DISTRICT HEIGHTS, Md. – Jasmine Davis is a coach’s dream. She does a little bit of everything on the court for Francis Lewis and her Exodus Lady Lions travel team, playing multiple positions, rebounding, facilitating and scoring.
All that unselfishness might be hurting her in the eyes of college coaches, though.
“I’m worried that her recruiting might not be where it should be because of that,” said Celia Davis, her mother and coach of the Lady Lions.
At Lewis, the 5-foot-8 Davis, a rising senior, is one of the tallest players on the team, so she routinely guards post players from opposing teams. Her strength and rebounding ability make her vital in the paint for the Patriots and the Lady Lions. But those are things she won’t be doing much of in college, where she’ll likely be a combo guard.
“It does [hurt],” Davis said of her recruiting. “But I know I have to do certain things when I’m on the court for my team.”
That philosophy has made her a close confidante of Lewis coach Steve Tsai and the team’s undisputed leader. She’s that way for the Lady Lions, too. The two situations almost mirror each other.
“It prepares me for the school season,” Davis said. “I’m doing the same things.”
Though she perhaps doesn’t have the looks she could be getting, Davis has gotten offers from Marshall and Albany, Celia said, and South Florida, South Carolina, Manhattan and Savannah State have all shown interest.
“She’s a solid role player,” one Division I assistant said. “She does better off the ball. Jasmine is a capable scorer with good court vision.”
Celia Davis said that a school called her about her daughter as a point guard and she was shocked, because rarely does she get to play that position despite her excellent court vision.
“I don’t think I’m a point guard,” Jasmine said. “At the end of the day, it’s easier getting to the basket than creating for other people. … [Distributing] is harder than it looks. It’s really hard.”
She does have a pretty good role model in that regard, however. Jasmine’s older sister, Janine, was a star point guard at St. Michael Academy – the two played together when Janine was a senior and Jasmine was a freshman and since-closed St. Mike’s won the New York State Federation Class AA title. Janine earned a scholarship to George Washington and has since transferred to Siena.
“She’s a great point guard,” Jasmine said. “Watching her, it really helps. … If they do put me at point guard, I’ll be fine.”
After all, she has always been willing to play whatever position her coach asks. There is one thing Jasmine is picky about: the college she will attend. Hawaii has always been her top choice, though the Rainbows staff has never seen her play. Exodus director Apache Paschall has called the school about her, but it has yet to show any interest.
“I don’t know,” she said with a laugh. “I’ve always wanted to go there since I was little. I followed their basketball team. I’m just really fond of it.”
She denied that location and climate were what got her hooked on Hawaii with a slight smile.
“I like the school and the team,” Jasmine Davis said. “It’s not because of where it is.”
Then she paused.
“It’s part of it,” she added. “But it’s not the whole thing.”
In college, she’ll just be part of the team – not doing everything like she is now.