The 1,000 point mark is something that lots of kids dream of but never achieve, but Gavin Wunderlin shattered that goal his junior season. Hitting 1,000 points during your junior year of high school is a huge achievement, but Gavin has always had a bigger goal than that.
“My biggest goal has always been to make a run to state,” said Gavin. Gavin’s humble attitude is to be always working for something more than just his personal achievements; he is working toward conference championships, regional championships, and more from there. The basketball team is surely doing a good job of giving themselves a chance as they held a 17-5 regular season record and went deep in the playoffs again this year. They have gone 13 and 1 in the past 14 games, all led by Gavin Wunderlin, who is averaging a whopping 20 points per game.
Everyone knows that 1,000 points doesn't just come easily for any player. How did Gavin accomplish it? Hours upon hours of work in the gym. Gavin has been playing basketball since he could walk. Gavin said, “there are so many repetitive drills when working on shooting”. He’s always up in the gym by himself just shooting. “I like just going to work when I get into a gym knowing that I can better my game”. Gavin has played for a number of AAU teams as well, which involved driving to places like Cuba City, Peosta, and Dubuque. He has no doubt put the time into his career to make himself the best player he can be.
I asked Gavin about the support from the fan base that was at the game when he hit the 1,000 point mark vs Belmont on February 14th. Gavin said, “ It felt awesome knowing all of my family was there to see it.” His family and friends made many signs for Gavin’s big 1,000 point game. “I love seeing everyone in the student sections at our games and it meant a lot for them to do that for me,” said Gavin”. He doesn’t take anything for granted and always enjoys every moment when he’s out on the court.
Gavin still has another year left of high school basketball, but it’s already time for him to start thinking about after high school. Gavin said, “I really want to play college basketball but I have no set schools yet”. With everything he has accomplished so far, he has gotten looks from many different colleges around the tri-state area. He is still undecided on what he wants to do yet.
With playoffs ahead of the team and the 1,000 point mark in the past now, Gaving is more motivated than ever. “I'm just excited to play in the playoff atmosphere again, nothing beats it”. With a whole year left in Gavin’s career, he still has much more to accomplish and he only has room to grow. Gavin has proven he can play with anyone and I”m sure he will continue to do that through the rest of his career.