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JCS' Boykin headed for Johnson University

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Gibson Boykin was surrounded by her coaches, teammates, friends, families and teachers before school let out for Christmas break on a Friday afternoon.

They were all in the lobby of Escue Gym on the campus of Jackson Christian School.

Boykin, a senior player on the Lady Eagles basketball team, was solidifying her next four years of basketball and education.

Along with her dad, who's coached her, along with JCS head coach Tony Shutes, another coach was in the room: Johnson University's Bryon Lawhon.

Johnson University is an NAIA school located right outside Knoxville. It's a part of the Appalachian Athletic Conference.

"I saw Gibson playing at an AAU tournament in Louisville last summer, and the coaches I was sitting with, I turned to them and said she's the one I need in my program this year," Lawhon said.

They made contact before they left the tournament, and Boykin went to Lawhon's camp and they both liked what they saw from the other.

"I like the way he coaches, and I like how his team plays," Boykin said. "And it's not that far from home, and the facilities there are nice - newer than a lot of other colleges.

"It's just a good spot for me to move on to."

The actual signing ceremony was a celebration of Boykin's basketball career to this point, including years as a youngster playing for Shutes while she was a student at neighboring University School of Jackson, where Shutes coached for more than 30 years.

The pair arrived at Jackson Christian the same year separately.

"We knew we were getting a new coach, and it was my first year here, and I'm in the locker room with the other players and he walks in," Boykin said. "We saw each other and started laughing. I was glad to get two more years with him."

Shutes was glad to get two more years with her too.

"Even when she was in elementary school Stephanie and I both could see that she had a lot of potential when she got to high school," Shutes said referring to his wife who's spent time as an assistant coach. "I coached her pretty hard at times, and she responded well nearly every time.

"She kept coming back for more, and that's what you want to see out of a player."

Shutes, Boykin and the rest of the Lady Eagles are about to start league play in Division II-A West and will try for another long run in the postseason with hopes of a state championship before Boykin moves on to college.

Brandon Shields, brandon@jacksonpost.news