As a freshman, Rennia Davis played basketball with the physicality of a butterfly. The only contact she wanted was a high-five from a teammate. Stay away from the post, she thought. The backcourt, that was the place to spread her wings.But Kimberly Davis Powell, coach of her Florida Essence AAU team, wasnt about to let that fly. She wanted to toughen Davis up, inside and out, so she could become a versatile talent.I was almost defiant, Davis said of giving the post a shot. I would just stand there. I didnt want to touch the ball down there. I was tall, but I didnt have that much weight on me (130 pounds at the time). If a point guard was looking to throw the ball to me in the post, I was like, No. Go the other way. Reverse the ball. Do something else. I dont want it. Davis mother, Sheretta Davis, had her daughters back.I said, Oh my God, my baby doesnt hardly weigh more than 100 pounds. Theyre going to kill my baby, Sheretta Davis said.Turns out, Davis Powell knew what she was doing.Davis, now a 6-foot-1, 150-pound senior wing at Ribault (Jacksonville, Florida), is the No. 16 prospect in the espnW HoopGurlz Super 60 for the 2017 class. Last year, she was the Class 5A player of the year in Florida after posting double-doubles in 29 of Ribaults 31 games. She averaged 20.3 points and 10.4 rebounds. She led her team to a state title and then the championship of the Dicks Sporting Goods High School Nationals at New York Citys Madison Square Garden.Ribault finished 30-1, and Davis was the MVP of the Dicks tournament. She had 23 points and eight rebounds in a finals win over Riverdale Baptist (Upper Marlboro, Maryland). Davis had 20 points and 13 rebounds in a semifinal win over Seton Catholic (Chandler, Arizona).If Rennia didnt have a good game, it would have been hard for us to win, said former Ribault guard Kayla Rogers, now a freshman playing for FIU in Miami. The potential that I had always seen in her came out in that tournament.Mystery talentWhere that potential came from, nobody knows.Davis has no brothers. She has three sisters, and none of them play sports. Sheretta, a single mom, wasnt an athlete, either.But when Davis was in sixth grade, she asked her mother to sign her up for basketball.I said, No, girls dont play basketball, Sheretta said. I had only known basketball as a mens sport.Thats when little Rennia explained to her mother about the WNBA and how basketball can actually be a career for women. Somewhat convinced, Sheretta took her daughter to the local Police Athletic League. Unfortunately, they had missed the sign-up deadline and were told to come back next year.Davis insisted her mother mark the next sign-up date on the family calendar. Sheretta did so, but -- deep down -- she was hoping her daughter would forget.A year later, Davis asked her mom to put a basketball hoop in the driveway, and that became her Christmas gift.Ribault coach Sheila Seymour-Pennick saw Davis play during her eighth-grade year and was impressed.Even though the other girls werent at her level, the coach said, she still shared the ball.By freshman year, Davis was an obvious talent. But Davis Powell wanted more out of her.For starters, the coach thought Davis could play up a level or two in AAU ball, against older girls, a move that her mother fought. Sheretta admits she didnt know much about basketball, but that didnt stop her from voicing her opinions.I told [Davis Powell,] If it aint broke, dont fix it, Sheretta said. I was pretty upset.Davis Powell, though, stood firm about playing up and also about working in the post.I always knew Rennia was a guard, the coach said. But she wasnt physical. She hated contact. We had epic battles with her and her mom. It took about [18 months] to convince them.It was constant communication. I told Rennia, Im not asking you to be a post player. Just turn and face, and take girls off the dribble. Her persistence paid off.During her junior year, when college coaches were allowed to start calling her, Davis Powell said, her mother contacted me to thank me. College coaches loved how versatile Rennia had become.Colleges lining upDavis said she no longer minds playing in the post or guarding bigger players. She said she has gone from being one of the two weakest Ribault players in the weight room in her freshman year to one of the two strongest.This Saturday -- in part because of the all work she has put in -- Davis will get a home visit from Tennessee coaches. On Sunday, Kansas coaches will swing by, and on Monday it will be Rutgers turn. Depending on the vibes she gets from those coaches, Davis will pick two of those three schools to add to her list of finalists. She already has official visits lined up for Georgia Tech later this month and Maryland and Oklahoma in October.With a 3.8 GPA, Davis seems like a sure bet to succeed as a student-athlete. And, because of her participation in Ribaults early-college program, Davis will enter college with an associates degree and a two-year head start on most freshmen.She plans to use her four-year scholarship to finish her bachelors degree and start work on her masters in business and restaurant management.After shes done playing basketball, Davis said she wants to own her own restaurant, where another one of her talents -- cooking -- can be on full display.Davis said her chef skills are mostly self-taught. She watched her mom as a child and did the rest on her own. Her specialties are seafood and soul food.And because shes a self-described neat freak, there is a certain order to how she prepares her meals and how they look.Shes an awesome cook, her mother said. Her food is not only tasty, but its pretty, too. I dont know where she gets that. Andres Galarraga Jersey . Tuesdays surgery at Atlantas Piedmont Hospital was performed by Dr. Xavier Duralde and Hawks team physician Dr. Michael Bernot. Rockies Jerseys China . LOUIS -- Rookie Tavon Austin has missed another day of practice, lessening the odds hell be ready for the St. https://www.cheaprockiesjerseys.us/ . Arsenal failed to take full advantage of its main rivals stumbles on Saturday as substitute Gerard Deulofeu levelled with a hard shot from a tight angle in the 84th minute to give Everton a deserved point. Ahead of a crucial fortnight that will see them play against Napoli in the Champions League, Manchester City and Chelsea, Arsenal leads by five points ahead of Liverpool and Chelsea. Dale Murphy Jersey . -- Three close looks at the bucket, three misses. Chris Iannetta Jersey . -- Teemu Selanne scored the first goal of his 22nd NHL season, and the Anaheim Ducks extended the best start in franchise history with their fifth straight victory, 3-2 over the Calgary Flames on Wednesday night. TAMPA, Fla. -- Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter has taken another stride in his comeback from a broken left ankle by running outdoors for the first time in two months. Jeter started the running program Thursday at Steinbrenner Field and called it "the last step" before playing in minor league games. The Yankees captain hopes to run the bases soon. "Everything is good," Jeter said. "No problems whatsoever. Ive done everything else. Its a constant progression." There is no date yet for Jeter to begin a minor league injury rehabilitation assignment. "As soon as I can get out there, Ill get out there," Jeter said. "We havent got that far yet." Jeter has been taking batting practice and fielding grounders. The 13-time All-Star hasnt played this season after breaking his ankle in the playoffs last October and having surgery. Another fracture was discovered during his first rehab in April. After the workout, which was moved due to wet grounds, Jeter drove teammate Alex Rodriguez back to the Yankees minor league complex from nearby Steinbrenner Field. Rodriguez is rehabbing following hip surgery in January. Jeter said "of course" when asked if Rodriguez will be a productive player when he rejoins the Yankees. Jeter addedd there is "no way he can be a distraction to us.dddddddddddd" The status of A-Rods rehabilitation, however, became a point of contention this week. The star third baseman posted Tuesday evening on Twitter that his hip surgeon had cleared him to play in rehab games, a move that angered general manager Brian Cashman because Rodriguez has not been cleared by team doctors yet. "Why would he be a distraction?" Jeter said. "You guys may be a distraction to him, if you ask him questions. Ive never seen how someone could be a distraction to a team because we dont have to deal with it." Rodriguez continued to take simulated at-bats. "He looked good," Jeter said. "Alex works extremely hard. Hes working hard now to get back." Rodriguez did not stop to talk with reporters when he left the complex. The Yankees expect both to return to the active roster after the All-Star break. NOTES: OF Curtis Granderson (broken knuckle) is doing range of motion exercises but has not started swinging a bat. His car, parked next to Jeters in the players lot, was hit by a batting practice home run by a minor leaguer that landed on and went over the clubhouse roof. ... C Francisco Cervelli (broken hand) is hitting in an indoor cage. ' ' '