DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Drake hired Arizona State associate head coach Mark Phelps as its new men’s basketball coach on Monday, moving swiftly to steady the program and replace outgoing coach Keno Davis.

Phelps’ rollout, held at a jam-packed news conference on the school’s Des Moines campus, came less than a week after Davis took the coaching job at Providence. School officials said Phelps was their top choice to replace Davis.

“One day last week, Sandy (Hatfield Clubb, Drake’s athletic director) called me ... and told me about Drake University, about the Drake experience and immediately I just got excited,” Phelps said in a brief interview after the news conference.

“We had another conversation on the phone. I was up here the next day, and now I’m the coach. It was just a whirlwind,” he said.

Phelps, 42, has 20 years of coaching experience, including more than a decade as an assistant to Arizona State coach Herb Sendek, both in Tempe and in Sendek’s previous job as coach of North Carolina State. Earlier, Phelps was a high school coach in Virginia, compiling a .736 winning percentage over six years at two schools.

He replaces Davis, the first-year coach who led the Bulldogs to one of the best years in school history. Drake compiled a 28-5 record, winning the Missouri Valley Conference regular season championship and tournament, earning the school’s first NCAA tournament birth since 1971 and first national ranking in 33 years.

Phelps said Drake’s improbable success made people all over the country take notice.

“If you were alive, you knew about Drake basketball this year,” Phelps said.

Phelps called the opportunity to follow Davis “precious,” and said he’d bring an aggressive approach to Drake.

“We’d like to initiate rather than react,” he said. “On offense and defense.”

One hallmark of Drake’s success this year — the 3 point shot — will likely remain, Phelps said.

“We love the 3-point shot,” Phelps said. “Drake loves the 3-point shot. I love the 3-point shot.”

Hatfield Clubb said Phelps’ background as a high school coach and a top-flight assistant made him ideally suited for the school.

“His profile was perfect for us,” she said. “He had two things — he was a high school coach not once but twice, he did it two times and had success. It tells me he can teach the game ... The second thing is, he has the assistant experience not in one but two conferences ... He knows how to compete and recruit.”

Drake officials moved quickly to replace Davis, who was announced as Providence’s coach on Tuesday. Hatfield Clubb said the speed of Phelps’ hire was as much a reflection of Drake’s allure as it was the school’s desire to quickly replace Davis.