JESSIEVILLE -- Jessieville senior guard Jarrett Davis inked his name to a letter of intent to play basketball at Arkansas Tech during a ceremony at Jessieville Sports Arena Friday.
"It feels really good," Davis said. "I've put a lot of work into this and all the hard work has finally paid off. ... In about junior high, a bunch of people told me I would never make it, so I proved them wrong today."
While also receiving an offer earlier this year from Champion Christian College, Davis chose Arkansas Tech for a few reasons.
"I went to visit Tech a couple weeks later, and they said they wanted me to be a Wonder Boy," he explained. "My brother went to Arkansas Tech, and as a little brother, I've always wanted to follow in his footsteps. When I visited campus, I fell in love with it. The stadium was a different kind of atmosphere."
Lions head basketball coach Jared White expressed his pride in Davis' accomplishments.
"When you talk about earning something, he wasn't -- when I got here in the ninth grade, he wasn't very athletic," White said. "You could tell he was gonna be a good one. He just had to grow into what he was gonna be. He absolutely has spent the hours, putting in the time on his skill, his shooting, and for him to earn this opportunity, it make me extremely proud as a coach."
Despite some challenges he faced during the past four years, the future Wonder Boy found a way to persevere as he heads to Russellville to pursue a degree in fisheries and wildlife science.
"I've grown a lot since ninth grade," Davis said. "I used to be 5-foot-8, and I didn't really play my 10th grade year, so I had to fight some adversity. In 11th and 12th grade year, I finally grew, and I was doing well."
Davis received plenty of support from friends, family and coaches while describing his relationship with White as 'nervewracking' at first.
"Mom and dad have always been there (at) every single game through my high school career, so they've been my biggest fans," he said. "(White) came here in my ninth grade year, so I knew he was gonna be here all through high school. I had to prove to him that I was going to be a player that he could count on. I wanted him to know that I could be a leader on and off the court and he could trust me."
White praised Davis' attributes and looks forward to seeing him play at Tucker Coliseum.
"When he gets his mind on something, he doesn't quit until he acheives it," said White. "Since he could walk, he had a passion for basketball and that's just something. It's rare to see a kid for from as young as he was to where he is now and never really burn out in today's time. ... He's got determination, and he's very goal-driven. If you challenge him on something even though it may not be realistic, he's gonna try and crack away at it until he gets there. Any time I've needed something as far as the team goes, I can always go to him and get a pulse of where we're at or what we need to do or what he thinks. He was a captain for me and a leader on our team. ... Plan on watching him in the future."