UTEP basketball guard Shamar Givance, has been playing basketball since he was five years old. He is from Toronto, Canada, and has been away from home for six years.
He has been in the U.S. ever since his high school basketball career.
“I miss home a little bit,” Givance said. “But I’m pretty used to it by now.”
Givance is no stranger to El Paso. He had visited the city a couple of times before because he has friends here. He felt like he fit in and fell in love with the community.
Givance is majoring in leadership and is excited to add his business degree to his resume. He believes it is the best fit for him. He is also looking forward to getting a master’s degree.
Because Givance saw his dad and cousin play basketball while growing up, he decided to play that sport too. They are his biggest inspiration, his role models.
Givance mentions that his biggest achievements so far are being a Missouri Valley All-Conference player and beating the number one team in basketball, Kentucky.
Coach Joe Golding went all the way to Canada to meet Givance’s family and offer him a position at UTEP’s basketball team. Golding is also the main reason why Givance opted to join the team and come to El Paso.
“I feel like he is a genuine guy,” Givance said. “I wanted to feel a connection and felt like coach Golding was perfect, the right guy.”
One of Givance’s goals is to be part of a winning team, therefore he joined UTEP’s team.
Since he knows people from the city, they told him about the basketball program at the university, so he believed it was the perfect fit for him.
“I just want to have the accomplishments of winning a conference title and going to the tournament,” Givance said.
Coach Golding and Assistant Coach Earl Boykins have helped Givance improve his basketball skills. He has been learning tips from them to add to his everyday routine and strives toward his ideal of what makes a great player.
“A great player is a great leader, somebody who gets everybody involved,” Givance said.
When it comes to basketball games, Givance takes advantage of his speed to get to his spots and be faster than everybody in the game.
The UTEP basketball team feels like a great family to Givance.
He loves all of them, from the players to the coaches and managers.
“Our goal is to be the best in the conference, just fight every night and win every game possible,” Givance said. “We want to prove everybody wrong.”
Givance encourages the UTEP community to support the basketball team and attend as many games as possible.
The men’s basketball season tips off at 7 p.m., Nov. 7, at Moody Center against the Texas Longhorns.
For more information on dates and ticketing visit utepminers.com.
Angelica Gutierrez is a contributor and may be reached at [email protected]
