Athletes like Sammi Gilbreath put in a lot of time and effort in practice to be the best they can be. Gilbreath also says that doing the extra stuff outside of an organized practice goes a long way as well. 

“It has taken many hours of being in the gym working and practicing on my game,” she said. “Coming up to the gym in my free time to work on my game has made a big impact on my skill level and has brought me a lot of success.”

A senior at Caney Valley, Sammi plays basketball for the Lady Trojans. She is also a member of the National Honor Society. Playing sports while also doing schoolwork can sometimes be tough on young people, but Gilbreath says that if you know what you are doing, you can make it work.

“Balancing school, work, and athletics is hard at times but knowing your priorities is a big factor in making it work,” she stated. “It gets busy but I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

There are some people that have helped Gilbreath become the person and athlete that she is today and she says that she is thankful for them.

“My mom is my biggest role model for sure,” Sammi said. “She pushes me to be the best in my sport and in life and always tells me what I need to hear and not what I want to hear, she has done everything for me and I will always look up to her. Also, Jade Upton is one of my teammates and we push each other and make each other uncomfortable which only makes us better. We are competitive with each other when we get to guard one another in practice and it has made us both better players.”

She has made some great memories during her career, but Sammi has one moment that stands out as her favorite.

“The highlight moment of my career would have to be when we beat out Oklahoma Union in the playoffs last season,” she recalled. “They are our rivals so it is always nice to beat them, but doing it in the playoffs was even better.”