CINCINNATI – Darren Davenport, the father of University of Cincinnati guard Jeremiah Davenport, died April 5, 2021, at age 55.A longtime fixture in the local basketball community, Darren Davenport played at Mount Healthy High School, Alcorn State and Northern Kentucky in the 1980s. He also went on to coach and officiate games in the area for several years.How to help the familyThe UC Athletics Department set up a GoFundMe page to assist the Davenport Family with all funeral-related expenses. After those expenses have been paid, the remaining funds will be donated to a charity of the Davenport family's choice. Donations toward the goal of $10,000 have exceeded $8,300 as of Tuesday afternoon.Friends can donate online at https://www.gofundme.com/f/darren-davenport-funeral-expensesHe was officiating with former City of Cincinnati policeman and Deer Park football coach Cal Johnson at Landmark Christian the Saturday before his passing. Johnson had snapped a photo of the two intending to post it on his Facebook page. By the time he had posted it, Davenport was gone too soon.The pair had talked about being from Cincinnati and about kids leaving Cincinnati instead of staying. The elder Davenport had also expressed his pride in Jeremiah for staying with the UC program given the recent departures.More:Here's who could replace John Brannen as Cincinnati Bearcats men's basketball coachMore:Ex-Cincinnati players speak out, want Erik Martin to be next UC men's basketball coach"We had a game break and we just talked for a whole hour about how we grew up," Johnson said. "When you grow up, your kids move out, unlike us. We're lifetime Cincinnati people. We grew up here and we're still here. We just reflected on a whole bunch of stuff."Davenport and his wife, Sheila, have five children, daughters Naomi and Deborah along with sons Michael, Joshua and Jeremiah. Jeremiah, one of four siblings who have played Division I basketball, just completed his sophomore season with the Bearcats. The former Enquirer Player of the Year at Moeller averaged 11.7 points per game and 5.0 rebounds per game, quickly becoming a fan favorite thanks to his high-energy approach to the game. Oldest son Michael Davenport played for Moeller coach Carl Kremer on their 2007 state championship team before moving on to St. Bonaventure. Josh Davenport played for Moeller, then Winthrop. Naomi Davenport was a standout for Mount Notre Dame before playing at West Virginia and Jeremiah played on Moeller's 2018 title team that also featured West Virginia's Miles McBride and Jaxson Hayes of the NBA New Orleans Pelicans.Deborah Davenport just had a stellar junior season at Woodward averaging nearly 18 points with 10 rebounds per game. "I put them in there as the first family of Cincinnati basketball," Kremer said. "When you think about all three boys were Division I players. Mom was Division I, Dad was Division I and Deborah is right on the cusp. She'll be a Division I. I've never heard of that before!"The University of Cincinnati Athletic Department shared a statement last week: "We are sending all our love and support to Jeremiah and his family as they deal with this tragic loss. We will do everything we can to support them during this difficult time."Celebration of lifeThe family will host to a celebration of life from 4 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, April 14, 2021, inside the third-floor north club lounge of Nippert Stadium's West Pavilion.Parking will be available in CCM Garage, 270 CCM Blvd., and guests should enter via the south or bridge elevator lobby and take the elevators to level 3. Masks must be always worn while on the University of Cincinnati campus.Davenport's funeral took place at Southern Baptist Church on Reading Road Tuesday morning with the Preston Charles Funeral Home handling arrangements. Darren Davenport will be interred at Walnut Hills Cemetery. Source link
Send an email
