Maori Davenport: Focus on the Future
Oct 07 | Women's Basketball
The world got to know a little bit about Maori Davenport last winter.
The Troy, Alabama native made national headlines after fighting to play her senior high school season after being declared ineligible over accepting money from Team USA after helping its U18 to a gold medal at FIBA Americas U18 Championship in 2018.
But at the old adage goes, what doesn't break you, makes you stronger.
"I think it has made me have a different outlook on the world," Davenport said looking back at the situation. "It's not always just skittles and rainbows all the time. I had to take it day-by-day and not even know what my fate was."
Davenport was encouraged by the overwhelming outpouring of support, including head coach C. Vivian Stringer's letter of encouragement featured on ESPN.com.
Now Davenport has her sights set on making headlines more so for what's she is accomplishing on the court.
"For me, it's about getting rebounds, blocking one or two shots a game," she said of her first set of goals for her freshman season.
That shouldn't be much of a surprise considering in addition to netting 7.8 points with Team USA, Davenport collected 7.0 rebounds and 2.7 blocks per contest for her country en-route to earning all-tournament honors at the FIBA American U18 Championships. Equally impressive was her senior season numbers once her eligibility was reinstated at Charles Henderson High School. Hauling in 10.3 rebounds and swatting away 3.6 opponent shots, Davenport also poured in 13.8 points per game.
"However, the first long term goal is to win a championship," stated Davenport. "I think we could do it with the right pieces and learning how to play together as a team. Other than that, personal goals, I have one specific goal that I want; Defensive Player of the Year. I want that one.
"I've noticed when a team is playing defense well, that's when they win," said Davenport of her reasoning behind wanting to be known as a defense standout. "That is an important aspect that a player should have in a game."
Davenport would be in the company of some of the most notable names in Scarlet Knight women's basketball lore including a pair of eventual WNBA champions in three-time BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year Essence Carson (2006, 2007 & 2008) and another BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year in Chelsea Newton (2005). A Scarlet Knight last picked conference defensive player of the year accolades in 2015 by Syessence Davis, who finished her career as Rutgers' all-time leader - men or women - in steals.
While support was there for Davenport all through her entire ordeal, she'll also have a ton of support in making her Scarlet Knight debut and kicking off her lofty career goals.
"Well, I think, when we play South Alabama, my mom and some other people - probably the whole city of Troy - are supposed to come," she laughed.
While Davenport's high school senior season wasn't how it how she originally envisioned, it's the future she's now focused on.
"It taught me to cherish the things I love and count my blessings, because you never know it could be gone," she said. "At the same time, it encouraged me to work hard, because you never know when it could be time for you to stop playing. I wouldn't want to end my career on a bad note, that's for sure."
And for Davenport, the focus is on a bright future.
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The Troy, Alabama native made national headlines after fighting to play her senior high school season after being declared ineligible over accepting money from Team USA after helping its U18 to a gold medal at FIBA Americas U18 Championship in 2018.
But at the old adage goes, what doesn't break you, makes you stronger.
"I think it has made me have a different outlook on the world," Davenport said looking back at the situation. "It's not always just skittles and rainbows all the time. I had to take it day-by-day and not even know what my fate was."
Davenport was encouraged by the overwhelming outpouring of support, including head coach C. Vivian Stringer's letter of encouragement featured on ESPN.com.
Now Davenport has her sights set on making headlines more so for what's she is accomplishing on the court.
"For me, it's about getting rebounds, blocking one or two shots a game," she said of her first set of goals for her freshman season.
That shouldn't be much of a surprise considering in addition to netting 7.8 points with Team USA, Davenport collected 7.0 rebounds and 2.7 blocks per contest for her country en-route to earning all-tournament honors at the FIBA American U18 Championships. Equally impressive was her senior season numbers once her eligibility was reinstated at Charles Henderson High School. Hauling in 10.3 rebounds and swatting away 3.6 opponent shots, Davenport also poured in 13.8 points per game.
"However, the first long term goal is to win a championship," stated Davenport. "I think we could do it with the right pieces and learning how to play together as a team. Other than that, personal goals, I have one specific goal that I want; Defensive Player of the Year. I want that one.
"I've noticed when a team is playing defense well, that's when they win," said Davenport of her reasoning behind wanting to be known as a defense standout. "That is an important aspect that a player should have in a game."
Davenport would be in the company of some of the most notable names in Scarlet Knight women's basketball lore including a pair of eventual WNBA champions in three-time BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year Essence Carson (2006, 2007 & 2008) and another BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year in Chelsea Newton (2005). A Scarlet Knight last picked conference defensive player of the year accolades in 2015 by Syessence Davis, who finished her career as Rutgers' all-time leader - men or women - in steals.
While support was there for Davenport all through her entire ordeal, she'll also have a ton of support in making her Scarlet Knight debut and kicking off her lofty career goals.
"Well, I think, when we play South Alabama, my mom and some other people - probably the whole city of Troy - are supposed to come," she laughed.
While Davenport's high school senior season wasn't how it how she originally envisioned, it's the future she's now focused on.
"It taught me to cherish the things I love and count my blessings, because you never know it could be gone," she said. "At the same time, it encouraged me to work hard, because you never know when it could be time for you to stop playing. I wouldn't want to end my career on a bad note, that's for sure."
And for Davenport, the focus is on a bright future.
Follow Rutgers women's basketball on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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