LA CROSSE — Samantha Davis had no idea what she is going to do this Saturday, and that simple fact seemed to thrill her as she concluded a basketball workout on Monday.
The Aquinas High School senior was happy to have a weekend off between AAU basketball and the upcoming volleyball season to do whatever she wanted. One thing that has occupied a chunk of her time recently was also pushed to the side, and that made her life even more freeing.
Davis announced on Sunday that she has accepted a scholarship offer to play basketball at NCAA Division I Bradley University (Ill.) — located in Peoria — to end a recruiting process that included a handful of offers.
“School is starting up (soon), and I felt like I needed to get that stress off my back,” Davis said of the decision, which essentially came down to Bradley, St. Thomas (Minn.) and UW-Green Bay. “Now I can focus on my senior year of sports.
“With Bradley, I really felt wanted there. I like the coaches there, and I like the fact that I’ll get to play my freshman year.”
Davis has been an impact player since her first game as a freshman, and she has helped the Blugolds qualify for one WIAA state tournament. She has been a double-double machine at Aquinas and took it to a sectional final as a junior.
A dominant post player, Davis understands how her game will have to change on the next level. At 5 feet, 10 inches, she will need better ball-handling skills and more shooting from mid-range and the 3-point line.
Those aspects, she said, have been emphasized, this summer.
“I’ve really worked on shooting and gotten better at that,” she said. “That’s something I knew I’d have to concentrate on if I wanted to go to college and play guard.
“I’m not going to be able to just drive the lane whenever I get the ball.”
Davis spent her AAU summer as a center, so what she will work on extensively before heading to Bradley will be much different than what she did while playing some of the top competition from around the country in recent months.
Davis averaged 17.2 points while shooting 48 percent from the floor as a junior. She also pulled down 10.1 rebounds per game as the Blugolds won the MVC and went 23-5.
Aquinas has a 74-11 record since she joined the team and is considered the favorite to win a 12th straight conference championship and continue a 114-game MVC winning streak.
Bradley had a 14-19 record last season and was ninth in the 12-team Missouri Valley Conference at 7-13. Playing time as a freshman was important to Davis, and she said that’s the plan with the Braves.
While it may take some time to establish herself as a scorer at a new position on a new level, Davis should be able to transition smoothly as a defender and rebounder.
Those aspects of her game will be important for a team that Davis said wants to run. If she can help force opponents into difficult shots and be an effective rebounder, that will open up scoring opportunities.
“They pretty much run a five-out (offense),” said Davis, who has scored 1,541 points in 85 career games at Aquinas. “It’s a lot of cutting and pretty much a motion offense.”
After working extensively on not only her shooting but her ability to create shots for herself, Davis should be ready to contribute.
