Marquesha Davis was part of the New York Liberty’s 2024 championship team and the only Arkansas native to win a WNBA title.

SPRINGDALE, Ark. — Springdale High School welcomed alumna and Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) champion Marquesha Davis for a homecoming celebration during the Springdale vs. Bentonville basketball game on Feb. 24. 

Davis was part of the New York Liberty’s 2024 championship team and the only Arkansas native to win a WNBA title.

“I couldn’t have done it without all the support from everyone in Arkansas that supported me, so I just say it means a lot,” Davis said. 

She said her time playing for Springdale helped her become the athlete she is today. 

“I think that’s where a lot of my development started,” Davis said. “I would say my time there helped me grow as a person and a player … Coach Hunsucker always stayed on me and she pushed me to be the best version of myself the coaches pushed me to be the best version of myself.”

While she made strides and history during her time at Springdale, basketball coach Heather Hunsucker said Tuesday’s celebration was about recognizing Davis’ success post-graduation.

“Marquesha had a historic career at SHS, including being our all-time leading scorer and rebounder,” Hunsucker said in a press release. “She earned many awards and recognitions during her time at SHS, but tonight we are going to celebrate all she accomplished after graduating.”

The celebration during the halftime game on Tuesday included a video tribute highlighting Davis’ career from high school to the pros.

“It means a lot,” Davis said. “It’s definitely a blessing to be able to come back and be honored by such great people and people that help you along the way to get to where I am today.”

Since starting basketball in third grade at the Boys and Girls Club, Davis knew she wanted to become a WNBA player. But that dream really came to fruition in college. 

“Once I got to college, I think it was like, ‘You can really do this,'” she said. “That’s when I started to believe it more.”

Davis played three years at Arkansas before transferring to Ole Miss, where she finished her college career and led her team to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA tournament. 

After graduating from Ole Miss, Davis was selected in the first round as the 11th overall WNBA Draft pick by the New York Liberty in April 2024. In that same year, Liberty won the WNBA Championship — a dream come true for Davis. 

“It just felt surreal,” she said. “Everybody dreams of winning the championship. And all my life, I wanted to win a championship, even in high school, but I never got to that point. So just that being like, one of my long-term goals for the WNBA and for it to happen so fast in my career, it was just amazing.”

She hopes her story and hard work can be an inspiration to the younger generation. 

“I hope that I can inspire them to, you know, be whatever it is that you want to be, you can accomplish as long as you put the work in, you stay determined, and it will all pay off long as you put the work in,” Davis said. 

Right now, Davis is out on injury, but she’s undergoing physical therapy to get back on the court as soon as possible.Â