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Razzle-Dazzle
By WAYNE GRUMET DADE CITY -- Pasco coach Tony Vasquez remembers walking through campus with football coach Ricky Thomas a few weeks before basketball tryouts. Suddenly a girl caught his eye. This girl was in the process of taking apart a group of boys in a pickup basketball game. "This girls shakes one guy and puts the ball behind her back. She pulls up and drains the jumper," Vasquez said. "I'm like, "Who are you?' I stopped my conversation with Thomas and walked over there." Vasquez was introduced to sophomore Ashley Davis. The guard continued to impress at tryouts and hasn't stopped dazzling opponents and her coach. Davis is averaging 13.5 points a game and leads the team with 35 3-pointers. Davis also provides some needed stability at the free-throw line, shooting 75 percent. Davis grew up in Dade City but moved to Tampa during her eighth-grade year. She played junior varsity at Leto last season but couldn't shake her homesickness. Now that she's back in town, the 9-10 Pirates seem to be on the rise. Davis and fellow sophomore Alicia Badger combine for 30 points a game. The two guards have been playing together for years. "In middle school, we played together. Now we're used to playing with each other," Davis said. "Now that we're growing up, we're getting better and better. We just know what to do." Vasquez recently took Badger and Davis to a basketball clinic at the University of Florida. The campus visit helped motivate the girls to keep working for the future. Davis can shoot with anyone, but her game is far from complete. "She leads some games and sits back in others. She needs to be more aggressive on the offensive end," Vasquez said. "She tends to float passes from time to time. She's been working on that. She does do a great job looking up the court." Davis has a season-high of eight assists and hit 11 3-pointers in two games last week. The Pirates have their eyes on the upcoming district tournament. Vasquez said a playoff spot is certainly within reach. Davis said she could see the postseason within her grasp. "I think we can win the rest of our games," Davis said. "In the beginning of the season, we were wanting to win but not giving it our all. Now at the end of the season, we're starting to pick it up." Vasquez can't help but look a little past this season. With a young core of talented guards, the future looks bright. "Having sophomores now is both tough and nice," Vasquez said. "She's got that ability there and she and Alicia get along great on and off the court. I see what's ahead of them."
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