PHILIPPI, W.Va (WBOY) – Life has changed a lot for David Shriver over the last five years.

The ability to shoot the basketball has taken him far, starting out as a skinny kid at Philip Barbour and becoming a Division II standout at Alderson-Broaddus before finishing with two years of division one hoops at Hartford and VCU that set up a potential professional career.

“Being able to do the things that I’ve done, starting out at A-B and finishing with a very good career at a good mid-major school like VCU, experiencing the things I’ve experienced the last year and then being able to come here, experiencing with these guys being able to see where they came from, see what they went through, it’s all really been a blessing,” he said.

Quickly becoming a fan favorite during his final season in Richmond, Shriver found himself on a stage he’d never seen before, and he made sure to soak up every moment of it.

“It’s hard to put into words what it was like, especially starting out at A-B and having maybe 100, 200 people a game and then going there and having a sold-out crowd of 8,000 people and just to be able to play in front of an atmosphere like that and to have people there and back home supporting me is an experience that I’ll never forget,” he said.

The path to this point has been far from smooth but Shriver continues to find his way and in his mind, it all comes down to work ethic.

“It’s a tough journey, the time and effort putting into it. It’s a lot of hours, countless hours, days you don’t want to do it and some days are tougher than others but the days that are the toughest are the days that I thrive the most. It’s the days that I’ve got to be the best,” he said.

Whether he realized it or not, Shriver became a role model for kids from small town West Virginia over the last five years and he’s living proof that trusting the process can pay off.

“As you continue to progress and continue to reach the goals you achieve, your journey starts to become easier because you start to see your progress,” he said, “You start to see your success that you’ve gained throughout your process so just what I can put into is just stick with your journey and just trust. Believe in yourself and it worked out for me.”

After five years of college basketball, David Shriver’s next step isn’t completely clear but as his journey so far has shown, you never quite know what the next door that opens is going to lead to.