https://ysusports.com/news/2024/4/16/booth-davidson-join-ysu-womens-basketball-staff.aspxYoungstown, Ohio -- Youngstown State head women's basketball coach Melissa Jackson has announced that Peyton Booth and Courtney Davidson will be joining her staff as she enters her second month as a Penguin.
"I am thrilled to welcome Peyton and Courtney to our Penguin family," Jackson said. "Not only are they exceptional basketball coaches, but they are also tremendous people who our young women will get to learn from each and every day. They both know Ohio very well, have established connections and will be able to hit the ground running from a recruiting standpoint."
Booth and Davidson will join Jason Pacanowski and Brice Margenthaler, who will remain at Youngstown State in their previous capacities.
Booth comes to Youngstown after spending the 2023-24 season as an assistant coach at Western Michigan. Before that, she was an assistant coach alongside Jackson for three seasons at Akron.
"Having worked with Peyton for three years, she knows our culture, the ins and outs of our system, and, most importantly me," Jackson said. "She is an exceptional teacher of the game with a high aptitude for scouting opponents. Our players will benefit from her knowledge and experience."
The Broncos were 12-18 overall and 7-11 in Mid-American Conference games in 2023-24 with Booth on the bench, and one of those victories was a 54-52 triumph over the Penguins at Beeghly Center. The Zips won 50 games in Booth's three seasons in Akron, including 17 in each of her final two seasons. She was first a graduate assistant at Akron in 2018-19, and she returned in 2021-22 as an assistant coach.
In her two seasons as an assistant coach, Booth coached four Zips who earned All-MAC honors, including 2022 MAC Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year Jordyn Dawson.
Booth is a native of Wadsworth in Northeast Ohio, and she played collegiately at New Hampshire.
Davidson is a daughter of Youngstown having played and coached at Ursuline High School, and she is joining the Youngstown State women's basketball staff for the third time in her career. She most recently served as the recruiting coordinator at Fordham in 2023-24.
"Over the years, I have watched Courtney grow in this profession," Jackson said. "She has always been someone who impressed me with her professionalism and how she cultivates relationships. Courtney is super passionate about Youngstown! Having worked at YSU, she brings a great level of knowledge. I am also really excited for our point guards to learn from one of the very best in our business."
Davidson has been a Division I assistant coach for 11 years, and she has served as a recruiting coordinator for the last five. Her collegiate coaching career began as director of operations at Youngstown State in 2013-14, and she held the same role for a year at the College of Charleston in 2014-15. Davidson then was an assistant at Radford in 2015-16 and 2016-17 as the Highlanders won 42 games in two seasons, and she returned home to Youngstown for the 2017-18 and 2018-19 campaigns. The Penguins played in a postseason tournament in each of those seasons, and the 2018-19 squad won 22 games and earned an at-large berth in the Women's NIT.
Davidson's first recruiting coordinator opportunity was at Hartford in 2019-20 and 2020-21, and she held the same position at Loyola Maryland in 2021-22 and 2022-23 before moving on to Fordham in 2023-24.
