By: Hunter Ferguson

Altus High School junior basketball forward Gavyn Shive said in a recent interview with VYPE that he wants “to push myself as hard as I can and see how far I can go” to become successful. Explaining that “I honestly wouldn’t say I’m successful yet, but I will be someday. I would say to be successful it’s not just about being a good player it’s about being a good teammate and just an all around good person on and off the court. I would also say you have to put in a lot of work everyday to be successful and not just go through the motions you have to go 100% through each drill”.

Something Shive’s siblings have helped him realize throughout his life by pushing and motivating him “to get better” and always helping him “still to this day”. However, his siblings aren’t the only ones who have taught him valuable lessons. Shive shared that “Mrs. Johns is one that had a positive influence on me because I hated reading and would never do it and I would get bad grades but she changed it for me and made it fun and I actually liked to read because of her”. A lesson that can be applied to many different areas of life.

When we asked if any teammates have encouraged him and helped his game Shive told VYPE “Definitely my brother Marquis Milton me and him go after it against each-other

and when me and him are on the same team and we get hot – it’s game over”. He went on to state “I would say that each teammate has an important role on our team and I don’t think that there is a single person that is unappreciated”.

It takes the whole team to pull off a move like “winning the Clester Herrington 50th annual Shortgrass tournament which Altus hadn’t won in over 28 years. There has not been a better feeling than that” said Shive. Concluding the interview by saying “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”.