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EAST MOLINE, Ill. — It’s important for high schoolers to be well-rounded. At United Township in East Moline, one student-athlete has embraced this, excelling both on the basketball court and in the classroom.
Kriyoshig Prasai, known as KP or Shiggy to his teammates, is proving that hard work and determination pay off in more ways than one.
When players describe United Township basketball, they say “family.”
“I wouldn’t be anywhere else. I think the culture that we have here, especially with the new head coaches, Coach Saey and Coach Whiteman, I think they brought something special here,” Kriyoshig said.
The sense of family within the team is something that means a lot to him.
“The coaches have been like father figures to me. They’ve really pushed me every day to work harder. Basketball helps me balance my life,” he said.
Although his time on the court varies, his commitment never wavers.
“His minutes may be minimal some days, they might be a lot some days,” Coach Andy Saey said. “You wouldn’t know by his demeanor. By his attitude. Whatever we need from him, if I asked him to go get water for the guys, he’d do it. If I asked him to run through a brick wall, he’d try and do that too. He’s just a high-character kid that’s a ton of fun to be around.”
While Kriyoshig excels on the basketball court, it’s far from his full story. With an SAT score of 1540, Kriyoshig has earned a full academic scholarship to Stanford University, where he will major in Management Science and Engineering.
“Someone else’s child is sitting with me in one of the most important moments of his life. My heart was racing,” Saey said.
“I was not calm about it. He came up to my desk and said, ‘Hey Ms. Monson, I just want to tell you.’ And I was like, ‘What?!’ I was so excited,” UTHS teacher Heather Monson said.
Another teacher, Andy Round, shared praise for Kriyoshig’s compelling personal essay.
“He’s such a good writer. He wrote an essay about his grandfather and his impact on his life. There was some tragedy surrounding his grandfather, so he just really wanted to honor him. But he wrote such a striking essay that I’m not surprised that it grabbed the attention of the personnel at these prestigious colleges,” Round said.
Kriyoshig’s roots run deep, and it’s all part of his journey. Originally from Nepal, he remains closely connected to his culture and has big plans for the future.
“I really want to go back to my home country and help out the people,” he said. “If I went back and did something, then I think even the ones who have passed away, I think I can make them really proud and my parents really proud, because I think, no matter how much money you have, it doesn’t really matter unless you do something with it that helps the people, because that’s the only thing that will last.”
