Marquesha Davis (born May 29, 2001) is an American professional basketball player for the New York Liberty of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She played college basketball for the Arkansas Razorbacks and Ole Miss Rebels.

Marquesha Davis
No. 1 – New York Liberty
PositionGuard
LeagueWNBA
Personal information
Born (2001-05-29) May 29, 2001 (age 23)
McGehee, Arkansas, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Career information
High schoolSpringdale High School
(Springdale, Arkansas)
CollegeArkansas (2019–2021)
Ole Miss (2022–2024)
WNBA draft2024: 1st round, 11th overall pick
Selected by the New York Liberty
Playing career2024–present
Career history
2024–presentNew York Liberty
Career highlights and awards

Early life

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Davis was born on May 29, 2001, and grew up in the small town of McGehee, Arkansas.[1] She first played basketball in third grade and later was a standout performer at Springdale High School.[2] She had scored over 1,000 career points by her junior year at Springdale and was a multi-year selection to the all-state team.[3][4] She committed to play college basketball for the Arkansas Razorbacks following her junior season.[4] She then averaged over 21 points and 10 rebounds per game as a senior and was named first-team All-USA Arkansas Girls Basketball.[5]

College career

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Davis played three seasons at Arkansas and saw limited playing time, averaging 2.5 points in the 2019–20 season, 4.6 points in the 2020–21 season, and 5.9 points in the 2021–22 season.[5] She started a total of only one game in her tenure there.[6] After appearing in seven games, one as a starter, during the 2021–22 season, Davis entered the NCAA transfer portal and transferred to the Ole Miss Rebels in December 2021.[7]

Davis immediately saw significant playing time at Ole Miss, averaging 10.5 points and 4.8 rebounds for the team in the 2022–23 season while helping them reach the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Tournament.[6] She then scored 14 points per game in 2023–24, including double figures in 25 games, and was named first-team All-Southeastern Conference while helping the Rebels reach their third-consecutive NCAA Tournament.[8][9] She ended her Ole Miss career having started 59-of-67 games and scored over 1,000 points, with an average of 12.2 points per game.[8][9]

Professional career

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WNBA

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New York Liberty (2024–present)

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Davis was one of 15 players invited to attend the 2024 WNBA draft.[10] She was selected in the first round of the draft – 11th overall – by the New York Liberty.[11] On a championship-contending Liberty team, Davis saw limited playing time in her rookie season, appearing in 20 regular season games and averaging 4.0 minutes per game. In the playoffs, she appeared in one game for three minutes, as the Liberty claimed their first franchise championship.[12]


Career statistics

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Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game  FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage
 FT%  Free throw percentage  RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game  BPG  Blocks per game
 TO  Turnovers per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high ° League leader  ‡  WNBA record
Denotes season(s) in which Davis won a WNBA championship

WNBA

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Regular season

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Stats current through end of 2024 season

WNBA regular season statistics[13]
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG TO PPG
2024 New York 20 0 4.0 .409 1.000 .714 0.5 0.2 0.1 0.2 0.2 1.2
Career 1 year, 1 team 20 0 4.0 .409 1.000 .714 0.5 0.2 0.1 0.2 0.2 1.2

Playoffs

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WNBA playoff statistics
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG TO PPG
2024 New York 1 0 3.0 .500 1.000° 2.0 2.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 3.0
Career 1 year, 1 team 1 0 3.0 .500 1.000 2.0 2.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 3.0

College

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NCAA statistics[14]
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG TO PPG
2019–20 Arkansas 18 0 8.5 .356 .143 .458 2.1 0.3 0.4 0.2 0.8 2.5
2020–21 Arkansas 26 0 11.8 .453 .300 .750 2.1 0.4 0.8 0.2 0.5 4.6
2021–22 Arkansas 7 1 12.1 .424 .167 .667 2.4 0.6 0.9 0.1 0.6 5.9
2022–23 Ole Miss 34 26 22.7 .457 .273 .700 4.8 0.8 0.9 0.2 1.6 10.5
2023–24 Ole Miss 33 33 27.1 .447 .239 .687 4.7 1.2 1.5 0.7 1.7 14.0
Career 118 60 18.7 .445 .246 .679 3.6 0.7 1.0 0.3 1.2 8.7

References

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  1. ^ "Marquesha Davis". Women's National Basketball Association.
  2. ^ Bordelon, Scottie (January 30, 2017). "Springdale High's Davis quietly setting herself apart". Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.
  3. ^ Scaglione, Andrew (November 18, 2018). "Springdale's Davis Highlights Arkansas Women's Signing Class". KFSM-TV.
  4. ^ a b Souza, Chip (November 15, 2018). "Davis signs with Arkansas". Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.
  5. ^ a b "Marquesha Davis". Arkansas Razorbacks.
  6. ^ a b Eckert, David (April 15, 2024). "Ole Miss women's basketball's Marquesha Davis selected by New York Liberty in 2024 WNBA Draft". Clarion-Ledger.
  7. ^ Wayne, E. (December 20, 2021). "Former Arkansas guard headed to Ole Miss". USA Today.
  8. ^ a b Braxton, Avery (April 15, 2024). "Ole Miss alum Marquesha Davis selected in first round of WNBA Draft". WATN-TV.
  9. ^ a b Katz, Michael. "Ole Miss' Marquesha Davis drafted by New York Liberty in first round of 2024 WNBA Draft". Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal.
  10. ^ Johnson, David (April 15, 2024). "Ole Miss star Marquesha Davis one of 15 players invited to personally appear at tonight's WNBA Draft". 247Sports.
  11. ^ Frimpong, Fiifi (April 15, 2024). "Liberty select Ole Miss' Marquesha Davis, Arizona's Esmery Martinez in 2024 WNBA Draft". New York Daily News.
  12. ^ "Family of New York Liberty's Marquesha Davis celebrate the Arkansas native's WNBA championship". Yahoo Sports. 2024-10-21. Retrieved 2024-11-19.
  13. ^ "Marquesha Davis WNBA Stats". Basketball Reference.
  14. ^ "Marquesha Davis College Stats". Sports Reference. Retrieved June 15, 2024.