Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Well done: Davis a success at Ole Miss
First things first.
I don’t care about your NCAA Tournament bracket any more than I care about your NFL fantasy team. But I do care about the players involved, especially if there is an Arkansas connection.
The Ole Miss women have a major connection from our state with Marquesha Davis, the former Springdale High School star who began her college career at the University of Arkansas. Davis has had a tremendous senior season with Ole Miss (23-8), which beat Marquette 67-55 on Saturday in the first round of the NCAA women’s tournament.
Davis was selected first-team AllSEC by the league coaches after she went over 1,000 points for her career and averaged 13.8 points during the regular season at Ole Miss. Davis set a career-high with 33 points when Ole Miss beat Florida in the quarterfinals of the SEC women’s tournament. She then dropped in 21 points when Ole Miss lost to LSU in the tournament semifinals.
I’ve covered a slew of top female athletes during 40 years as a sports writer in Arkansas, but Davis is one of the few who stands out. She was one of those players who could grab a rebound, dribble past multiple defenders and finish the play with a basket on the other end. As a senior at Springdale, Davis averaged 21 points and 10 rebounds per game while earning high school All-American status.
There’s no question Davis’ exposure as an athlete with potential improved after she moved from McGehee in southeast Arkansas to Springdale, first as a ninth-grader at George Junior High then as a threeyear starter in Class 6A for Coach Heather Hunsucker at Springdale High. Davis stayed driven even after her career at Arkansas didn’t work out as many of her fans had hoped.
Davis eventually found her path to success at Ole Miss where, in two years, she started 55 games and led the Rebels to a program-record 12 SEC wins this season.
“Marquesha serves as a reminder that no matter what happens in your journey, that if your belief and vision are strong enough you can overcome anything and accomplish your dreams,” Hunsucker said. “Surround yourself with a village of people that love you and want to see you succeed. Never let others opinions that don’t know you or your story to determine your fate.”
Regardless of how well Ole Miss does in the NCAA women’s tournament, Davis’ basketball career is not over. She is likely to hear her named called when the WNBA holds its draft on April 15 in Brooklyn, N.Y. If her name is not called, Davis can play overseas, where she’s already received at least one contract offer.
Either way, Davis is an inspiration to anyone who has the fortitude to keep grinding when initial plans don’t work out and her winding path to success will be used as the benchmark for current and future athletes at Springdale High.
“Marquesha is someone our girls hear many stories about,” Hunsucker said. “She is an inspiration to everyone who plays in our program that aspires to continue playing at the next level. In high school, Marquesha had a vision for her life. She wanted to play basketball in college and then play in the WNBA.
“It has been amazing to watch her pursue her dreams in the past nine years I have had the pleasure to know her.”
I know of sports fans who won’t watch the NCAA Tournament if their favorite team is not involved. But I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the action, especially with upsets like Oakland (Mich.) over Kentucky, Yale over Auburn and Middle Tennessee over Louisville on the women’s side. I also know players and coaches at Springdale are thrilled to watch one of their own living the dream by competing on the big stage.
Well done, Marquesha.