Davis began his coaching career as an assistant at
Miles College in
Fairfield, Alabama. After one season at
Miles College, Davis relocated to
Venezuela, directing both professional teams and the country's national team. In 1990, Davis returned to the
United States and took a position with the
Wichita Falls Texans of the
Continental Basketball Association (CBA). He made brief appearances as a player from 1990 to 1992, totalling 63 minutes in 5 games. The following season, in 2003–04, Indiana's 14–15 record was the school's first losing season in over 35 years. In 2004 'Associate Head Coach' John Treloar left Indiana for a position as an assistant coach at
LSU. The following season, Indiana went 15–14, including a first round home loss in the
NIT. In the spring of 2005, Athletic Director Rick Greenspan warned, While we share this common goal and are both confident that it will be reached, we also know that our record the last two years is not up to the standards to which Indiana is accustomed and to which we aspire. This is why we have set ambitious and achievable goals for next season of competing at a very high level in the
Big Ten Conference and successfully competing in the NCAA tournament. Indiana again failed to meet expectations during the 2005–06 season. By late January 2006, the Hoosiers were at risk of missing the tournament for the third straight year and the calls for Davis' job grew louder. On February 11, 2006, Davis missed a home game against Iowa. Four days later, he resigned effective at the end of the 2006 season. Davis said that he decided to make the announcement before the end of the season to end the distraction that his position's uncertainty had created around the team. The Hoosiers performed better after this announcement and reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Indiana lost 90–80 to
Gonzaga in the NCAA Tournament on March 18, 2006, ending Mike Davis' tenure as Indiana's head coach. In 2018 Davis admitted that he was not ready to be a head coach at such a large school when he took over for Knight. Speaking on the Big Ten Network's 'A Taste of Coaching,' Davis said, "I wasn't prepared, I knew I wasn't prepared, but I tried to walk out like I was prepared." Davis also said in 2018 that he was now '100 times better' as a coach than he was at Indiana due to his increased coaching experience.
UAB On April 7, 2006, Davis was hired as the new head coach of the
UAB Blazers. Despite several injuries and academic casualties in Davis's second year at UAB, Davis led the Blazers to a 22–9 regular season record and a 2nd-place finish in Conference USA. The Blazers narrowly missed making the NCAA men's basketball tournament and instead were rewarded with an appearance in the NIT. On April 24, 2007, the University Board of Trustees rewarded Davis with a 2-year contract extension. The extended contract ran through and the 2012–13 season featured a base salary that was increased to $625,000 from $600,000 annually. He was also eligible for increased incentives, including $35,000 for taking UAB to the NCAA Tournament, $75,000 each for a Sweet 16 appearance and a Final Four appearance and $100,000 for appearing in the national championship game. The buyout clause in the contract was increased from $500,000 to $625,000. This contract is fully guaranteed. On March 16, 2012, after a 15–16 record (9–7 in Conference USA) Davis was fired as the head basketball coach at UAB due to "poor ticket sales and attendance" as well as waning fan support and a history of disappointing performances in postseason action. On October 26, 2012, Davis signed a four-year contract to become the full-time coach at Texas Southern. He was named 2014–2015 SWAC coach of the year. In six seasons, Davis made the NCAA Tournament four times. He left for Detroit Mercy after the end of the 2017–18 season.
Detroit Mercy On June 13, 2018, Davis was named head coach of Detroit Mercy. On March 7, 2024, Davis and the team parted ways following a 1–31 season. ==Head coaching record==