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Davidson drives his players past potential and on to great things

Joel Davidson remembers watching junior college basketball when he was a kid, growing up in Sheridan.

He remembers legendary coaches Swede Erickson and Bruce Hoffman going toe to toe from opposite benches. Both of those guys are now in the NJCAA Hall of Fame.

Davidson reminds people of Erickson, if only because of his intensity on the bench. Fans remember the famous "kick board" they had to get Swede, who loved to drive his heel back into the bleacher in frustration.

Davidson says he knows full well that the comparison should stop there; Erickson won 600-plus games and hung a lot of championship banners and Davidson says he has a "long ways to go" on that front.

"Still, it's flattering if not deserved" to be mentioned with guys like that, he says. One similarity in style is that Davidson expects a lot out of his players. He prides himself in the fact that more often than not his Thunderbirds will out-hustle and out-work their opponents.

"People see the fire in my belly (on the bench) and it may come off a little rough around the edges," he admits. "But they don't see all the behind the scenes stuff, the day to day of working with players. What it is really all about is getting them to do things they would not do on their own. Most of these guys have gears they haven't shifted into."
Davidson begins his ninth season as a Region IX head coach. At Sheridan College, Davidson's teams posted a 122-38 (.763) mark in five seasons. In 2006 he was Region IX Coach of the Year. Since his arrival here three years ago from Sheridan, the Thunderbirds have averaged 20 wins per year. Twenty wins in a season is admirable in an era of great teams everywhere.

Region IX is one of the most competitive regions in the country. Every college is putting resources in place to help their teams compete at a higher level, and nearly every night a team can beat you – home or away.

It's quite remarkable that the T-Birds under Davidson have lost only three times at home in three years, and those losses came to teams like Southern Idaho, Midland and Central Florida – some of the juggernauts of juco basketball.

Davidson won a championship at Sheridan and was the assistant coach for another, so he knows what it takes to drive his Thunderbirds into the winner's circle. One thing he believes in is playing good teams outside the league. "I don't think it does you any good to play lesser teams early," he says. "I like showing my guys what to expect at the national tournament level."

Fans know that Davidson loves to coach an "up-tempo" brand of basketball. He likes that style for a couple of reasons – his players love to play that way and fans love to watch it. Intense defense for 94 feet can produce turnovers and easy baskets. That's the goal.
Always, Davidson is looking for his players to reach new heights. "Potential is a nine letter word for failure," he says. "We have set the bar so high that if we come close to reaching it great things will happen."

Underneath that intensity on the bench, that's what Davidson is all about – helping his players past that "potential" word and on to great things.

Joel Davidson
Head Coach

307-268-2626

Intensity on a mission:
Davidson drives his players past potential and on to great things

Joel Davidson remembers watching junior college basketball when he was a kid, growing up in Sheridan.

He remembers legendary coaches Swede Erickson and Bruce Hoffman going toe to toe from opposite benches. Both of those guys are now in the NJCAA Hall of Fame.

Davidson reminds people of Erickson, if only because of his intensity on the bench. Fans remember the famous “kick board” they had to get Swede, who loved to drive his heel back into the bleacher in frustration.

Davidson says he knows full well that the comparison should stop there; Erickson won 600-plus games and hung a lot of championship banners and Davidson says he has a “long ways to go” on that front.

“Still, it’s flattering if not deserved” to be mentioned with guys like that, he says. One similarity in style is that Davidson expects a lot out of his players. He prides himself in the fact that more often than not his Thunderbirds will out-hustle and out-work their opponents.

“People see the fire in my belly (on the bench) and it may come off a little rough around the edges,” he admits. “But they don’t see all the behind the scenes stuff, the day to day of working with players. What it is really all about is getting them to do things they would not do on their own. Most of these guys have gears they haven’t shifted into.”

Entering his ninth season with a career mark of 183-75 (.710) as a head coach in Region IX, Davidson has a pretty good idea of what it takes. At Sheridan College, Davidson’s teams posted a 122-38 (.763) mark in five seasons. In 2006 and 2007 he was Region IX Coach of the Year. In his three seasons at Casper College, Davidson's teams have posted 60 wins against 38 losses. At the end of his first season, the Thunderbirds closed hard down the stretch, going 10-7 after the Christmas break to win the central sub-region. In his second season, his team posted the single highest win total (24-9) since the 1995-96 season, which coincidentally was the last time the Thunderbirds qualified for the national tournament. The Birds won the sub region and the Wyoming Conference title, and ultimately lost out in the semi-finals of the Region IX tournament to the host team. For the second year in a row, the Thunderbirds held serve at home, not losing a Conference game at Erickson Thunderbird Gym. Last season, the Thunderbirds posted a 24-9 record while winning the Wyoming Conference title for the second year in a row. The T-Birds once again made it to the Region IX Tournament FInal Four falling short of a title.

Region IX is one of the most competitive regions in the country. Every college is putting resources in place to help their teams compete at a higher level, and nearly every night a team can beat you – home or away.

Davidson won a championship at Sheridan and was the assistant coach for another, so he knows what it takes to drive his Thunderbirds into the winner’s circle. One thing he believes in is playing good teams outside the league. “I don’t think it does you any good to play lesser teams early,” he says. “I like showing my guys what to expect at the national tournament level.”

Fans know that Davidson loves to coach an “up-tempo” brand of basketball. He likes that style for a couple of reasons – his players love to play that way and fans love to watch it. Intense defense for 94 feet can produce turnovers and easy baskets. That’s the goal.

Always, Davidson is looking for his players to reach new heights. “Potential is a nine letter word for failure,” he says. “We have set the bar so high that if we come close to reaching it great things will happen.”

Underneath that intensity on the bench, that’s what Davidson is all about – helping his players past that “potential” word and on to great things.

Dan Russell
Assistant Coach

307-268-3305

Coach Russell wrapped up his third year with the T-Bird staff this season. He has done a great job the past three seasons directing the individual skill development of our T-Birds as well as handling most of the scouting reports. Each season he has increased his on-court duties along with coordinating the staffs recruiting efforts. Previously, he served as a student-assistant coach under Coach Heath Schroyer at the University of Wyoming where his duties consisted of player development and film/ scouting reports.

The T-Birds are proud to welcome Dan back home; he played for the T-Birds from 2004 to 2006, before transferring to Black Hills State. At Black Hill State he averaged 9 points and 3 assists for his career. A former standout athlete at Natrona County High School, Dan ranked among the top players in Region IX in 3pt field goal shooting during his tenure at Casper College as well as winning the Warren H. Winter award in 2006. Russell, currently is 7th all-time in 3-Point field goals in a career, 20th in 3-point field goals made in a season and 8th all-time in T-bird history in 3-point field goal percentage in a season. In high school, Dan was a two-time all state basketball player as well as All-conference. He was regarded as one of the best shooters in the state during his career. He was one of Wyoming's Top 25 selections in football. He still holds several football records playing Quarterback at NCHS.

Dan's sister, Jill (Russell) Vance, also played for the T-Birds (1998-2000). His oldest sister, Jennifer (Russell) Alvar, played for the University of Wyoming (1994-98). Both are currently teaching in the Natrona County School District. Dan is the son of Jim and Judi Russell.

James Hayen
Assistant Coach

307-268-3305

Coach Hayden has been part of the T-Bird family for three years. He competed for Coach Davidson for two seasons and returned last season as a student assistant coach. Some of his duties were Individual Skill Development, Academic Support as well as supporting the coaching staff with their day to day duties. This season, Coach Hayden will be assisting with scouting reports, film breakdown as well as continuing his work with skill development and academic support.

As a player, James had a nice career at Casper College. James was potent behind the 3-point line in a T-Bird uniform. He made (79) 3-point field goals in his two year career, which ranks him in the top 20 all-time at Casper College. James was a captain on the 2009-2010 team that won the Wyoming Conference and the Central Sub-Region.

James is the son of Paul Hayden and Susan Kendall. He also has three brothers, Sam Hayden who played division 1 soccer at the University of Santa Barbara (2009-2011) and Isaac Hayden who is a musician in Nasville, TN. His youngest brother is Cameron Foster.

Bill Landen
Athletic Director

307-268-2667

Bill Landen took over as athletic director six years ago, but he is not new to those who have been around Casper College and its athletic programs.

Bill has spent the past 26 years at Casper College. Prior to accepting his current role, Bill served as Director of College Relations for 18 years.

Since his arrival in the athletic department, his focus has been on community and student involvement in the college’s four sports programs. Bill has worked with the T-Bird Booster Club and the Foundation to establish a permanent endowment for athletics. He has also been instrumental in support of the college's rodeo program.

T-Bird fans may recognize Bill from his days as the radio play-by-play voice of the T-Birds in the 1980s and ‘90s. Along with serving as the voice of the T-Birds, Bill spent 18 years in marketing and information for the college. He has earned numerous awards during his professional career, including twice being named Wyoming’s Sportswriter of the Year by the national association of sportswriters and sportscasters. He was named Rosenthal Outstanding Administrator at Casper College in 1997. In 1993 he was honored by his peers as Communicator of the Year by the National Council for Marketing and Public Relations.

Along with his duties at Casper College, Bill serves in the Wyoming Legislature as State Senator for District 27.

Bill’s wife, Robyn, is the Director of Financial Services/Controller for Casper College. They have three children: Nick, Zack and Hailey.

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More About the Programs:
Casper College has a national reputation for excellence in many academic programs. Business, music, nursing, art, theater and radiography are among the programs with national accreditations. Casper College is also noted for the strong and varied science programs. Students who complete their academic work at Casper College transfer to universities thought the county. For students not intending to pursue a four-year degree, Casper College offers more the 30 career and technical programs like automotive technology, diesel power, electronics, welding and machine tool technology. These programs are designed to prepare students for the technical workplace.

More About the Campus:
Casper College overlooks the city from the south. Beautiful red-rock terraces surround the campus. The Gertrude Krampert Theatre is a popular attraction for the community. The Goodstein Foundation Library is one of the finest of its kind in the Rocky Mountain Region. There is also a modern student center on campus, three residence halls and a fitness center.

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