Kansas women’s basketball forward Jaliya Davis on Tuesday afternoon became the first player in league history to receive Big 12 freshman of the week honors in seven consecutive weeks.
Davis, a first-year player from Overland Park and a former McDonald’s All-American, leads the Jayhawks in scoring and is second in the league at 22.4 points per game in conference play. She also averages 6.5 rebounds and one block per game and shoots 63.4% from the field and 78.1% from the free-throw line.
The 6-foot-2 forward was limited by foul trouble to 14 points in 24 minutes at Texas Tech on Feb. 10, but she scored 25 in a victory over Houston at Allen Fieldhouse on Saturday.
Davis, who comes from Blue Valley North High School, initially played sparingly in nonconference play due to lower leg pain, appearing in just three games prior to the new year, and she also missed KU’s league opener at Iowa State in late December. However, since debuting with 21 points and seven rebounds against West Virginia on Jan. 1, she has won the Big 12 honor every single possible week.
By reaching seven straight weeks, she has passed former Kansas State star Ayoka Lee for the record number of consecutive awards. With just two weeks left in the regular season, Davis won’t be able to catch Lee for the total number of freshman of the week honors she received in a single year, which was a whopping 12.
However, she could potentially set a new record for freshman of the week honors received in a row by a power-conference player. Iowa’s Caitlin Clark (2020-21) garnered six in the Big Ten. Davis has already matched Aneesah Morrow’s seven in a row from when she played for DePaul in the Big East during the 2021-22 season. With two more, Davis could surpass Ta’Niya Latson, who earned eight in a row at Florida State in the ACC in 2022-23.
The Jayhawks are currently experiencing an open date before they play their last few games of the regular season, as they look to launch themselves into NCAA Tournament contention to close out the year. KU will travel to face K-State at Bramlage Coliseum on Saturday at 4 p.m.; the Jayhawks previously beat the Wildcats 83-61 in Lawrence on Jan. 25. That game preceded Davis’ fourth of seven weekly distinctions.
