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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Staff Directory
Empress Davenport
- Ending Title:
- Associate Coach
- Years at Ole Miss:
- 2024-26
- Alma Mater:
- Texas (2016)
Empress Davenport spent two seasons with Ole Miss women’s basketball in 2024-26. Following one year in Oxford as an assistant coach, she was promoted to associate coach for Ole Miss.
During the 2025-26 campaign, Davenport guided Ole Miss to wins over three AP top-five opponents, making the Rebels the only SEC team in 2025-26 to accomplish the feat without any of those victories coming at home. The Rebels delivered another strong postseason, advancing to the SEC Tournament semifinals for the fourth time in five years and earning a first-round win over 12th-seeded Gonzaga, thanks in part to Davenport’s help in assembling ESPN’s No. 2 ranked transfer portal class ahead of the season.
Under Davenport’s coaching, sophomore guard Tianna Thompson shot 41.6 percent from the 3-point line, marking the fourth best single-season mark in Ole Miss history and best since 1994-95.
In Davenport's first year at Ole Miss, the Rebels secured another 20+ overall wins and 10+ conference wins season, while also taking down four ranked foes and earning a trip to the NCAA Sweet 16. She was chosen to participate in the WBCA's 2025 Next Generation Institute, a high-level education program for experienced assistant coaches who aspire to become collegiate head coaches.
Davenport is in charge of the Ole Miss guards, and in her first season at Ole Miss that involved guiding freshman Sira Thienou. The true freshman was a key factor in the Rebels's successful year, as she earned All-SEC Freshman honors and notched the second most steals by any Rebel freshman in program history (79).
A four-year letterwinner for Texas from 2012-16, Davenport reached three NCAA Tournaments as a player while averaging 7.2 points and 3.6 rebounds during her career for the Longhorns.
“Empress is a rising star, a winner and a competitor. I’ve had the pleasure of watching Empress from afar and it her work ethic and competitive nature reminds me of myself,” said McPhee-McCuin. “She has impacted every program she touched positively, and I am excited for her to get to work here in the Sip.”
After her playing days in Austin, Davenport played one season professionally overseas in Sweden before returning to the United States to serve as an assistant coach for two years for Nike ProSkills EYBL.
Davenport entered the collegiate coaching ranks in 2018, spending three seasons as an assistant coach at Lamar where in 2018-19 the Cardinals posted a 17-1 record in the Southland en route to going 24-7 overall.
This past season at UTSA, Davenport assisted the Roadrunners to reach 18 wins for its most in a single season since 2009.
A Duncanville, Texas, native, Davenport graduated from Texas with a bachelor’s degree in applied learning and development in 2016.
“I am extremely excited and grateful to join Coach Yo and the entire Ole Miss family,” said Davenport. “Coach Yo has a tremendous vision for success and I am appreciative she trusts me to be a part of her staff and part of that process. I cannot wait to get started in helping to win championships at Ole Miss and I look forward to hitting the ground running.”
During the 2025-26 campaign, Davenport guided Ole Miss to wins over three AP top-five opponents, making the Rebels the only SEC team in 2025-26 to accomplish the feat without any of those victories coming at home. The Rebels delivered another strong postseason, advancing to the SEC Tournament semifinals for the fourth time in five years and earning a first-round win over 12th-seeded Gonzaga, thanks in part to Davenport’s help in assembling ESPN’s No. 2 ranked transfer portal class ahead of the season.
Under Davenport’s coaching, sophomore guard Tianna Thompson shot 41.6 percent from the 3-point line, marking the fourth best single-season mark in Ole Miss history and best since 1994-95.
In Davenport's first year at Ole Miss, the Rebels secured another 20+ overall wins and 10+ conference wins season, while also taking down four ranked foes and earning a trip to the NCAA Sweet 16. She was chosen to participate in the WBCA's 2025 Next Generation Institute, a high-level education program for experienced assistant coaches who aspire to become collegiate head coaches.
Davenport is in charge of the Ole Miss guards, and in her first season at Ole Miss that involved guiding freshman Sira Thienou. The true freshman was a key factor in the Rebels's successful year, as she earned All-SEC Freshman honors and notched the second most steals by any Rebel freshman in program history (79).
A four-year letterwinner for Texas from 2012-16, Davenport reached three NCAA Tournaments as a player while averaging 7.2 points and 3.6 rebounds during her career for the Longhorns.
“Empress is a rising star, a winner and a competitor. I’ve had the pleasure of watching Empress from afar and it her work ethic and competitive nature reminds me of myself,” said McPhee-McCuin. “She has impacted every program she touched positively, and I am excited for her to get to work here in the Sip.”
After her playing days in Austin, Davenport played one season professionally overseas in Sweden before returning to the United States to serve as an assistant coach for two years for Nike ProSkills EYBL.
Davenport entered the collegiate coaching ranks in 2018, spending three seasons as an assistant coach at Lamar where in 2018-19 the Cardinals posted a 17-1 record in the Southland en route to going 24-7 overall.
This past season at UTSA, Davenport assisted the Roadrunners to reach 18 wins for its most in a single season since 2009.
A Duncanville, Texas, native, Davenport graduated from Texas with a bachelor’s degree in applied learning and development in 2016.
“I am extremely excited and grateful to join Coach Yo and the entire Ole Miss family,” said Davenport. “Coach Yo has a tremendous vision for success and I am appreciative she trusts me to be a part of her staff and part of that process. I cannot wait to get started in helping to win championships at Ole Miss and I look forward to hitting the ground running.”
| COACHING CAREER | ||
| Year(s) | School | Position |
| 2025-26 | Ole Miss | Associate Coach |
| 2024-25 | Ole Miss | Assistant Coach |
| 2021-24 | UTSA | Assistant Coach |
| 2018-21 | Lamar | Assistant Coach |
HIGHLIGHTS: Baseball at Florida (4/2/26)
Friday, April 03
PRESSER: Will Echoles 4-3-26
Friday, April 03
PRESSER: Will Echoles 4-3-26
Friday, April 03
PRESSER: Suntarine Perkins 4-3-26
Friday, April 03
