The clock ticks down. The scoreboard is tied. Kyle Leung (12) dribbles the ball towards the hoop, strategizing how to evade the defenders. He tosses, and with a clean swish, he scores. The scoreboard ticks up, and the crowd erupts with gleeful cheers. Kyle’s teammates rush him, patting him on the back and celebrating his game winning shot during their first game back from the pandemic.

Starting at the age of 9, Kyle has played basketball, initially picking it up after seeing Kobe Bryant and LeBron James play on television. At Harker, Kyle played on the boys basketball team from freshman to junior year. This year, however, he took on the role of analyst for the team, reviewing game footage and statistics in order to help improve the team.

“I’m going to look at the film, review it and also look at the stats from the game and then meet with my coach to talk to him about anything that I noticed,” said Kyle. “I will also talk to the players not just because of the job, but because they’re also my friends and I want to help them out.”

Close friend and former basketball teammate Jordan Labio (12) initially met Kyle in their kindergarten class, where they bonded over their shared love of basketball. Their friendship solidified over the years, and Jordan enjoys their lunch time chats together where Kyle always brings humor.

“Kyle is a really team oriented player,” Jordan said. “He’s not afraid to sacrifice a shot to give someone else a better opportunity. He always tries to look for his teammates first before himself, and that’s pretty special on the basketball court.”

Some of Kyle’s favorite basketball memories occurred in freshman year, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to lockdown, the team did not meet as often as they normally would, so basketball was a chance for him to see his friends and to get closer as a team.

“I really enjoy playing basketball and also just the camaraderie that we’ve had as a team,” Kyle said. “I feel like that is really important to me. I thought it was awesome that I could always rely on my teammates, not just on the court, but off the court as well. That connection was pretty cool.”

Close friend Nathan Liu (12), another teammate of Kyle’s, met Kyle in kindergarten. They played together on a team since fourth grade, and Nathan admires Kyle’s kindness and insight.

“Kyle is very dedicated,” Nathan said. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen him miss practice just because he wanted to. If he’s not practicing, that’s definitely because he’s injured or sick. And when he does play, he always gives a hundred percent. The way he plays basketball is very smart and very calculated. He always takes advantage of his strengths.”

AP Computer Science teacher Susan King taught Kyle during his freshman year, immediately noticing his dedication. He participated in a project where he learned code outside of class to complete it.

“I think he brought a seriousness to my class,” King said. “But I also think he brought kindness and creativity to class, which was shown in his Crossy Road project. As a teacher, I felt that he played the role as an anchor in the classroom. He was also so good at communicating and giving feedback to his peers.”

Kyle feels the importance of teamwork in CS and basketball, but also for projects that he works on within his community. Outside of being an analyst for Harker’s basketball team, Kyle serves on his City Youth Commission. Kyle works with others on the committee to host workshops that cover topics such as time management, financial literacy and more.

“I think that by holding these workshops, we are making a really positive impact on the community,” Kyle said. “Before COVID, I didn’t really have much of a chance to interact at all with my community. But after COVID, I realized I had the chance to join the commission and make a positive impact on my community through the commission, and that’s pretty gratifying to me.”

Spreading his kindness throughout his community at Harker, as well his home community, Kyle worked in various teams throughout his high school career. Kyle does much of his work so that he can help future generations continue to improve and make progress.

“I learned that being on the commission, we all need to be on the same page, we need to be working on the same projects in order for us to be the most effective,” Kyle said. “And I think that also applies to sports in general, just working as a team, all for the collective goal. For sports, it’s winning the game, but for community service, it’s making an impact.”