Finding Faith in Yourself

Things are clicking for senior Katy Davis and the Crimson women's basketball squad

By Buffy Clifford

Assistant Sports Information Director

Senior forward Katy Davis has had her share of obstacles to overcome en route to this year's success.

As a freshman, Davis found the commitment to Division I athletics much more demanding than she had initially thought.

"I was really shocked at the amount of time it takes to play sports at this level," admitted the former three-sport athlete from nearby Needham. "It took some getting used to.

"I also had to get used to not really playing much, but most of the other freshmen were experiencing the same thing, so it wasn't too bad."

After making the typical first-year adjustments to college athletics, Davis found herself faced with another hurdle -- battling back after the dislocation of her shoulder. She sustained the injury thanks to her trademark hustle, diving onto the court trying to get a loose ball. She would miss the rest of the season. Then, during spring workouts in the weight room, Davis was still experiencing pain, which meant that surgery would be required. Rehabilitation continued through the summer and into the fall. Davis was unable to pick up a basketball until the end of October.

"At that point, I was out of playing shape and my shoulder wasn't what it used to be," she explained. "The prospects of my playing seemed to be an uphill battle."

Entering her sophomore season, her enthusiasm for the game was not only dampened by her injury but also by the team's disappointing season.

"Your sophomore year is when everything should be clicking," she believed. "But things weren't, for me, and that was hard to face. I began to have definite doubts about what I was doing. I questioned whether I should have played soccer, which was big for me in high school, or if I should have gone to a Division III school where playing might not have been so important."

With all these doubts, Davis thought it best to try out for the Harvard lacrosse team that spring, having excelled at that sport in high school as well.

"I needed some kind of athletic accomplishment and I hadn't had any yet," explained Davis. "It was hard because in high school athletic success came naturally, and here at Harvard it was not an

automatic thing.

"Playing lacrosse boosted me. It gave me back confidence in my athletic ability which I had lost."

That summer, Davis took a job in the basketball office working with head coach Kathy Delaney-Smith and her assistants.

"It was really good for me," she said. "I got to know the coaches more as people and I felt much more comfortable in approaching them with any issues that I may have. I felt closer to the program

in general.

"After that summer, I began to have more faith in myself and the program."

As a junior, Davis played behind Ivy League Player of the Year Tammy Butler and Ivy League Rookie of the Year Allison Feaster as sixth-man on Harvard's second-place team.

"I couldn't complain," she admitted. "They're two of the best players to come through Harvard and, arguably, the Ivy League. We had such a great season, I was happy to just be a part of it all.

"In the beginning of the season, I felt like I wasn't an important part of the team, but during the second half of the year, I realized that even though I wasn't starting, my role on the team was actually important after all."

It was exactly then that everything came together for Davis, who scored a personal best 14 points against Ivy nemesis Yale and got her confidence back.

Her efforts have paid off as Davis cracked the starting lineup as a senior and has continued to improve her level of play during the first half of this season. She scored a new career high of 16 points against Arizona.

"I kept thinking that if I could just get the chance to start, I would be able to deliver," said Davis. "This year has been the most fun I've ever had playing basketball.

"In a sense, I wish I could have gotten this level of play out of myself a couple of years ago. My sophomore and junior years, I sort of expected the coaches to drag it out of me instead of me doing it myself. I'm a little mad at myself for that, but it's pointless to look back and think like that. For now, I'm just enjoying basketball and trying to keep getting better."

Delaney-Smith is also pleased to see things working out for her player. "I have to say that it's wonderful coaching Katy, especially this year," she said. "I get great joy seeing a player overcome the obstacles she has faced and have such a successful senior year.

"I've seen so much growth in her as a player and as a student-athlete. She's bringing to this team strength in every aspect of the game -- defense, scoring, and consistency."

For Davis, all the hard work and dedication has paid off.