Anything is possible, and nothing is too hard to do. This, says Gavyn Shive, is the best advice he has received. Life lessons are learned on the basketball court. “Be dedicated and never give up. It has taught me that no matter how hard something is you can do it,” he said.
Gavyn is an Altus High School senior who plays small forward in basketball. He has made lifelong friendships with teammates. These ‘brothers’ push him to be better. “My brother Marquis Milton and me, go after it against each other. I would also have to say the same thing to Carmile Fisher and El Powell, we all go after it together every day,” Gavyn says.
Representing AHS as a student-athlete is a role he takes seriously. “It is an honor to represent my school and community. I strive to encourage my teammates, and I strive to stay positive even when things are hard,” says Gavyn.
A pure love for the game keeps Gavyn on the court. “I’ve been playing ever since I could walk. It’s just my happy place. It will never let me down, it will never lie to me, and it just relieves all my stress from school and all the other things in life,” he said.
Gavyn’s favorite memory of playing basketball is winning the Clester Herrington 50th annual Short Grass tournament. “Altus hadn’t won in over 28 years. There has not been a better feeling than that,” he said.
Family inspires Gavyn. “Ever since I was little my two older brothers Keegan and Kaleb have pushed me to get better and motivated me to be stronger each and every day,” he says. “I also want to shoutout to my Poppa. He always sends me basketball videos of drills to do to get better. I can’t lie, I do some of them and they have worked for sure.”
Gavyn’s favorite teacher is Mrs. Johns. “She had a positive influence on me because I hated reading and would never do it, but she changed it for me and made it fun. I actually liked to read because of her,” he said.
Gavyn stays busy off the basketball court. He plays striker on the soccer team and tries to be involved in as many different school activities and clubs as possible.
