by By Dan Ninham (Oneida)
Transferring schools occurs frequently and is a major decision for many college athletes. Change is usually best for a number of reasons. The change is working out for Ashley Davis.
Ashley Davis is a 5-10 redshirt sophomore basketball player at Black Hills State University. She is from the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa, Belcourt ND. Her dad is Monte Davis, Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa, Belcourt ND, mom is Kate Eaglestaff, Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa, and stepdad is Lance Eaglestaff, Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, Eagle Butte SD.
Ashley Davis left her athletic and academic mark at Turtle Mountain Community High School freshman to junior year and Bismarck High School in ND her senior year: Two-time second team all-state selection, four-year all-conference player, finished with more than 1,300 points, averaged 13 points, six rebounds and 2.5 steals per game senior year, career-high 32 points, a 5-year letter winner in basketball and volleyball, and valedictorian at Bismarck HS.
Recruited to Minnesota State University Moorhead as a freshman, Ashley suffered a severe ankle sprain that was diagnosed a bone bruise in the spring. ”It wasn’t fully healed when season started so I decided to take a medical redshirt so I didn’t waste a year of eligibility,” said Ashley.
Ashley transferred to Black Hills State University and was a medical redshirt her sophomore year. She has three years eligibility left including this season.
“My values and spirituality are very important to my everyday life,” said Ashley. “I am Ojibwe, but my stepdad is Lakota, and I grew up more with the Lakota background. My values include humility, honesty, praying, wisdom, caring, generosity and respect. They have played a huge role on why I am where I am today. They help me maintain my drug- and alcohol-free lifestyle. I have faced many personal challenges throughout my life and had to figure out a way to get through them. Many of those challenges come along with being a student athlete. Holding on to these values and living day by day with them have made this challenge of being a student athlete a little easier to conquer.”
“First of all Ashley Davis is an amazing young lady,” said Mark Nore, Head Women’s Basketball Coach at Black Hills State University. “She has worked extremely hard to make herself a big time contributor for our team. She has spent a lot of time in the gym and wants to be great, and it has been really paying off for her and for our team. If she continues to grow as a player she has a chance to be really special by the time it’s all said and done. We are very excited about her as a player and thankful for her as a person.”
Leah Szabla was a Women’s Basketball Graduate Assistant at BHSU, and currently is the Women’s Basketball Assistant Coach at Wayne State University. Coach Szabla made an impact on Ashley Davis during her time at BHSU.
“Leah Szabla believed in me when I struggled to believe in myself,” said Ashley. “I remember watching her play at the University of North Dakota when I was in high school. Little did I know she was going to be my college coach. She’s a great player, a great coach and an even better person. Leah helped me on and off the court. In the short time she’s been in my life, she has made a huge impact on it. Without her, I would not be the player/person I am today.”
“Ashley is a very special kid,” said Coach Leah Szabla. “Her humbleness, work ethic, and desire to get better really set her apart. She is a great teammate and a flat out playmaker. She has overcome countless obstacles and continues to rise above. She sets herself apart and truly does the right things on and off the court. She is a joy to be around and a light to all who know her.”
“Ever since I was a little girl, I knew I wanted to be a college athlete and that goal never went away,” said Ashley. “There was always one of them at every high school game, which meant a lot to me.”
“My dad, Monte, never pushed me more than I wanted to be pushed,” said Ashley. “He always told me what needed to be done for me to be a better player, but never forced me do it. He knew it was up to me if I wanted to become better.”
Dad Monte Davis said: “Ashley’s strength on the court is understanding the game and doing whatever has to be done to win. She is a gym rat. Ashley’s strengths off the court are she is always willing to help kids if it’s in the classroom or if it’s on the court she will find time.”
“My mom was a great athlete and is still to this day. I hear stories about when she was competing in high school and college. From the stories, I can tell she had a crazy work ethic. She never gives up and I would like to say I take after her,” added Ashley.
“Ashley has been very independent and driven since she was a little girl,” said mom Kate Eaglestaff. “She learned how to box out and play defense when she was 3.”
“Becoming a college basketball player didn’t happen the way she initially planned but despite her setbacks she never gave up. Now she’s in a very good place and I can see the fire in her eyes when she plays. When she came out of the locker room after her first game as a Yellow Jacket she was smiling ear to ear, she gave me a big hug and said, ‘it feels amazing to be out on the court again’. Ashley’s Lakota name is Comes from the Heart or Sincere Women, and I couldn’t think of a more fitting name. Everything she does she does with her whole heart.”
“Ashley not only works hard on the basketball court but in the classroom as well,” said Kate. “She graduated as Valedictorian in her class and is on the Deans list as a college student. When Ashley got her first B in college she was very upset, she didn’t take into consideration it was college chemistry. During Ashley’s first visit at BHSU Coach Nore asked her how her GPA was and in a very disgusted tone and with a frown on her face she replied ‘3.97’. Coach Nore looked at me and said, ‘I like her’. That was the beginning of her adventure as a BHSU Yellow Jacket.”
“My stepdad, Lance, always tells me what I need to hear rather than what I want to hear. He has always been straight up with me,” said Ashley.
“Off the court her strengths are a hard work ethic wanting to succeed in life,” said stepdad Lance Eaglestaff. “Her belief in spirituality has given her a great base to stand on by being completely drug and alcohol free. She is also a great role model for her siblings, and any native student. She is a loving and caring person who is fun to be around and has a big impact on anyone she comes across.”
“My parents each have their own role in my life. When I go through hard times, they never give up on me and continue to believe in me. My parents are my biggest supporters and without them I would not be where I am today,” added Ashley.
Ashley talked about her older brother Jordan: “My best friend, my older brother who is two years older than me, is someone who continues to push me. He attended college at Concordia Moorhead where he played four years of basketball. I looked up to him ever since I was little and to see him be one of the few from our reservation to go to school and play four years of college basketball really made me admire him even more. Jordan has always been there for me and has helped me get through many difficult times throughout my life, whether that be with basketball or just life.”
“She always played against older people growing up and this shows in her game,” said Jordan. “She knows how to use her body to protect the ball and she always stays calm. She is one of the hardest workers I know off the court. This shows in her schoolwork. She is constantly doing something, whether it is homework, studying, or trying to help someone else. This comes from what we taught growing up and from being one of the oldest of eight siblings,” added Jordan.
Successful student athletes need to also be successful in the classroom. “Every student athlete faces their own struggles, some may face more than others,” said Ashley. “Some days are harder than others and you might feel like you have nothing left to give. Stay focused and remember why and who you’re doing it for. Continue to grow and learn through everything you’re being put through, don’t give up. Remember all the athletes who would love to be in your shoes but did not get the opportunity.”
“It is important for me to be the best version of myself on and off the court, but not for me,” said Ashley. “I want to be it for my siblings and Native American youth, so they have someone to look up to. Something as little as having someone to look up to may have a huge impact on their life.”
Photo Credit: Aidan Munoz
