A combination of things got Gavin Grubbs to the point of signing his letter to continue his basketball career in college on Monday.
In the end, all three helped the University Heights Academy senior sign with Highland College in Kansas to continue playing basketball.
Grubbs scored 16 points a game and pulled down four rebounds. He was also among the team leaders in assists and steals for the Blazers, who won the district title in three overtimes.
He began his playing career at Trigg County as a seventh grader, seeing action in 28 games and scoring 6.4 points a game. However, Grubbs transferred to UHA before his eighth-grade year but did not play for the Blazers.
He scored over 1,300 points in his four years at UHA and nearly 1,500 with his Trigg County points.
He said a conversation with former Christian County Colonel Tiavey Mason, who began his college career at Highland before transferring to Campbellsville, helped lead him down the path to Highland.
“Tiavey went there and I am really close to him. I talked with him a little bit about the process and what went on when he was there and the coaches were,” Grubbs said. “He told me they keep you locked in, counsel the distractions, and if you work on your game, some really good things can come with it.”
Grubbs is a ‘gym rat’, which UHA coach Terry Hayes said paid off for his guard.
“They are getting someone who loves the game and puts in the time,” Hayes said. “He can do a lot of things. He’s a playmaker who makes everyone around him better, but more importantly, they are getting a fine young man who has good manners and makes good decisions. He also appreciates what people have done for him.”
Grubbs also had praise for his senior-year coach.
“Coach Hayes had us running something called ‘a champion run’ in practice, and man, they make you a champion. I feel like my conditioning skyrocketed over the past year and really helped me close out games late,” Grubbs said.
Also guiding Grubbs to his signing day was his family, especially his mother Stephanie, who Gavin described as ‘a little crazy’ to the packed UHA gym ahead of the signing.
“She just helped me with the highs and lows – never let me get too high or too low. She’s on my tail 24-7.”
Grubbs wants to study Kinesiology in college although the business pathway with a chance to become an entrepreneur is also attractive to him.
There’s no doubt Grubbs will treat basketball as his first job which will then lead to greater things.
