“She shoots… she scores!” the announcer booms over the erupting crowd. Kelsey Leavitt is tackled by her teammates in a supportive embrace as Davis High School’s student body chants and cheers excitedly in the stands.

Davis High School’s girls’ basketball team is undoubtedly beloved by all, but after diving deeper into varsity super-star Kelsey Leavitt, I realized more fully what it truly means to be on the girls’ basketball team. Kelsey is a senior at Davis High and a vital member of our varsity girls basketball team. In the past few years at Davis High, Kelsey has contributed significantly to the success of the team and her dedication to her friends and teammates is inspiring.

Kelsey has been playing for about 10 years and continues to love the sport more and more with every game she plays. While she does work consistently at improving her technical skills on the court, she also works just as hard at developing lasting friendships with her teammates. According to Kelsey, the girls on Davis High’s basketball team are incredibly supportive and encouraging of each other. She claims that the trust and friendship among team members is absolutely crucial to the overall success of the team. Kelsey recalls, “Our coach once told us that we won’t remember the scores of games but we will remember the relationships we formed! That just really stuck with me because these girls are my sisters and I love them more than anything!” Knowing each member’s strengths and weaknesses allows the team to provide an environment where everybody can be successful. “Everyone on the team has a role and we trust that each person will do their part and that’s really what makes us a great team!” states Kelsey.

Kelsey claims that being a part of the team ensures “automatic friends” who always strive to support and motivate each other. Kelsey and her teammates motivate each other after losing a game by figuring out what went wrong, fixing the problem, and quickly moving on. Not getting stuck on a bad game allows them to improve and become better. Besides her teammates, Kelsey draws inspiration and motivation to improve her basketball skills from her idol, Sabrina Lonescu, who plays for the University of Oregon and is considered the best collegiate women’s basketball player in the country right now. “She inspires me by the way she plays. She’s not just good at shooting or doing it all herself, she’s a real team player and shares the ball just as good as she shoots it! She has inspired me to improve my overall game and not just one thing!” says Kelsey.

Kelsey and her teammates and coaches often set goals together to keep themselves focused and driven. “One goal we have every year is to beat Layton!” expresses Kelsey. Another major goal they try to focus on every year is to emphasize the ‘student’ part of ‘student athlete’ by encouraging each other to maintain a 3.0 GPA or higher and to keep on top of their academic studies.

Kelsey and the rest of the girls basketball team have had enormous success in the past season and we wish them all the best in future events and games!