Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Helping Hands
Lady Mounties become family for Davidson
ROGERS — Halley Davidson may never play a minute of varsity basketball for Rogers High, and that’s OK with her.
Just being part of the Lady
Mounties’ team has already helped her through some incredibly tough situations and paved the way for better times.
Davidson’s mother, Carol, and her 22-month-old half-sister, RoseMarry, were found dead in late February 2017. The two had been missing for almost four months. Halley was only a freshman at the time, but basketball was already an outlet for her when other parts of her life were chaotic.
“I needed something to distract me like I could be in a different place,” Davidson said.
“During basketball, I was only thinking about basketball.”
Rogers girls basketball coach Preston Early wanted to make sure Davidson knew she has a support system. He approached her about being a manager for the high school team at the end of her freshman year, but Davidson balked a bit.
“She said ‘I want to be a part of the team. I need to be a part of the team,’” Early said. “She was just so adamant. She said ‘Coach, I’ll do whatever you need me to do to make this work.’”
Davidson is usually there before Early gets to school around 7 a.m. each day. Sometimes Early lets her in. And sometimes a custodian opens the door, and she’s already in the locker room sorting some laundry or just helping tidy up.
She’s now been a part of the junior varsity team for three seasons. She’s filmed games and done any number of things to help out, Early said. But the team has also helped Davidson.
“They helped me through that hard time. They comforted me. They didn’t judge me because of something that happened. I don’t think they look at me differently because of what happened.”’
Davidson, 17, and her half-sister, Summer, 14, have lived with their grandmother Patty since she was three. Patty Davidson said life has not been easy.
“I had been married for 27 years and divorced, then three months later I had two girls to raise,” Patty Davidson
said.
Even she saw how basketball has helped her granddaughter.
“I think basketball helped her stay together in all of it,” Patty Davidson said. “We’re really thankful for basketball and the team.”
She never was involved in sports in school, so Patty Davidson suggested to maybe try another activity when Halley became frustrated. But that didn’t fly at all.
“Oh my goodness to say something about quitting, she was furious with me,” Patty Davidson said. “She said ‘I’m not quitting, no matter what.’”
Davidson’s mother and half-sister went missing in November 2016 and weren’t found until four months later.
Living with her grandmother at times was tough. But the basketball team made sure Davidson and her sister celebrated Christmas.
On Dec. 1, there were two gifts left on their doorstep marked ‘On the first day of Christmas.’
There were two gifts left every day after that through Christmas Day.
Davidson always thought the basketball team was behind this act of kindness. But it wasn’t until recently that she found out for sure when
she got up the courage to ask a teammate.
But she had an incident this year where the tables were turned, and she was able to help someone else who is in a similar situation.
Davidson took part in a mentoring program where Lady Mountie players go to the elementary schools and visit with kids. One girl she met had also lost her mother and lived with her grandmother.
That was a special moment, Davidson said.
“I told her ‘Oh my gosh, I’m sorry. That happened to me a couple of years ago and you’ll get through it. Just don’t focus on that; focus on what makes you happen.’”
Davidson noticed the young girl was wearing Steph Curry shoes and asked if she played basketball. She said yes.
“We connected over that and I feel like since I talked to her to focus on basketball,” Davidson said. “I didn’t have someone who had been through that situation help me through it. I had other people. Knowing she had someone that had to go through the same thing it made me feel good. It was probably easier for her.”
Early said she’s a good example every day, but that was a unique situation.
“She was a support system and an example for this young girl of toughness and handling your circumstances,” Early said. “I know she has bad days but I’ve never seen her down or outwardly mopey. She would have every excuse in the world to feel sorry for herself but she doesn’t.”
With only a few months left in high school, Davidson will soon embark on a different challenge. She will become the first person in her family to attend college as she plans to attend Arkansas-Fort Smith in the fall.
The importance is not lost on Davidson either. But she admits it’s a little scary, too.
“It’s hard because I don’t want to disappoint anyone,” Davidson said. “I don’t want to fail or have people disappointed in me.”
But Early said considering what she’s gone through already in life, her toughness and positive attitude continue to shine through.
“She’s learned through athletics that, in order to be her best, you’ve got to get past your fear of failure,” Early said. “She’s an overcomer. Lots of people don’t know she’s been through an unbelievable tragedy. But getting that degree will open doors and opportunities for her and raise the bar for her kids.”
And Davidson’s relationship with the Lady Mounties basketball team has helped make that possible.