Kevin Zhang

“I really enjoyed kind of leading by example, like, doing the kind of things that are necessary to make a team function. I kind of take pride in that,” Om Tandon (12) said.

Electrifying dunks, shifty crossovers, and high arcing three point shots might come to mind when thinking about maneuvers in basketball that impress a crowd. However, relatively unknown aspects such as great character and community building often remain overlooked. These traits motivated Om Tandon (12) during the recovery process injury after injury when the possibility of getting back on the court soon seemed like a far reach. With the support of his family and his own determination, Om Tandon (12) found the ability to persevere through the difficult process and eventually returned to basketball stronger than before.

Om began his journey in basketball at five years old. However, his first experience with the sport did not involve physically shooting a hoop: rather, it was his watching of Game 7 of the 2010 NBA Finals, between the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics. 

“That first game I watched was when the Lakers won by four in the finals,” Om said. “So Kobe became my role model. The Lakers were the best and they won that year.”

One of the biggest driving factors of Om’s love for basketball is his family. He and his father share a bond over it which developed through his father’s support and guidance. 

“My dad noticed how much I love the sport,” he said. “And the next week, I started playing, and I’ve been playing ever since. Now, I really enjoyed kind of leading by example, like, doing the kind of things that are necessary to make a team function. I kind of take pride in that.”

Throughout his basketball journey, Om encountered obstacles out of his control, but always stuck with what he loved in the sport. In his junior year, Om injured his foot and was out for the rest of that year’s basketball season. He re-injured it again eight months later and had to deal with two surgeries and more recovery. Although his injuries temporarily took away his ability to participate in his favorite sport, Om learned to use his mind to move onwards.

“I think it really allowed me to kind of shift my perspective on how I wanted to approach my recovery,” he said.  “Keeping myself distracted, keeping myself happy with my friends, staying involved with my team.”

Even with the amount of personal responsibility that comes with basketball training, Om knows that he can count on his family and friends to always offer him their support. He looks up to his father as a role model and strives to emulate his wisdom each day.

“My dad is someone who has supported me through anything I’ve done,” he said. “And the way he’s able to guide me through anything in my life is something I really want to be when I grow up.”

While Om dedicates dozens of hours each week to honing his skills on court, he keeps up in the classroom as well. His ability to deal with his on-court issues while staying up to par in class and with his teachers is something Speech and Debate coach Scott Odekirk admires.

“I think honestly, he’s got incredible perseverance,” Odekirk said. “I think his injuries in basketball have been a real challenge for him. But I think that he’s overcome those with just incredible maturity. I think his other skills are that he has great insight. Whether it’s creating a business idea, leading a team, or even in his individual accomplishments, I think he’ll be more creative and his mind will be more nimble because of that awareness of other people in his insight.”

With his friends and other students, Om’s outgoing nature defines some of his friendships. Justin Chao (12) has known him since kindergarten and their lasting camaraderie allowed Justin to learn a lot about Om. 

“He doesn’t really care about other people’s perception of him,” said Justin. “It’s more just what he feels right at the moment. What he feels is right in the moment. And he sort of exudes  this pressure or this sort of aura that he’s just him and he doesn’t care what anyone thinks.”

Due to his positive aura, Om’s friends love being around him as well. Max Xing (12), who met him during sophomore basketball tryouts, believes that Om’s kindness leads to the easygoing energy amongst him and his peers.

“I think just in general, you can always see him walking with different people,” said Max. “And there’s always like a smile on his face. There’s always people around him that are laughing. And I think that that’s genuinely just the contagious nature of his positivity.”

Om deals with basketball and other aspects of life with complete effort and continuous optimism, mirroring what his parents taught him from a young age. Looking back on high school, he understands how his parents’ philosophy lead him to excellence.

“My parents have always taught me to give 100% effort in everything,” said Om. “There is a kind of  fire behind anything I do. And so, no matter what I do, I’ve learned to give that full 100% effort.