Southern New Hampshire University's Stephanie Davis, of Windham, looks for an opening against Saint Anselm on Tuesday.
STEPHANIE DAVIS wanted to come home.
After spending her first four seasons between two out-of-state Division I programs, the well-traveled, 6-foot guard from Windham chose to end her college basketball career with Southern New Hampshire University.
Davis redshirted her freshman season and played in 17 games as a sophomore for Holy Cross. Seeking to get out of her comfort zone and be farther from home, Davis then transferred to Longwood University in Farmville, Virginia, for her junior and senior years, over which she started 13 games and played in 54.
"It's so nice to be able to see my family at games all the time and have family, friends and neighbors come to games," Davis. "It's unimaginable, honestly."
Davis, who is pursuing her master's degree in marketing at SNHU, was also drawn to the culture that 19th-year Penmen coach Karen Pinkos has built.
This is their first year together as player and coach but Davis and Pinkos know each other well.
Pinkos recruited Davis when she was at Windham High School. Davis instead elected to attend Proctor Academy in Andover before heading to college.
Pinkos tried to bring Davis to Manchester again when Davis decided to leave Holy Cross. The two met at SNHU and had a good talk but Davis wanted to head south.
This time, Pinkos did not make a sales pitch.
"I called her," Pinkos said, "and I said, 'Hey, I'm not going to recruit you. You know what we have. You know what is here. If you want to come back home, we'd love to have you.'"
Davis said she was excited to finally play for Pinkos. They've known each other a long time, and the coach has always had confidence in her.
Davis has started all 15 games for the Penmen (8-7, 4-5 Northeast-10 Conference), averaging 10.8 points, 5.9 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game while playing either point guard or shooting guard.
SNHU will host American International College (9-8, 2-7) in an NE-10 bout on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. at Stan Spirou Field House in Manchester.
In SNHU's 69-66 home loss to rival Saint Anselm College Tuesday, Davis did a little of everything.
She recorded eight points, seven rebounds and five assists. Davis's one steal gave the Penmen the ball with Saint Anselm leading 67-66 with 2:10 remaining, though they then turned it over with two seconds left on the shot clock.
"She's super good at attacking the basket," said SNHU forward Ava Winterburn, a sophomore from New Boston and former Goffstown High star. "She has the mentality of, 'No one's stopping me. I'm getting my bucket,' and on the defensive end she's able to guard the quicker guards while being taller, so she brings a mismatch on offense and on defense."
Davis is still trying to improve as a player in her final year of eligibility. She is working on her defensive play and distributing the ball.
Davis has recently become a presence on the defensive glass, grabbing at least six defensive rebounds in each of SNHU's last four games. She has also had at least five assists in five games.
"What she's given us right now is helping us be successful," Pinkos said. "She's a 6-foot guard. You don't see that in the NE-10 very often. Her strength, her size, her ability to get to the rim has really, really helped us."
Though she is not a captain, Davis has used her experience to lead a young SNHU group.
The Penmen have eight underclassmen on their 12-player roster. Five of their seven listed guards are underclassmen.
Winterburn said Davis always communicates on the court, gives great pep talks in the locker room and knows how to uplift her teammates when they're down. Davis's work ethic also encourages her teammates to improve themselves, Winterburn said.
"We lost a lot of older people last year, a lot of talent," Winterburn said, "so bringing in someone that can fill that leadership role with eight underclassmen, it's been a really good experience for us."
Davis tries to bring positive energy and help her teammates build confidence in their games.
"One thing about me is I love to see my teammates do well," Davis said. "It makes me feel fulfilled."