Now Davis Is Making Grade on Court and in Classroom

Sarah Davis wasn’t the first teenager to arrive at college, drop her bags off in a dorm room and bolt for the first party, along the way becoming real familiar with campus night life if not her Psych 101 books.

And what ensued wasn’t exactly ground-breaking either. Davis said her grades slipped as her party time increased and her study time went the opposite route. The Long Beach State women’s basketball program was picking up the tab for Davis’ education, and part of the deal was that Davis actually pass her classes. Davis was in trouble, and she knew it.

After showing promise as a freshman point guard, Davis was a redshirt last season in an attempt to get herself together academically. It was either fix the problem, or good-bye Long Beach. Davis did what she had to do, and now she is helping the 49ers again.

“Redshirting last year was difficult and it was a disappointment, but it was something I had to do,” said Davis, who was a standout at Tustin High. “I had to suffer the consequences of not doing well in school.

“But I handled it well and I got my priorities straight.”

Davis reclaimed the starting position she held as a freshman despite missing five games at the start of the season after suffering a broken right thumb during preseason practice. As is her style, Davis resumed playing the fearless defense that makes her a coach’s delight.

Long Beach Coach Dallas Boychuk said Davis is among the toughest competitors on the team. It was Boychuk’s plan to let Davis run the 49ers from the start, and Davis is making up for lost time.

She averages 5.8 points and three assists for the 49ers (3-7), who play Sacramento State at 2 p.m. Sunday in a nonconference game. Davis’ stats won’t get her nominated to any all-conference teams, but stats alone don’t show how her presence benefits the 49ers.

Davis (5 feet 6) is a sparkplug, always getting things going with her defense and passing.

“I love to play defense, so when I’m playing defense I like to get other people involved and get the crowd involved,” Davis said. “Causing a turnover or making other teams mess up really gets everyone excited.”

That’s exactly what she did at Tustin, too. A four-year starter for the Tillers, Davis thrived on being a fly in the ointment with her tireless defense. However, Davis wasn’t highly recruited after her senior season.

She had solid numbers, averaging 12 points, nine rebounds, seven steals and six assists in her career. Yet Long Beach and Cal State Northridge were the only schools that showed real interest, she said.

Former Long Beach Coach Glenn McDonald decided to take a chance on Davis, liking her determination. He wasn’t disappointed.

Davis moved into the starting lineup four games into her first season. She averaged 4.6 points and established her reputation as Long Beach’s best one-on-one defender. Moreover, she showed continued progress while learning to play point guard and the future certainly seemed bright.

Ah, not so fast. Davis forget about the college part of college basketball. Davis won’t say how bad her grades were, but “it wasn’t too pretty.”

It all came down to being an adult, a concept Davis hadn’t grasped to that point. Not even close, she said.

“My maturity level . . . I just wasn’t handling the situation well,” she said. “But what happened taught me a lot and my maturity level went up a lot during that time.

“I had to realize what I wanted out of school and basketball. It kind of brought me to a turning point in my life. You see what priorities are and what you have to do to be successful.”

*

Blown deadline: Because of a mistake by Randy Franz, first-year Long Beach State media relations director, 49er women’s volleyball players did not receive All-American consideration from the American Volleyball Coaches Assn.

Franz, a former newspaper reporter, forgot to turn in the appropriate paperwork. Long Beach Coach Brian Gimmillaro nominated setter Misty May (Newport Harbor High), middle blocker Nique Crump and outside hitters Jessica Alvarado and Jen Snyder for the team. The four players already had been selected to the all-district team.

“We got our nomination forms in 24 hours too late,” Franz said, “and they wouldn’t accept them.”

To his credit, Franz fell on the sword. Sort of.

“I felt really bad for the players,” Franz said. “It’s my fault because I’m the guy who should have gotten it done. But in this day and age of faxes and electronics, you would like to think the AVCA would be a little more flexible and not penalize the players for something that wasn’t their fault. I mean, we could have had it to them by the next morning.”

May, who was the Big West player of the year after averaging almost 12 assists a game for the 49ers (33-3 overall and 15-1 in conference), was selected a second-team All-American by Volleyball Magazine and Crump was honorable mention.

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Coming Attractions

Here’s a look at key games this week for Long Beach State.

* Men’s basketball at 3:05 p.m. today at St. Mary’s.

* Women’s basketball at 2 p.m. Sunday at Sacramento State.