GIRLS BASKETBALL Ursuline's Davidson selects Michigan St.

The senior guard said she's always wanted to play in the Big Ten.
VINDICATOR STAFF REPORT
GIRARD -- Courtney Davidson's dream of playing basketball for a Big 10 team is about to come true.
The Ursuline High senior has given a verbal commitment to attend Michigan State University after she graduates next spring.
"I always wanted to play for a Big Ten school," said Davidson, the Irish point guard the past three seasons. "Once I saw the campus, I was won over. It was more than I ever imagined."
Davidson, whose Irish have won three straight district titles and finished second to Boardman in the Steel Valley Conference, said what impressed her most about Michigan State was the family feeling generated by Coach Joanne McCallie and her staff.
"They have kids and husbands," said Davidson of the Spartans staff. "You could really tell how much they care about their kids, which leads me to believe that they will take care of me.
"The coaches are awesome -- I could tell they really need me as much as I need them," Davidson said.
A journey
The daughter of Arnold and Thais Davidson, the Ursuline senior says she's taken quite a journey since she grew up in McDonald.
After her freshman season, Davidson said she felt she had the chance to play Division I college basketball even though skeptics wondered if her height (5-feet, 5-inches) might prevent it.
"It kind of motivated me to work that much harder," Davidson said.
Her confidence grew during the past two off-seasons when she played summer basketball with an AAU team based in Cincinnati.
"I played with some of the best players in Ohio," said Davidson whose teammates included Boardman's Amber Bland. "And we played some really strong teams. It made me think our team probably would go [Division I]. I realized that if I could play with them and hang with them, why not?"
Motherly advice
Davidson said she considered attending Girard High when her family moved there three years ago, but chose Ursuline on the advice of her mother.
"My mom had a chance to attend Ursuline and didn't, and later came to regret [that decision]," Davidson said. "When I chose to go there, it wasn't strictly for basketball. The education [and] opportunities were important."
Among the universities Davidson was considering were Indiana, Syracuse, West Virginia and Louisville.
The two-time Division III district player of the year says she feels a sense of relief now that her scholarship has been determined.
"People told me that [finally making a decision] is one of the best feelings and now I can understand why," Davidson said. "For my senior year, I can feel comfortable knowing I have the scholarship and don't have to compete for one anymore."
A member of National Honor Society with a 3.4 grade-point average, Davidson says she wants to study dentistry.