Meet Nisha Kang: A  5’10 Punjabi Shooting Guard from Monterey Trail High School in Elk Grove, CA. And Nisha is a local basketball star in the making. The Junior guard is coming off of one of her best seasons yet. She averaged 12 PPG, four blocks per game (2nd in the league), and five rebounds per game. Nisha helped the Monterey High Mustangs ladies basketball team to a 17-6 record and lead the team to finish third in the conference.

Nisha started playing basketball in the sixth grade and her mentality ever since has been to give it her all and strive for higher success. One friend that has witnessed her journey is her longtime friend Harjot Kushresh, “Nisha is a dedicated player who always continues to strive for higher success. She never gives up and gives it her all. Not a single day goes by where Nisha doesn’t think about basketball. It has shaped her and made her believe that the sky is really the limit.” The sky may truly be the limit for Nisha as some D1 and D2 schools are taking notice. “I have three official offers from La Verne University, Occidental College, and Simpson University. I have also talked to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, UC Merced, and some other schools down the coast,” Nisha shares. These schools have shown attraction in Nisha not just on the court but off of the court too as Nisha currently holds a 4.2 GPA and has maintained perfect grades since her Freshman year in high school. She is the ideal teammate too. Teammate Kandace Sans shares, “Nisha is one of the most positive people I know. She’s very selfless. Even in school, she is the Class President, constantly working to put events together and taking on Advanced and Honors classes. She does all of these things and she does them well.” After High School, Nisha plans on majoring in Kinesiology in hopes of becoming a Sports Physical Therapist. 

Nisha has now played three years on Varsity and is coming off of her best year yet. Though she feels she still has a lot to prove; she has a bigger picture in mind and is set on making big improvements. “My goal is to be 1st in league for blocks next season. and as a team, our goal is to make it to the Section championship and make a state appearance,” Nisha shares. The Lady Mustangs lost in the first round of the playoffs this past season but look to erase that and make it to the Section title game next season. Nisha is looking forward to a lot of things next season, “I am looking forward to enjoying my last year of high school and having fun while playing the sport I love. I am also looking forward to Senior Night because I have dreamt about it since freshman year.” 

Looking forward, Nisha hopes to inspire younger Punjabi girls. Nisha shares, “There is definitely pressure knowing I am one of the few Punjabi hoopers that have a chance to play at the next level. My end goal is to inspire younger Punjabi girls to follow their dreams and to believe in themselves even if no one else does. I have had personal experiences where I was told that my goals are crazy, but here I am, making my dreams come true. My advice to younger Punjabi girls would be to always chase your dreams regardless of the amount of support you get. There will always be people that doubt but use that as motivation to prove people wrong. Also, always keep your grades up because they play a large role in recruitment and can open many doors for opportunity.”

Nisha is breaking barriers on the court. She is opening up new possibilities not only for herself but for young, aspiring Punjabi girls who also look for inspiration on their journey to fulfilling their basketball dreams. The barriers and inequality between Men’s and Women’s sports are evident. Despite this, women continue to break barriers to sports and lead inspiring careers to lead the next generation of professional athletes. Nisha looks to do the same. Nisha is headed towards an exciting career in basketball and is an athlete to keep an eye on.  And as the 2019-2020 season wraps Nisha Kang will be a player many schools will have their eye on in the 2020-2021 season.

Twitter: @tnijhar2 | Read all of his articles HERE.