Two Petal basketball players are headed to the next level with hope of continued success and another opportunity down the road. Landyn Shows will remain in-state and attend East Central Community College, while Donoval Avila will head head west to Utah State Eastern University in Price, Utah. Both are two-year schools.
With Shows and Avila in the starting backcourt this past season, the Panthers went 20-9 and reached the second round of the Class 6A playoffs.
Like Mykah Brown the previous season, Avila transitioned from shooting guard to point guard for Petal and caught the attention of college coaches with his play.
“It was different and hard, but my coach and my teammates got me through it,” he said.
It wasn’t the first adjustment Avila has had to make in recent years. He moved to Petal from Hawaii three years ago. On the island, Avila met AAU figure Eric Santiago, who sent his game film to different college coaches, including Curtis Condie at Utah State Eastern. Condie and company walked away impressed with the tape.
“From there, they took a chance on me and gave me a scholarship,” Avila said. “They liked how I play.”
Avila visited the school’s campus in Price on March 16. About a week later, he committed to the Golden Eagles.
“Honestly, it was just what was best for me so I could play at the next level at D1,” Avila said, adding that Price compares favorably to Petal.
“It’s a pretty small town. Everybody’s gonna come to the games.”
Avila chose Utah State Eastern over a couple in-state options, including East Central Community College where Landyn Shows will lace them up for the next two years.
Shows didn’t expect to be in this position. In fact, in the summer leading into his senior year, he thought about walking away from basketball entirely. He suffered a torn meniscus that hurt his confidence and sidelined him the majority of his junior season. Then came a heart-to-heart talk with Petal coach Todd Kimble.
“Coach told me, ‘You have the potential if you just use it’. Then I got out of that quitting mentality,” Shows said. “I went to the gym every day and got back into it.”
A knockdown shooter, Shows cracked the starting lineup this past season for the Panthers. Despite having a breakout senior year, the offers were few and far between for Shows. But after watching him play in Petal’s first game of the season against Newton, East Central was comfortable pulling the trigger.
“They were just saying how much they loved my shooting ability,” Shows said, adding that he’s carrying a chip on his shoulder to Decatur.
“It’s gonna be fun, and I’m ready for it. The summer’s going to be crazy for me, too. I’m already doing everything I can right now to get bigger and faster than the people already up there.”
