Why these twins rescinded Michigan State pledge, chose Georgia women's basketball instead
Indya and Summer Davis changed their minds.
As high school sophomores, the West Bloomfield, Mich., twins committed to play basketball at Michigan State. But then coach Suzy Merchant retired after 16 seasons leading the Spartans.
So, they reopened their recruitment, looking back over the list of programs that previously reached out. This included Harvard, Penn State, Rutgers and Illinois and teams from schools close to home like Detroit Mercy, Eastern Michigan and Oakland.
But one stuck out in particular: Georgia.
On Monday, they announced via Twitter plans to move South next summer to Athens to play for UGA and coach Katie Abrahamson-Henderson. One day, the Davis twins hope to play in the WNBA, like their idols Sue Bird and Skylar Diggins-Smith.
"I will say (I like Georgia's) balance of competitiveness and their love for each other. They definitely show a lot of love," Indya said.
Summer added: "Starting off from our first conversation, (Abrahamson-Henderson) made us feel very comfortable. It felt like a good fit, how she was going to put us into her program."
The Davis twins are ranked in the HoopGurlz class of 2024 top-100, Indya at 66 and Summer at 90. Both are 5-foot-9 and play guard, Indya more so on the wing and Summer a mix between point guard and off the ball.
Their high school basketball coach, Darrin McAllister, at West Bloomfield High School emphasized their work ethic: "They're one of the first ones (to get to) the gym. I mean, as soon as I get there, these girls are right there and they're at the gym (after) you leave. I have to pry them away from the gym."
McAllister has coached the twins since their sophomore year. Now, as seniors, he says the two have grown into dedicated basketball players. He called them students of the game, generational-type talents and fast learners that strive each day to be better.
In their younger days with Jeff Taylor's AAU program, the Michigan Storm, they would often watch McAllister coach older girls at practice, asking him for advice and to show them certain moves. They quickly proved what they were capable of when he took over their high school team in 2021. Now, they're joining an elite group of players who moved on to play at the collegiate level from Taylor's program − including Jordan Walker (Tennessee) and Aaliyah Nye (Alabama).
"No pun intended, they're going to bring some dog (down to Georgia)," McAllister continued. "Those two are truly some dogs, meaning they have a lot of tenacity, a will to win that's unmeasurable. We won the state championship their sophomore year and went to the championship game last year, came within four points of winning, ... and seeing how they responded to that loss (was commendatory). ... If you show them something, they're going to practice it until they perfect it."
This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Indya and Summer Davis commit to Georgia women's basketball
