take a coaching and teaching job in Texas.

Last week, Durant Athletic Director Christina Raburn called Davis to gauge his interest, and two days later he gave his answer.

"When Justeen left, honestly I hadn't even considered leaving Berkeley," he said. "I have good friends, some of my very best friends, that I'm leaving behind and built some incredible relationships with them and the players."

Davis knows he has some tough spots to fill on the Cougars' roster, as three members of last year's state runner-up squad graduated.

He will carry a lot of the techniques he learned under Dagostino, who has been the Buccaneers' coach since 1976. Under Dagostino, Berkeley Prep has won a whopping 12 state titles, including six in a row.

Only Cardinal Gibbons in Fort Lauderdale and Berkeley's archrival, Tampa Prep, have taken more overall championships.

Though Durant made the state finals last season, it had struggled in recent years to progress far in the playoffs. Davis was at Durant when it won its three state championships, and, clearly, he wants a fourth for the trophy case.

"That's my goal," he said. "It's not that Durant has been suffering or anything, but I want to get it back to the type of program that is competing for state every year."

The Cougars, with Davis on the bench, won state crowns in 1999, 2001 and 2002.

He may enlist the help of one of its former champion players, and stepdaughter, Christen Garcia. She recently moved back to the area after playing at Georgia State University.

"She has a real job now, but I might get her to help coach a little bit, too," Davis said.

Reporter Darek Sharp can be reached at dsharp@tampatrib.com.

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