Since coming to America from Naipur, India, Carlmont senior Yash Malik has been making a lot noise out on the basketball court.

“I started playing at four years old and I just grew an interest in it,” said Malik.

Malik got his start playing basketball when his parents signed him up for basketball league for younger kids. At first, Malik realized he didn’t have a lot of talent when it came to playing basketball.

He didn’t want to accept the fact that he was just playing basketball for fun however. Since he loved the sport, he wasn’t going to settle for being just a mediocre player. He worked diligently throughout his middle school years at Ralston Middle School so he could be a standout basketball player.

“I wasn’t very good at first, but I kept working hard and listened to my coaches and it eventually paid off.”

With the amount of time he practiced and focused on the sport, and with the help and assistance from his coaches, Malik began to become more skilled and coordinated out on the court. Standing at 6 feet 1 inch, he was one of the more notable players when he started playing on the Carlmont varsity team his junior year.

In his senior year, the varsity team competed at and won “The Surf and Slam Basketball” tournament in San Diego during the winter. After his team won, Malik was chosen as the MVP for the tournament.

The team had a pre-season record of 11-1 and an overall record of 20-8. In addition to the strong performance in the regular season, Malik led the team all the way to the CCS quarterfinals.

Senior Connor Moore has been on the team with Malik for four years and has always admired his ability and talent.

“Yash is the hardest worker I know, he practices every day and always tries to be better.” Malik’s motivation to be the best player he can has also motivated all his teammates to have passion and dedication when it comes to basketball, including Moore.

“His hard work has made the largest transformation out of all us on the team.”

He plans to play basketball beyond high school for the college he will attend or in any outside leagues. He also wants to coach basketball after college. Malik says that he wouldn’t be successful at basketball if it wasn’t for the help and support from his coaches.

“Always listen to everything coaches say because they know what they’re talking about and they have always wanted to help me.”

Malik’s story is a perfect example of never giving up in what you do. That’s how you can be successful in life.

“If you put enough time in anything, whether it’s sports or not, you will get better.”

His story of hard work and perseverance is inspirational to everyone that watches him play out on the basketball court.