STANFORD (TIP): “DIFFERENT,” the title of Indian American high school basketball phenom Ryan Agarwal’s recent Stanford University commitment video reads. While the past few decades have seen the Indian American community climb to heights never seen before, reaching insurmountable levels of success in fields and sectors such as business, entertainment, and politics, it still lags behind in the sporting world.
It is especially true of the sport of basketball.
After witnessing the success of talents such as Yao Ming and Jeremy Lin and what they’ve done for the Chinese and other Asian American communities, Indian Americans have longed for a comparable talent.
Many thought the next genesis of South Asian hoopers would come in the form of giants. At least that’s what recent history might suggest. The greatest talent from the community we’ve seen thus far has come from the likes of Indo-Canadian Sim Bhullar and Indian-born Satnam Singh, both 7-foot low-post behemoths who had stints in the NBA.
Bhullar became the first player of Indian descent to play in an NBA game in 2015 and Singh was the first Indian-born player to be drafted, also in 2015. Although they broke glass ceilings by making it to such a stage in the first place, unfortunately neither has enjoyed much success in the league.
It seemed as if the community would have to wait awhile before they saw such a talent grace the courts.
But Agarwal may already be well on his way to change that.
Standing at 6’7 and a slender 175 pounds, the Indian American teen is a far cry away from the two leaguers in Singh and Bhullar in terms of size or strength. But, don’t be fooled, the kid is a certified bucket.
A prolific shooter from the three-point line and beyond, along with the ability score in the midrange or to take it to the rim and finish, coupled with his slender frame and long arms, and it’s no surprise why Agarwal has received a number of Kevin Durant and Brandon Ingram comparisons growing up.
However, he would describe his own game as a combination of those players along with a mix of Duncan Robinson and Klay Thompson, depending on the situation.
Agarwal has excelled and it’s why he’s a four-star recruit, the 89th ranked player in the nation and 11th in the state of Texas. It’s also helped him garner the attention of more than a dozen D1 schools.
However, perhaps none more meaningful than the one he received from his dream school, Stanford University.
For Agarwal, it was more than just an offer from the best school in the country. It was the realization that this was all really possible; that the amalgamation of all the hard work he’s put into the game of basketball could take him to heights he had never dreamed of.
Off the court, Agarwal is just like any other typical high schooler. He loves to listen to Lil Baby and Gunna, watch Netflix, and hang with “Day-1’s.” He’s even just like any other South Asian high schooler, able to understand the language of his parents [Hindi and Tamil], but unable to speak it.
That’s not to get it twisted, however. His heritage means everything to him. Because for Agarwal the journey goes beyond just himself. While the 4-star signee ultimately has dreams of playing in the NBA, he’s not only doing it for himself. He wants to inspire a community of kids that look just like him. A community of people that might never have thought they were athletic enough to play at the next level.
He’s doing it for the culture.
And that’s different.