Katrina Davis is used to living with pressure. It comes with the territory.
Much is expected of you when you put on the Red & Black for storied Bellaire High School. The school’s hardwood has seen a plethora of talented hoopsters grace its planks. It’s called the house of champions for a reason.
And of course, given her last name happens to be Davis, even more is expected. Compounding that pressure was the fact that this season, she was the key returning starter from an OVAC championship team that graduated a pair of 1,000-point scorers.
When those key moments hit in big games and her teammates needed someone to look to for leadership and help in keeping calm, whom do you think it was they turned toward?
How did she respond? Davis capped one of the finest four-year spans in Big Reds’ history with one of its best seasons.
She averaged 28.3 points a night in scoring an absurd 629 points as a senior. That gave her 1,564 career points, third on the Lady Reds’ all-time scoring list. For her efforts, she was named Ohio’s Division III Player of the Year and a finalist for Ms. Basketball.
She also nearly averaged a triple double, posting marks of eight rebounds and eight steals per game. Her 737 career rebounds are also third in Lady Reds’ history. She’s the career leader in steals (433), wins (79) and second in assists (301).
Keep in mind, Katrina Davis stands all of 5-foot-2. That’s 62 inches of pure athleticism, fighting and scratching for every rebound, every steal, and every opportunity.
It’s a lot of pressure, but again, she’s used to it. Much is expected, but those expectations and that pressure are placed externally.
Inside her close-family unit, she’s just Kat — daughter to Alvin, sister to Cierra and cousin to Jose and Nate.
She’s a gifted athlete to be sure, but also one that boasts the second-highest GPA in her senior class. She plays softball but also leads the school’s yearbook club. She ran cross country but also has a love of reading, of shopping and just relaxing at home, and of chilling on the couch with her dad and watching movies. The two have a special bond.
The elder Davis knew his daughter had talent, but he didn’t push her to basketball, rather, allowing her interest to blossom on its own until she came to him, ready to learn. The rest, as they say, is history—Bellaire’s record books show that it is so.
Now, having recently signed her national letter of intent to continue her athletic and academic careers at Division II’s Bluefield State, Davis readies to embark on the next portion of her journey.
Senior year is an exciting time in a student’s life, athlete or not. You mentioned looking forward to another season of AAU hoops. You also have softball and prom and graduation. What’s the most difficult part for you in dealing with how the last part of your high school career has transpired? Are there any positives to take away from the experience?
I’d say the most difficult part of losing the last part of my high school career is missing my softball season and not being able to go to my yearbook class. I love playing softball, being with my teammates, and the energy that was spread on the diamond. There are so many things that could’ve gone differently for me if we had a softball season. I was debating on choosing to play softball in college instead of basketball. I’m also the editor of our yearbook, and sadly we don’t get to fill our spring sports pages with pictures or even have graduation, senior skip day, or senior prank in our yearbook. One positive I got from this experience is committing to play basketball in college and growing a closer bond with my sister since we’re both home.
You’ve put up some impressive numbers at Bellaire in a school that’s had a number of dynamic players, both on the boys’ side and the girls’ side. Plus, you’re related to two of them very well-known in your cousins Jose and Nate. Ever feel any familial pressure to excel given the Davis name?
Growing up in a close-knit family full of talent, I actually never felt pressured by my family to live up to the ‘Davis’ name. My family is always very supportive of me, and they taught me a lot about the game; therefore, I believed in my training and knowledge that they helped me obtain. I felt more pressure by outsiders and how they would compare my success to theirs.
Speaking of pressure, you were able to excel at athletics while keeping a grade-point average on the plus side of 4.0. How difficult was that to juggle school and athletics? What was more nerve-racking, a late free-throw during a big game or the first time sitting down to take either the ACT or SAT?
School actually comes easy to me. I love to learn and soak up information if I’m interested in the topic, so it made juggling the two much easier. I faced my first difficulty my junior year when I took chemistry, which was the hardest class in the school. I would say taking a chemistry test from Mr. Xenakis and the ACT for the first was much more nerve-racking than a late free-throw in a big game with a close score because of the amount of reps at the line I would shoot in the offseason and practice.
You looked at a nice cross-section of schools both locally and further away. What ultimately made you feel that Bluefield State was the best fit for you? Do they have a comparable degree or a gateway undergraduate path that will allow you to pursue your previously stated desire of a career in occupational therapy?
One thing people wouldn’t believe about me is that I’m an introvert. I get really nervous when it comes to trying new things and meeting new people. I decided to go to Bluefield State to get out of my comfort zone and experience things on my own, without my sister’s or dad’s help. I also really enjoyed Coach Bailey’s conversations and style of play. They unfortunately do not offer occupational therapy as a major, so I decided to go into nursing which will keep me in the medical field and allow me to play for Coach Bailey.
Speaking of recruiting, if the height listed next to your name on the roster wasn’t 5-foot-2 and was, say, closer to the 5-8 range; do you think you still would have waited as long to make your decision? Your skill set says higher level, but were they maybe afraid to pull the trigger and offer a scholarship at that level because of your height? If that’s the case, do you play with a chip on your shoulder, wanting to prove people wrong who may have doubted your ability to compete at a high level.
If I was closer to 5-8, I think I would still have made my decision around this time. I like getting the feel for coaches and weighing all my options before committing to something that will have such a big impact on my life. However, I do feel like my skill set was passed up on because of my height, but my dad and I always say, “control the things you can control,” and unfortunately my height is one thing I do not have a say in. I do play with that on my shoulders though. I know that I am undersized on the court, so I try to make up for my lack of size by executing the fundamentals.
