FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Mark Albanese, Assistant Athletic Director for Sports Media Relations

SOMERS, Wis. (Nov. 12, 2014)-- While most college students were kicking back and relaxing during the summer, University of Wisconsin-Parkside student-athlete Jimmy Gavin was honing his basketball and leadership skills in Puerto Rico as a member of Athletes in Action.
 
A 2014 Second Team All-Great Lakes Valley Conference selection, Gavin first connected with the Athletes in Action basketball team during the school year about opportunities to play in the summer before finally getting selected to travel with a team AIA was assembling to tour Puerto Rico. The junior's first stop was to Naples, Florida where the squad, which comprised of a mix of players from all three NCAA divisions and the NAIA, conducted a training camp at First Baptist Academy.
 
After knocking off the rust in Florida, the squad traveled down to the Commonwealth where they competed in several games against local clubs, including a pair of contests against prison teams in Aguadilla and Mayaguez.

 One of Gavin's most memorable experiences came playing a team of inmates at a basketball-obsessed maximum security prison in Mayaguez. After going through extensive security that included a canine unit, Gavin and his teammates were taken to the center of the prison where a makeshift Rucker Park style streetball court was located. Nearly 100 inmates swarmed around the court for the showdown with the crowd warming up to the visiting AIA squad after displaying some flashy moves, including a windmill from Gavin.
 
"It was such a great experience to share my passion, especially with people who are locked up and don't have the freedoms to enjoy it on a regular basis," said Gavin.
 
"It really made me appreciate the chance I have to chase my own dreams and I told all the inmates who came up to me after the game that I hope they get a second chance at life and to live their own dreams."
 
When not facing local clubs on the hardwood, Gavin and the rest of his AIA teammates conducted community outreach with several free basketball clinics for athletes of all ages.
 
"Even though most of us spoke little Spanish, it was cool having kids of all ages coming in and learning the game, and us communicating with the kids through the language of basketball."
 
Between the games and the clinics, the senior guard was still able to soak in the exotic flora and fauna of the tropical island, including a bioluminescent bay in the southwest corner of the island.
 
"Sharing those types of experiences with my teammates allowed us to bond quickly off the court and play well together on," said Gavin. "I know that I grew as a leader during my time on the trip, and something really clicked in my mind on what it means to be a part of a team and a positive member of it - on and off the court."
 
Athletes in Action excelled on the court during the tour, winning every game they played including a 78-61 win over the Moca Hoops U22 Team in which Gavin set the tone with a dunk off the opening tip.
 
AIA's mission is sending competitive collegiate level teams across the world, creating an environment where players can grow their faith and share their beliefs with others. In 2014, AIA basketball teams competed in East Asia, Lithuania, Latvia, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Middle East, Guatemala, Czech Republic, Spain and Germany.
 
Gavin will return to Puerto Rico with his UW-Parkside teammates this weekend as the two-time defending GLVC East Division Champion Rangers open the regular season on Friday against the University of Puerto Rico-Bayamon. Parkside finishes its mini tour on Saturday facing University of Puerto Rico-Rio Piedras for the second time in three years.