The crowd at Carver-Hawkeye Arena had reason to cheer, but not from the scoreboard. Iowa women’s basketball took a commanding 20-7 first-quarter lead over Evansville Sunday afternoon, but not one fan paid much attention to numbers. Instead, all eyes watched the visitors’ huddle on the jumbotron, particularly graduate assistant coach Molly Davis.
While absent her iconic headband and Hawkeye uniform, everyone in attendance still recognized Davis despite her wardrobe change. As the videoboard played a tribute and the PA announced her presence, the standing crowd roared its approval. Davis, paper clutched in one hand while the other rested on her heart, acknowledged the crowd with a wave and a smile.
A key role player in Iowa’s consecutive Final Four runs, Davis now holds new niche responsibilities on the Evansville staff, but her old job clearly wasn’t forgotten. Her jersey doesn’t hang in Carver’s rafters, but Davis’ contributions carry on in Iowa fans’ collective memory.
“She didn’t get a whole lot of shine, but a lot of times when we needed her most, she had the bucket, she had the assist,” Iowa head coach Jan Jensen said of Davis’ playing career.
Davis, who hails from Midland, Michigan, stayed home to play at Central Michigan for three years before transferring to Iowa prior to the 2022-23 season. The point guard averaged 18.6 points per game in her final campaign with the Chippewas, but her scoring dropped to 3.8 points per game in her first year with the Hawkeyes, who advanced to the national championship in March.
“Being on the national championship stage, you don’t get to do that very often,” Davis said. “Then again, I’ll always say it’s the relationships. Regardless of how many games I’ve won or lost, I’ve been so thankful to be surrounded by such amazing teammates and coaches.”
Her final season, she posted double-digit scoring eight times but suffered a season-ending right knee injury in the regular-season finale. Jensen wasn’t yet the head coach then, but remembered Davis’ legacy as more than an unfortunate injury. Rather, Davis offered a lesson about roles, where one doesn’t have to stuff the stat sheet to create impact, but simply have passion for the game and love for their teammates.
Davis stopped for hugs during the postgame handshake line, embracing former teammates and coaches. She credited former Iowa assistant and Raina Harmon in recruiting her to Iowa and helping her land a coaching job at Evansville.
Davis said the Purple Aces only roster two assistant coaches, so she picks up a lot of the scouting responsibilities and more hands-on instruction with players. She added she’s pursuing her master’s degree and will graduate in December.
For Davis, her past playing career and coaching present still hold commonalities. As a Hawkeye she valued interpersonal bonds, and with Evansville, embracing that lesson with an open-door policy.
“The importance of relationships with players, it doesn’t matter how many minutes you play,” she said.
Spoken like a true role player.