By Craig Morgan, special to TheSunDevils.com
Elisha Davis shakes her head in amazement when she traces the line between the start of her Sun Devil basketball career and the finish. Davis transformed from a distrustful rebel to the 2016 women's recipient of the annual Kajikawa Award, presented annually to one male and one female ASU student-athlete, based on academic excellence, athletic accomplishments, leadership and service to the community.
"Going to ASU was an eye-opening experience for me," Davis said. "I thought I knew a lot but it was like I had to start all over again."
When Davis arrived in Tempe in 2012, coach Charli Turner Thorne had just returned from a one-year sabbatical, the Devils were re-establishing their identity and ASU limped to a 13-18 record and a ninth-place finish in the Pac-12 -- their worst conference finish since Turner Thorne's first season in Tempe.
Worse yet for Davis, she didn't feel like she belonged. The demands of the program were far different from what she had experienced growing up in Oakland -- on and off the court -- and she didn't yet have a relationship with Turner Thorne because ASU's coach hadn't recruited her.
"It was culture shock all the way around. I didn't get her and she didn't get me," Davis said. "I came from a program where the coaches told me to keep shooting and it was more of a freestyle play of who's hot with a lot of motion. With Charli, it was more structured and she had a role already created for me when I got there.
"I felt I had proven enough before I ever got to ASU but I didn't realize that my resume had no impact on my role at ASU."
While Davis struggled to adapt to Turner Thorne's demands on the court, the school and Tempe created their own set of challenges.
"You come from Oakland which is one of the most dangerous cities in the nation and Arizona State was like a fairy tale," Davis said. "As an outsider, it doesn't sound normal, but for me, it was normal to see violence and hear gun shots. When you did, you got down and hoped you didn't catch a stray bullet because my family always told me stray bullets don't have one name on them.
"At ASU, I didn't have any of that to worry about but I had all these choices to make. It was almost too many choices. It took me a long time to figure out what fit me and what I liked versus what people were trying to make me do."
Turner Thorne admits it took time to learn how to communicate with Davis.
"You might think Lili was giving you attitude when you asked her to do something but as I learned, she always heard you and she always responded well," Turner Thorne said. "She really did want to do the right thing and wanted to do the best she could to take advantage of every resource."
Christine Wilkinson was a regular at ASU women's basketball games and watched Davis' progression from afar. Wilkinson is ASU's Senior Vice President and Secretary of the University, President and CEO of the ASU Alumni Association, and Managing Director of ASU's Trustees. She is also Kajikawa's daughter.
"I always look forward to hearing who they have selected for the award, knowing that it's named after my father," Wilkinson said. "My parents are my idols and for all that they represented to me, I believe the students selected are the best that they can be. They represent so much beyond their athletic ability, like good character, service and promise.
"Elisha may not have known it, but I watched her progress and in her junior year, you could see everything clicked with her enthusiasm and drive and the way she embraced her teammates, literally and figuratively."
A four-year letterwinner and two-year starter at point guard, Davis completed her career No. 2 on ASU's all-time list for career assists (483). Over the last three years, she helped lead the Sun Devils to 78 wins and three NCAA Tournament appearances, including a trip to the Sweet 16 in 2015. Davis earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Communication in December 2015 and is currently working toward her Master's degree in nonprofit management via online courses.
In the community, Davis was nominated for the Senior CLASS Award earlier this year, and volunteered more than 150 hours of community service during her ASU career, including work at the Boys and Girls Club of Tempe, the annual Komen Race for the Cure in Phoenix and the annual Pat's Run in Tempe. She also spoke at elementary schools in the area.
In addition to the Kajikawa Award, Davis was also named a recipient of the 2016 Pac-12 Tom Hansen Conference Medal (annually awarded at each institution to the outstanding senior male and female student-athletes who exhibit the greatest combination of performance and achievement in scholarship, athletics, and leadership), was nominated for the NCAA Woman of the Year and, most recently, was among 23 Pac-12 student-athletes who were award a postgraduate scholarship worth $9,000.
"Elisa Davis is such a success story when you think about how much she improved as a player and as a person," Turner Thorne said. "Growing up like she did, you can be jaded and maybe a little rough around the edges. She didn't know if she wanted to be here and we didn't know if we wanted her to stay, but now I'm so sorry she's leaving. She became a great leader for us and that is, in a nutshell, the story of the maturation of Elisha Davis."
Elisha Davis shakes her head in amazement when she traces the line between the start of her Sun Devil basketball career and the finish. Davis transformed from a distrustful rebel to the 2016 women's recipient of the annual Kajikawa Award, presented annually to one male and one female ASU student-athlete, based on academic excellence, athletic accomplishments, leadership and service to the community.
"Going to ASU was an eye-opening experience for me," Davis said. "I thought I knew a lot but it was like I had to start all over again."
When Davis arrived in Tempe in 2012, coach Charli Turner Thorne had just returned from a one-year sabbatical, the Devils were re-establishing their identity and ASU limped to a 13-18 record and a ninth-place finish in the Pac-12 -- their worst conference finish since Turner Thorne's first season in Tempe.
Worse yet for Davis, she didn't feel like she belonged. The demands of the program were far different from what she had experienced growing up in Oakland -- on and off the court -- and she didn't yet have a relationship with Turner Thorne because ASU's coach hadn't recruited her.
"It was culture shock all the way around. I didn't get her and she didn't get me," Davis said. "I came from a program where the coaches told me to keep shooting and it was more of a freestyle play of who's hot with a lot of motion. With Charli, it was more structured and she had a role already created for me when I got there.
"I felt I had proven enough before I ever got to ASU but I didn't realize that my resume had no impact on my role at ASU."
While Davis struggled to adapt to Turner Thorne's demands on the court, the school and Tempe created their own set of challenges.
"You come from Oakland which is one of the most dangerous cities in the nation and Arizona State was like a fairy tale," Davis said. "As an outsider, it doesn't sound normal, but for me, it was normal to see violence and hear gun shots. When you did, you got down and hoped you didn't catch a stray bullet because my family always told me stray bullets don't have one name on them.
"At ASU, I didn't have any of that to worry about but I had all these choices to make. It was almost too many choices. It took me a long time to figure out what fit me and what I liked versus what people were trying to make me do."
Turner Thorne admits it took time to learn how to communicate with Davis.
"You might think Lili was giving you attitude when you asked her to do something but as I learned, she always heard you and she always responded well," Turner Thorne said. "She really did want to do the right thing and wanted to do the best she could to take advantage of every resource."
Christine Wilkinson was a regular at ASU women's basketball games and watched Davis' progression from afar. Wilkinson is ASU's Senior Vice President and Secretary of the University, President and CEO of the ASU Alumni Association, and Managing Director of ASU's Trustees. She is also Kajikawa's daughter.
"I always look forward to hearing who they have selected for the award, knowing that it's named after my father," Wilkinson said. "My parents are my idols and for all that they represented to me, I believe the students selected are the best that they can be. They represent so much beyond their athletic ability, like good character, service and promise.
"Elisha may not have known it, but I watched her progress and in her junior year, you could see everything clicked with her enthusiasm and drive and the way she embraced her teammates, literally and figuratively."
A four-year letterwinner and two-year starter at point guard, Davis completed her career No. 2 on ASU's all-time list for career assists (483). Over the last three years, she helped lead the Sun Devils to 78 wins and three NCAA Tournament appearances, including a trip to the Sweet 16 in 2015. Davis earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Communication in December 2015 and is currently working toward her Master's degree in nonprofit management via online courses.
In the community, Davis was nominated for the Senior CLASS Award earlier this year, and volunteered more than 150 hours of community service during her ASU career, including work at the Boys and Girls Club of Tempe, the annual Komen Race for the Cure in Phoenix and the annual Pat's Run in Tempe. She also spoke at elementary schools in the area.
In addition to the Kajikawa Award, Davis was also named a recipient of the 2016 Pac-12 Tom Hansen Conference Medal (annually awarded at each institution to the outstanding senior male and female student-athletes who exhibit the greatest combination of performance and achievement in scholarship, athletics, and leadership), was nominated for the NCAA Woman of the Year and, most recently, was among 23 Pac-12 student-athletes who were award a postgraduate scholarship worth $9,000.
"Elisa Davis is such a success story when you think about how much she improved as a player and as a person," Turner Thorne said. "Growing up like she did, you can be jaded and maybe a little rough around the edges. She didn't know if she wanted to be here and we didn't know if we wanted her to stay, but now I'm so sorry she's leaving. She became a great leader for us and that is, in a nutshell, the story of the maturation of Elisha Davis."