By Joanna Chadwick
The spotlight that has been on Blue Valley North’s Jaliya Davis only intensified her senior season as she was named a McDonald’s All-American and signed with Kansas.
Yet that light never blinded her from being what coach Ann Fritz calls a total team player.
“Everyone on the team loves Jaliya,” Fritz said. “She works hard and will battle. Her intensity and toughness on the court spreads throughout the team.”
Davis is the VYPE Kansas 2024-25 editors choice girls basketball player of the year sponsored by Shelter Insurance.
At 6-foot-2, she averaged 25 points, 7.5 rebounds, 2.3 steals, 2.1 assists and led BV North to two Class 6A titles in three seasons.
“She is a workhorse,” Fritz said. “She can handle contact and is very physical, finishes great. Never seen anything how teams would guard her – teams had two or three players on her, and she still got the job done.
“Averaged 25 points a game and handled all the double and triple teams like a true champion.”
Through her career, Fritz watched Davis improve consistently from one year to the next.
“She improved her all-around game,” Fritz said. “Her perimeter game got a lot better. She was stronger around the rim and more confident…. She was confident to take on any challenge to help the team win.”
But with Davis’ improvement came the pressure. She’s a Division I signee, a McDonald’s All-American, the focus of every defense.
“I’m super proud of Jaliya,” Fritz said. “With all her accolades, she is humble. She does not really like the attention. She did a great job in the McDonald’s game – 10 points, eight rebounds. It pushes her to get better.”
And Davis was an excellent teammate.
“She makes her teammates better and her teammates make Jaliya better,” said Fritz, who noted that Davis has never gotten less than an A and takes honors classes.
“She is very unselfish. She loves to celebrate her teammates’ successes.”
To see the post-season Girls Watch List go to:
