Nina Davis, The Captain

This article and image was actually published on ESPN Rise website back in February. It features Tennessee State Champion tournament MVP Nina Davis. WOW!! She was selected captain of Central's team as a freshman.

Nina Davis wasted no time becoming a leader.

She was named captain of her Memphis Central (Memphis, Tenn.) varsity basketball team her freshman year.

But it’s not always easy being a freshman and having to tell your teammates, most of whom are older, what to do.

“It was very hard being a captain my freshman year and telling my other teammates what to do,” Davis said. “I found the courage to do this by just having the confidence in myself also having lots of support from my coach, Niki Bray, and family.”

Now in her second year as both a high school student and captain, the 16-year-old sophomore point guard believes she has become more vocal this year.

“I now know that I don’t have to be afraid to lead my teammates and worry if they will follow me,” Davis said. “And that I don’t have to be afraid to speak my mind because my teammates will respect me regardless. I wish I would’ve known these things my freshman year.”

So how does Davis lead the team while still maintaining friendships with her teammates?

“What happens on the floor, we leave on the floor,” she said. “As we step off the court, we just forget about what happened earlier and just relax and have fun in our free time with each other.”

But it’s especially difficult when Davis has to tell one of her teammates they did something wrong.

“Sometimes it’s very hard to tell them that they are wrong, but we all must learn from our mistakes,” she said. “So as a leader, I step up to the plate and tell them so that this mistake won’t hurt us in the long run.”

Davis advises other young captains to always believe in themselves and, if they do that, their teammates will respect them for who they are.

“Never be afraid to shine and show the gifts that God has given you,” she said.

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