KIAYA DAVIS-THE COWGIRL WAY
Perseverance would be a good word to describe Connors State sophomore basketball standout Kiaya Davis. She played high school ball at Litle Rock Central where she helped them win their first girls high school basketball championship. But while in high school she suffered two knee injuries that limited her playing time including the championship season when she missed the first semester of games while rehabbing from one of those knee surgeries. She was recruited by former Cowgirls coach Jamie Fisher who left for another school before Kiaya arrived on campus.
“I loved everything about Connors when I visited and so I decided to stay with my commitment even after Fisher left.”
New coach Jaylen Thompson didn’t arrive on campus until just before school started last year and one of his first acts was to seek out and visit with Kiaya.
“I talked to Jamie when I got the job and he said I needed to make sure that Kiaya stayed. I talked with her about winning that high school title and saw how competitive she was and I’m glad she decided to stay.”
Kiaya suffered through some early season injuries but got on track with what she said was a highlight game for her-a 41-point performance against Western in the conference opener in January. The Cowgirls, playing with a new coach and a mostly brand-new roster, surprised many in the conference by making it to the semifinals of the Region 2 tournament and Kiaya was the leading scorer in the nation averaging 22.8 points a game.
“Being the nation’s leading scorer meant a lot knowing my teammates and coach trusted me and I want to thank God for allowing me to accomplish that because it’s not easy competing against every junior college player in the nation.”
Starting the 2025-26 season, Kiaya again persevered through some early season injuries and now has more responsibility as a team leader.
“I’m not always the most vocal player so I try to lead by example because I feel actions speak louder than words. I can say one thing but if my actions don’t reflect that, no one will follow me.”
“Despite some early season injuries and with a target on her back after last year, Kiaya is still averaging around 20 points a game,” said Thompson.
After this season, Davis will continue playing basketball at Troy State next year setting an example of persevering through adversity in the Cowgirl way.
