By Patrick Chalvire/Staff Writer
A diamond goes through heavy pressure before it reaches its final destination, whether it be a jewelry store or found on a wedding ring. For one Panther, the pressures of life have continued to strengthen him and refine him for his future.
Redshirt junior Dennis Mavin has fought his share of battles, but there’s one life battle he carries with him on his back every time he takes to the hardcourt.
The Gainesville native played alongside Dante Anderson, a 16-year-old basketball star at Eastside High School who was the state’s consensus No. 1 boy’s basketball prospect. He was killed in an automobile crash on May 19, 2007.
Anderson’s number in high school was 22. Mavin now wears 22 in remembrance of his close friend.
“That’s a little motivation, extra motivation, to keep me going,” Mavin said. “I think about him everyday and every time I play on the court. My freshman year at Eastside, he was a junior, he took me under his wing and showed me different ropes and showed me how to talk to people and how to carry myself as I got more exposure.”
Mavin previously played for Florida Atlantic University prior to his time at FIU and wore the number 10 during his two seasons as an Owl. The number 22 had been worn by Greg Gantt, the Owls all-time leading scorer and also a close friend to Anderson.
Before Mavin could put on his Panthers jersey and take to the court at the U.S Century Bank Arena, he was forced to sit out last season due to transfer rules of the NCAA.
For the man who grew up playing basketball, having to sit and watch as the Panthers had one of their best seasons and making it to the Sun Belt Conference Championship Finals was tough, but only aided in his future success.
“My expectations were to be better than I was at FAU. Sitting out a year and taking a step back, seeing the game from a different perspective,” Mavin said. “I looked at it as a positive because I was able to get my body right, get my mind right and just see the game from more of a student standpoint. Just analyze the game better. I was able to just watch nothing but basketball. It was a learning process.”
Now, many know the name Michael Jordan and some may even know of a particular “Flu game,” in which Jordan scored 38 points in Game 5 of the NBA Finals with the Chicago Bulls against the Utah Jazz.
Jordan had come down with a stomach virus and was not expected to play, but with his team on the verge of a championship and his teammates in need of his skills, he did what was necessary and like Jordan, Mavin did the same.
Mavin attended high school at The Rock in Gainesville and during his senior year, fought off a similar flu that threatened to sideline him and helped his Lions advance to the round of 16 in the state playoffs with a 28-point showing.
“That day was crazy because I really wasn’t supposed to play,” Mavin said. “I was sick out of my mind but one of my best friends, Scottie Wilbekin, that’s my teammate, and he told me, ‘Man, we’re not going to be able to win this game without you,’ and it gave me that extra motivation just to play because I really wasn’t going to play.”
Wilbekin currently plays for the Florida Gators.
Many athletes strive to make a name for themselves, turn their surname into a future household name, and even look up to previous successors. Mavin is no exception.
According to Mavin, there’s one young star in the NBA he looks up to: Portland Trail Blazers point guard Damian Lillard, and it’s not just for his abilities on the court that makes him Mavin’s pick.
“Him coming from Weber State and nobody really knew who he was, and he became this star athlete,” Mavin said. “Coming from a school like that, no one really expected too much, even though he killed his senior year and got drafted high, kind of like that sleeping giant.”
As Mavins’s basketball career continues, he remains unsure where his path will take him. He doesn’t consider himself a sleeping giant like Lillard, rather, a diamond in the rough with plans on polishing his skills as each day passes.
“I have no cap, so it’s basically just to continue to get better each and everyday and continue to just live out my journey,” Mavin said. “There’s really no expectation, but the sky’s the limit basically.”
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