Detroit Mercy taps Tom Izzo disciple Mark Montgomery as head basketball coach

Detroit — Detroit Mercy has found its next men's basketball coach from right up Interstate 96.

Mark Montgomery, who's been an assistant coach at his alma mater under Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo and who previously was head coach at Northern Illinois, has been named the 23rd head coach in Detroit Mercy history, the school announced Wednesday.

The hire ends an exhaustive search for Detroit Mercy, since it parted ways with Mike Davis on March 7. Davis was head coach for six seasons, and the Titans went just 1-31 this past season.

"After spending time with Mark and hearing his vision, we are confident that Coach Montgomery will bring our men's basketball program back to the national stage," Detroit Mercy president Donald Taylor said in a statement Wednesday. Taylor took on a prominent role in the search. "His experience, approach to strategy and proven success building winning programs and recruiting the top talent in the state of Michigan and beyond are just a few of the numerous reasons he emerged as the leading candidate."

Terms of the contract are private, because Detroit Mercy is a private institution. Davis had a seven-year contract, believed to be worth around a half-million a year. Detroit Mercy was believed to be in position to come close or exceed those dollars, if not the years. Montgomery made $424,200 this past season at Michigan State.

Montgomery, a Metro Detroit native who turned 54 this week, was head coach at Northern Illinois for 10 seasons, from 2011-21, posting a 126-179 record. He tied for the Mid-American Conference West championship in his second-to-last season, and made one appearance in the postseason, in the Vegas 16 in 2016.

After he was fired at Northern Illinois, Montgomery joined Davis' staff at Detroit Mercy for a short period of time, before Izzo hired him at Michigan State. It was Montgomery's second stint as an assistant under Izzo. He worked under Izzo from 2002-11, helping the team to three Final Fours.

Izzo was a major endorser of Montgomery during Detroit Mercy's search for a head coach. Michael McNamara, chair of the Detroit Mercy Board of Trustees, is an MSU alum, and had a final interview with Montgomery.

"I thank you for always being there or me and guiding me through the coaching realm and helping me to get to where I am today," Montgomery said in a statement in Wednesday's press release. "You have been not only a teacher and mentor, but a friend and thank you for always being there for me."

Izzo was quoted in Detroit Mercy's press announcement Wednesday: "I am thrilled for Monty. ... He is one of the best and brightest coaches I've worked with during my career. Monty has a great understanding of the game, he's called our offensive sets and is an incredibly hard work who is very organized and knows how to run a program."

Montgomery began his coaching career as an assistant at Central Michigan in 1997, after playing four years professionally in Europe.

Montgomery played under Jud Heathcote at MSU from 1988-92, and was a part of three teams that won a Big Ten championship and three teams that played in the NCAA Tournament. He finished his career as Michigan State's leader in games played, with 125.

Montgomery emerged as Detroit Mercy's head coach from an initial list of more than 100 applications, which was pared down to nine candidates for interviews, and then to four finalists. Other finalists were Michigan assistant Saddi Washington, Marquette assistant DeAndre Haynes and Iowa State assistant JR Blount.

"Growing up in the area, you heard about the history of the university, the great players, the atmosphere and historic Calihan Hall," Montgomery, an Inkster native who attended Southgate Aquinas High School, said in a statement. He will be formally introduced next Wednesday. "Those teams were nationally known and they played the best and beat the best. I am so honored and humbled to lead the program back to where it was."

This is the third men's basketball coach hired by athletic director Robert Vowels. Mike Davis coached the last six years, and the two years before that, Bacari Alexander was head coach.

Detroit Mercy has had just one winning season in the last eight (12-10 in 2021, when Montgomery spent time on staff), and is looking to get back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2012. That was under Ray McCallum, four head coaches ago.

Seven different teams have represented the Horizon League in the NCAA Tournament since Detroit last made it, including rival Oakland this year.

Detroit Mercy has six NCAA Tournament appearances in its history, including a Sweet 16 run in 1977.

"Coach Montgomery is a highly distinguished veteran coach who has seen success at both a mid-major and national level," Vowels said. "His roots in Metro Detroit are well known, he has a national presence as a recruiter, and he has seen what it takes to build a program. He has learned from some of the best coaches in NCAA history.

"He is exactly the coach we need to relate to student-athletes today and to bring our program back to the top of the Horizon League."

Davis came to Detroit Mercy with a resume that included nine NCAA Tournaments in 18 seasons at three different stops, including a national runner-up finish on his first job, at Indiana as Bob Knight's successor. At Detroit Mercy, he brought his standout son, guard Antoine Davis, with him, and Davis played five seasons for the Titans, becoming the second-all-time leading scorer, three points behind "Pistol" Pete Maravich.

But the Titans were never competitive for a Horizon League championship, amid a series of injuries, academic issues (some that predated Davis' tenures, but carried over in the penalty phase), and subpar facilities, the latter which Montgomery also will face. That's not changing anytime soon.

The bottom fell out this season on Detroit Mercy, which started 0-26 before finally winning a game. Assistant coach Mike Davis, the head coach's son, referred to the season as a "s---storm." Days after the season, Vowels and Mike Davis Sr. agreed to part ways, mutually. It's unclear if Davis, a head coach for 24 years, wants to keep coaching, or follow the professional path of Antoine, who is thriving in the NBA's G League.

tpaul@detroitnews.com

@tonypaul1984