By Chuck Schoffner
The Associated Press

DES MOINES, Iowa - Lonnie Randolph walked into the Drake basketball locker room and spotted the gray-haired gentleman right away.

"I didn't know who he was," Randolph said Tuesday, laughing at the memory. "I thought he was part of the administration, somebody I'd never seen before."

Not quite. It turns out that Randolph was looking at his new coach, Tom Davis, who had arrived to accept the challenge of trying to transform Drake from a perennial loser into a winner.

Davis, 64, has been out of coaching the last four years after compiling a 269-140 record in 13 seasons at Iowa.

He said he enjoyed the time off, which he spent reading, golfing, traveling and speaking, but always figured he'd eventually return to the profession.

"As I looked back, I recognized how much fun I've had, especially that last year (at Iowa), with the team and the relationships on and off the court," he said. "They were special. So I'm happy to be back and give it a shot. I'm ready to roll."

It will take some work. Drake, coming off a 10-20 season, hasn't finished over .500 since 1986-87 and hasn't played in the NCAA tournament since 1971. But Davis' hiring already has stirred excitement in the Drake community.

Dozens of boosters and university officials attended Davis' news conference Tuesday and gave him two standing ovations.

Athletic director Dave Blank said he was inundated with e-mails praising the department for hiring Davis, who is 543-290 in 28 years as a college coach.

"I think in the national scope of college basketball, the hiring of Tom Davis kind of puts us in that picture," Blank said. "But as Tom says, we've got to win. He understands that. But I think he'll do that."

So does Randolph, a guard who will be a junior next season and is expected to be one of the team's top players.

"He doesn't just seem to be the right person. I know he is," Randolph said. "He's a general. He's our leader. We're going to follow his lead. I think you couldn't ask for a better coach to come in here."

Davis succeeds Kurt Kanaskie, who resigned April 11 after seven seasons. Blank said he called Davis two days later, figuring it was only a "long shot" that he'd be interested in the job.

"I did not expect him to say, 'I just want you to know that I definitely do have interest in the situation. I've got mixed feelings,"' Blank said, recalling what Davis told him. "I thought, 'Well, there's a start."'

As they talked from time to time last week, Blank said he decided to get a definite yes or no from Davis before pursuing other candidates. On Sunday morning, Davis called to say he would take the job.

Davis met with the team Monday night, and Blank said he knew then he'd made the right decision.

"I was so impressed with how those young men were riveted to every word he said to them," Blank said. "I felt there was an instant bond beginning to build. It was impressive."

Davis has a five-year contract. Blank said he was confident Davis would stay at Drake long enough to build a solid program.

"He said, 'This is me making a commitment to Drake. And unless I run into something unforeseen' - I took that to mean health problems, and he said he's in great physical condition - 'then we're going to take a run at this and make this thing successful."'