LA CROSSE — Aquinas High School senior Sammy Davis is always trying to become a better basketball player.
Whether that happens through practices with the Blugolds, workouts or tournaments with AAU teammates or whatever she can throw together on the court at the back of her family home, Davis is ready to work.
One advantage the Bradley University commit — she signed her official Letter of Intent on Wednesday — has in this process is resources.
After three seasons as a key figure in Aquinas putting together a 74-11 record and winning all 36 of their MVC matchups, Davis didn’t have to look far to get pushed and prepared for her final go-around with the Blugolds.
Brother Jordan Davis and family friend Terrance Thompson — both All-State performers at Central before Division I college careers — have recently joined her to make her final high school season an impactful one.
“Jordan will still be here through the weekend, but I’ll miss him because I worked with him and Terrance all summer,” Davis said. “I learned some post moves from Terrance, and he was a great asset for me, too.”
Davis, also the area’s most powerful hitter at the volleyball net, has been effective in the lane throughout her high school career. Aside from learning from Thompson, the focus has been on handling the ball more effectively and shooting.
Davis has averaged 18.1 points and 7.6 rebounds over her 85-game career, and most of those points have come in the paint. Her athleticism and ability at the rim have been elite, and Davis has taken full advantage.
She has taken steps to expand that and not only help the Blugolds in other areas but to ready herself for playing on the next level.
“I did a lot of shooting and worked with some coaches on my shot,” Davis said. “Everyone knows I can drive into the paint, and I have to be able to give them something else.”
That means more mid-range and perimeter offense could be coming as Aquinas tries to win its 12th straight MVC championship and build on a conference winning streak of 114 games.
“I think she’s more settled as a player,” Aquinas coach Dave Donarski said of Davis, who averaged 17.2 points, 10.1 rebounds and shot 48 percent from the floor as a junior. “She always puts too much pressure on herself, but her ability to make perimeter shots in a variety of ways — 3s, pull-ups, floaters — versus always having to go to the rim, is something she can be very efficient with.
“She had a nice summer doing exactly that.”
