A Legendary Hoop Coach at D-S, Davis Recalls His Holliston Roots

When Holliston High won the Tech Tournament in 1964, basketball was embraced and the sport became very popular. A drive through the town that year featured automobiles with bumper stickers reminding motorists that it was Tech Tourney champs.
Tom Keough was the Panthers’ coach then, and the veteran mentor continued his career as a teacher-coach for a lengthy stretch after that landmark triumph. Every year during the Christmas break, Holliston High hosts the Keough Basketball Tournament in honor of his devotion and the way he strived for excellence.
During Keough’s tenure at Holliston, there was another coach — Bill “Whitey’’ Davis — who was ultra successful and who lived in Holliston for 30 years. Davis coached at Dover-Sherborn, one of Holliston’s prime rivals.
During Davis’ 13 years (1962-1975), his teams posted a record of 189-65, a winning percentage of 74. Six Tri Valley League championships were won and the Raiders qualified for 11 playoff appearances. At one point, Dover-Sherborn won 45 straight regular season games. Twice, his teams played at the old Boston Garden, once in the tourney final and the other in the semifinal.
Now 84, the personable Davis lives in Rockport and still plays tennis four time a week. When he was teaching history and psychology at Dover-Sherborn during his 35 years on the faculty, he also coached boys’ and girls’ varsity tennis (3 TVL titles) and varsity baseball.
“I loved every minute and loved every day I coached,’’ said Davis. “I was intense, but my top thrill in coaching was to encourage players to give 100 percent and be good teammates. The life lessons I stressed were a strong work ethic and to be mentally tough and resilient. I didn’t like losing, so it was important for my players to battle hard after a defeat.’’
Davis, who was widowed last year after being married to his wife Joyce for 53 years, has some fond memories of Holliston. The couple lived on Locust Street then moved to Highland Street in 1987. He worked in Dover, but Holliston was home.
By nature, Davis is a very giving person, so it was not surprising to discover that one of his fond memories of Holliston spanned a three-year period when he volunteered to coach the town’s CYO basketball team. “They were seventh graders,’’ he recalled. “We won two Eastern Mass. championships and one of my players was Mark Sweeney, who had a long and successful career in Major League Baseball. I also ran a basketball camp in Holliston for CYO kids.’’
Davis is a native of Everett, and he was a three-sport athlete at Everett High, playing football, basketball and baseball. A captain in basketball, he also excelled as a pitcher in baseball, winning four of Everett’s five games in his senior year.
“When we faced Medford, I pitched against Bill Monboquette, who later played for the Red Sox and had success,’’ noted Davis who was honored in that sport with the school’s Sportsmanship Award.
After graduation, Davis enlisted in the Marine Corps, spent three years in the military and reached the rank of sergeant.
Davis played baseball for four seasons at Gordon College in Wenham and was voted the team’s MVP three times. Davis also coached basketball at Lexington Christian Academy for three years while at Gordon College. In 1962, Dover and Sherborn were opening their new regional school, and he was hired to teach and coach basketball.
Success came almost immediately. Twice D-S advanced to the tourney quarterfinals but lost to Nauset. The Garden appearances were a semifinal against Nauset (a third loss to them) and a loss to Cathedral of Boston in the Tech Tourney’s Sectional Final in 1973.
Davis’ 1967-68 team was the best in terms of record (20-1), but he rates his 1972 squad as the most talented. “We had KC Potts, Harry Rose, Mike King and Jon Kirby,’’ Davis recalled. “My two best players were Potts and Arnold ‘Smokey’ Whitman, who I coached from 1968-1970. He was a 1,000-point scorer.’’
Davis’ teams were explosive, but also defensive-minded. Up-tempo offense and pressure defense were their calling cards. “I tried to emulate the Celtics of the 1960s,’’ Davis said. “We pressed all over the place, and we employed a fast break most of the time.’’
For his excellence as a coach, Davis was honored by the Mass. Basketball Coaches Association with a plaque signifying his outstanding work, and in 2017 he was inducted into the Dover-Sherborn Athletic Hall of Fame. “Both honors were so appreciated,’’ he said. “They meant a lot.’’
The father of two sons and a daughter (one grandchild), Davis retired from D-S in 1997, but stayed active, teaching a summer course at North Shore Community College, and coaching varsity boys’ tennis at Gloucester High.
Today, he continues to play tennis and also bridge. And, he’s still a Celtics fan. Come winter, Davis will reside in Florida for three months (near Vero Beach).
Although he insists his life has been enriched by so many people, players, and friends, Davis probably loses sight of the role he’s played in bringing out the best in others. He taught his athletes to believe in themselves, and he strived to encourage them to reach great heights.