Goodrich- At 5-foot, 3-inches tall, it’s unlikely that Tania Davis has towered over many players on the basketball court.
Yet, after four seasons ringing up 1,500 points, 100 victories along with a handful of team championships, Davis? game may have less to do with height and more to do with heart.
On Monday afternoon the 18-year-old Martian senior guard’s stellar play was recognized when she was named Michigan’s 2015 Miss Basketball. Davis received 2,591 votes from the members of the Basketball Coaches Association of Michigan and edged out Presley Hudson of Wayland Union High School. Only BCAM members vote. Davis is the 34th recipient of the award and will receive a Rawlings commemorative basketball and personalized trophy.
‘It was a tough group of girls to beat, they all really deserved the award,? said Davis, who was back in school on Tuesday after receiving the award in Detroit. ‘I knew I was considered for the award but there are just so many great players out there. I found out on Friday from Coach Gray I had won and promised to keep it a secret until Monday. It was not easy.?
The Miss Basketball award caps off a stellar career at Goodrich that Davis says started more than a decade ago in Flint.
‘When I was about 7-years-old we lived in Flint and I went with my dad, Roy Davis, to the YMCA downtown,? recalls Davis. ‘He had me do basketball drills over and over again. Then I played on youth teams with boys and girls’I was beating boys way back then. The coaches nor the other boys liked it very much.?
Davis came to Goodrich High School four years ago.
‘Coach Gray developed me as a player my sophomore year,? she said. ‘By the time I was a junior coach gave me ‘the keys to the car.? It’s much harder as the leader both on and off the court. I have to make sure coach gets the right shot and the right play’but I like driving.?
Head Coach Gray said Davis has been a big part of team.
‘We are so proud of Tania and her accomplishment,? said Gray. ‘She is very deserving of Miss Basketball because of what she has done for our team over the past four years. She does whatever is necessary to help us win and that shows in our accomplishments. She is a tremendous player, but also a great person and we at Goodrich High School couldn’t be more happy for her.?
In her four years Davis has averaged 19.1 points per game; grabbed 4.8 rebounds and dished out 6.3 assists. She also averaged three steals per game. Davis was named Associated Press Class B Player of the Year, a member of four league championship teams, 2015, 2014, 2013 and 2012. She was also part of two state championship teams in 2012 and 2013.
Davis also passed Carrie Nance as the all time point leader in Goodrich Basketball history who scored 1,492.
‘I’m still nervous before games,? she said. ‘But when I get out there the nerves just go away. I can hear the crowd all the time, but some voices stand out. Like my mom, coaches and some fans that sit on the sidelines each game in the same place. The other teams sometimes put their tallest or best players to cover me’they throw a lot at me. But I pass the ball and end up with 20 assists in a game. It comes to a footrace sometimes, too, and I’ll win every time.?
Davis will attend the University of Iowa and start classes on June 15, about a week after she graduates from Goodrich High School.
‘I plan to study cardiology at Iowa,? said Davis, who carries a 3.5 gpa. ‘Math comes easy to me and science is not a problem either. Maybe the WNBA or play overseas or maybe coach at the college level. Not sure yet. But right now I’m ready to experience college and playing at the next level. This next weekend I’ll walk out on the court at Michigan State University Breslin Center as a Martian and next year I’ll be there as a Hawkeye. I’m excited.?