Robin Martin-Davis breaks barriers as men鈥檚 basketball coach
SWANNANOA, N.C. (BVM) 鈥� Throughout her life, Robin Martin-Davis was told two things by her mother: 鈥淏e the change in the world you want to see鈥� and 鈥減rove them wrong.鈥� The women鈥檚 basketball head coach for Warren Wilson College took those messages to heart, but when it came to her most recent role she never expected it to change the world. However, that鈥檚 exactly what she has done.
In January, Martin-Davis was named the interim men鈥檚 basketball head coach at the Division III institution alongside her role as women鈥檚 basketball coach due to the previous coach leaving the school. With this, Martin-Davis became the first known female head coach to helm a D-III men鈥檚 basketball team and one of the few to be the head coach of a men鈥檚 team at any level of college athletics.
鈥淭here was an employee change made which left a vacancy in our men鈥檚 basketball position and it鈥檚 hard to hire mid-season,鈥� Martin-Davis, who doubles as the school鈥檚 athletic director, explained. 鈥淚 had the most basketball experience and felt I was the most qualified to take it over to get through the finish line so that鈥檚 kind of how it happened.鈥�
In her role, Martin-Davis joined an elite few women who have ever coached men in collegiate basketball including former University of Kentucky assistant coach and Mesabi Range College head coach . According to the , there were zero women head men鈥檚 basketball coaches across all three divisions in 2022 and only 15 female assistant coaches for men鈥檚 teams. Martin-Davis understood the significance of her taking over this role not only for herself but for her female student-athletes, fellow female basketball coaches and her daughter.
鈥淔or me, I look at my daughter and I look at my players and just the joy that they see and the pride for me is everything,鈥� Martin-Davis said. 鈥淚鈥檓 proving to them that you can do anything. No matter what your gender is, what it looks like, you can always change history and change the direction of the future. For me, that鈥檚 something I always look at.鈥�
Not only did Martin-Davis accept the role, but she also did well in it. When she took over in January, the Owls were just 1-12. Warren Wilson went 6-8 down the stretch under Martin-Davis鈥� leadership, a vast improvement from earlier in the campaign. One of these wins included her men鈥檚 coaching debut when the Owls won 84-69 on Jan. 17, marking the first win by a female head coach in D-III men鈥檚 basketball history.
鈥淚t didn鈥檛 cross my mind, I saw it on Twitter and then it became a frenzy,鈥� Martin-Davis said. 鈥淚 shared it because I thought it was cool. The coolest part was my women鈥檚 players actually saw the tweet and they were excited to celebrate that because in their words 鈥榳e鈥檙e witnessing history right in front of us, our coach is role modeling change鈥� so I think for me that was the most exciting piece because they were more excited than I was.鈥�
Today provisional defeated 113-86, led by AD and WBB coach, Robin Martin, stepping in to be (we think) the first woman to coach (and win) a d3 men's basketball game. Also, both teams are the Owls.
— Ryan Scott (@RyanAlanScott)
Of course, even with her new position as the men鈥檚 basketball coach, Martin-Davis still had responsibilities for her women鈥檚 team. Despite the increased workload, she kept the women competitive, using the two teams to build an even stronger sense of community.
鈥淲hatever I was providing for the women鈥檚 team, the men were getting the same opportunity,鈥� Martin-Davis said. 鈥淲e did a lot of dinners together that beginning of January because we got back from winter break early and it was neat to start to build that camaraderie between both programs. That was something we didn鈥檛 necessarily have, not for any particular reason there鈥檚 always that natural separation, but here we were forced to be together because there was one doing both and I think that created more of a bigger family environment.鈥�
Although she has left her mark on the Owls men鈥檚 basketball program forever, Martin-Davis is expected to return strictly to the women鈥檚 sideline next season.
鈥淲e have the men鈥檚 job posted and are currently working through applicants,鈥� Martin-Davis said. 鈥淩ight now, I will not be coaching them next year and I will just return back to the women鈥檚 team and athletic director.鈥�
While her time with the men鈥檚 basketball program has likely come to a close, Martin-Davis hopes that her experience has opened up some conversations in basketball about female coaches.聽
鈥淚t takes just one person to kind of rock the boat and to have a good experience,鈥� Martin-Davis said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e making progress but we just have to really continue to not count ourselves out because it鈥檚 not being done.
鈥淚 didn鈥檛 walk into this position like, 鈥楴obody else is coaching men so I can鈥檛 coach them鈥� I never even thought that. I thought 鈥業 was the most qualified, I鈥檓 the only option we鈥檝e got, I鈥檓 going to coach them.鈥� That was my mindset and I think if we view more things with that mindset like 鈥業鈥檓 just as qualified to do this position whether I鈥檓 the first or the last.鈥� It changes the game. My hope is that more women will be encouraged to try the other side or to take a step and put their application in. That鈥檚 my hope.鈥�
Even though Martin-Davis will head into the next basketball season back with the women鈥檚 basketball team, she has changed the world as the only female head coach of a D-III men鈥檚 basketball team. Hopefully, this one small change will be the first of what could be a monumental change within the sport in the near future.
