Davis taken by Fever in 3rd round of WNBA Draft

IU senior Jori Davis will continue to play basketball in Indiana after college.

Davis was drafted by the Indiana Fever with the 33rd pick in the third round of the WNBA Draft on Monday in Bristol, Conn.

The 5-foot-9-inch guard was in class though, when the announcement was made and said she didn’t find out until she checked her phone.

“I was actually in class and every one started texting, saying, ‘Congratulations, Indiana Fever!’” Davis said. “I was like, ‘What are you guys talking about?’”

Davis ended her collegiate career eighth on the Hoosiers’ all-time scoring list with 1,586 points and is the sixth player in IU history to reach 1,500 points, 500 rebounds and 200 assists.

In her senior season, the Rochester, N.Y., native led the Hoosiers in average points per game (19.5), rebounds (5.6), minutes (34.5) and total assists (109). She is the third IU women’s basketball player to be drafted into the WNBA.

IU coach Felisha Legette-Jack said that Davis’ procession to the professional ranks is a milestone for the program.

“This is the first young lady that we’ve had that was drafted,” Legette-Jack said. “I came here on the premise that it was going to take a while to grow this program the way we wanted it to get built. I think we are taking those steps.”

In Indianapolis, Davis will be playing for a Fever squad that finished third in the Eastern Conference with a 21-13 record in 2010. The team fell in the first round of the postseason to New York.

Davis said the selection allows her to continue to compete for an Indiana fan base that has followed her throughout college.

“For my fans it’s great, and then also for my family it’s good for me to be in the same area and continue to represent the Hoosier Nation,”she said.

Legette-Jack said it was no coincidence that a professional team in the state of Indiana drafted Davis, as the Fever coaches have had the opportunity to see her play multiple times throughout her college career.

“To be able to represent the Hoosier Nation still, Jori is just smitten by the fact that it’s Indiana,” Legette-Jack said. “It’s still Indiana.”