Courtesy of Alabama Athletics
Brittany Davis Prepares For New Opportunity With Las Vegas Aces
Hearing your name called in the draft is an honor, whether it's the first pick or the final pick of the draft. The commissioner calling your name is the culmination of years of hard work and dedication, and Brittany Davis was the latest Alabama athlete to receive the honor.
Davis, who left the Crimson Tide women's basketball program as a two-time All-SEC selection in four years, was selected 36th overall by the Las Vegas Aces, the final pick of the 2023 WNBA Draft. Even so, Davis felt a wave of emotion at that moment.
"I was very excited that my name was called," Davis said. "I worked hard for this moment and I felt that I deserved it. So I'm ready to get to work."
Davis, along with her former head coach Kristy Curry and the Aces' general manager Natalie Williams, spoke to the media during an introductory press conference. Williams was the first to speak as she explained what she saw from one of the SEC's top scorers last season.
"We had a great opportunity, especially myself and some of the assistant coaches, to watch Brittany throughout the college season," Williams said. "We're just very impressed with everything she did, not only on the offensive side of the court- she was fourth in the SEC in scoring - but also rebounding and being an excellent defender, which is very hard to do in the SEC.
"Just really proud of her and the way she was able to lead her team and be productive and help them throughout the season and in the NCAA Tournament."
Davis became the third consecutive player from Alabama to be selected in the WNBA Draft; Jasmine Walker, another multi-time All-SEC selection, was drafted in 2021, and Jordan Lewis was drafted in 2022. Even though Lewis spent her last collegiate year at Baylor, she played her first five seasons in Tuscaloosa, something Curry made sure to mention as she was detailing the recent trend of Crimson Tide players to the professional ranks.
"It just says a lot about the program, the trajectory and our staff," Curry said. "We're a program on the rise and we're excited about that, but it's a tribute to Brittany and the legacy that she leaves."
What WNBA fans will soon learn is that a big part of Brittany's legacy at Alabama includes her daughter, Brielle. As a result of having her daughter, Davis missed the 2020-21 season, but her waiver was denied twice by the NCAA because "pregnancy is not a reason based off the COVID rule," as Curry said.
Since Davis couldn't get that year back, she only played three seasons at Alabama and four years total (her first collegiate season was at the junior college level for Gulf Coast State). It's an interesting element to her college career as most players have well over 100 games played while Davis only has 94 for the Crimson Tide, another factor Curry pointed out.
But she still scored 1,336 career points in those three seasons, and during her final year, Davis and the coaching staff sat down and discussed the benchmarks she would need to achieve to give herself the best chance to make the WNBA.
"Before the season, [Davis] sat down with Kelly and me, and we came up with certain numbers," Curry said. "You look at Jasmine Walker going seventh overall, also Jordan Lewis was on that track even though she ended up transferring to Baylor. We feel like there are certain numbers, and we sit down with them at the beginning of their senior season.
"Brittany went to work this past summer as she always has. We had some goals that we wanted to hit; if you look at the certain percentages, from assist-to-turnover ratio, 3-point percentage, and free-throw percentage. We use a lot of analytics, and if you hit those numbers you have an opportunity to get drafted."
Numbers never lie, and of the players in the SEC with at least 200 3-point attempts, Davis was third with 35.5 percent. She was an efficient shooter on high volume.
For Williams, however, it wasn't just her on-court performance that convinced Williams. It was also Davis' character off the court that made her a good fit in Williams' mind.
"Obviously we look for talent, we look for someone who can compete in our training camp. But you know our roster, we're all about character, we're all about professionalism," Williams said. "Across the country, there's a lot of kids that I wouldn't even look at. But Brittany is definitely one who has high character, we know that she has the work ethic and she's going to compete. We're excited to have her."
While she won't be expected to take on the same role with the Aces, a team with All-Star Kelsey Plum, two-time league MVP A'ja Wilson and the legendary Candace Parker, Davis has a chance to earn a spot with the reigning WNBA Champions.
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