Originally Posted January 15, 2021

By Derrick Smith  

Athletes that want to reach their potential and be the best they can be have to be willing to put in the work and do what needs to be done. The ones that are willing to do that will do whatever they set their minds to. Aadhi Ayyappan is one that knows what it takes in order to be the best he can be.  

“I have been in the gym my whole life,” he stated. “I was taught at a young age on how important going to the basketball gym was and I had a great coach who would take me with him to the gym to get shots up every day. I spent almost every day there and that is one of the reasons I am where I am.” 

Ayyappan is a sophomore at Bartlesville High School. He plays point guard and shooting guard for the Bruins’ basketball team. He says he has been playing basketball for eleven years and enjoys every aspect of the game. 

While he has watched a lot of basketball players play, Aadhi says that there is one player that he has always looked up to as a role model.  “Kobe Bryant is someone that I admire,” he said. “I love his mentality and it is what inspired me to work harder than others and to get where I am right now.” 

Another person that has made an impact on his life is his seventh-grade English teacher, Mrs. Davis.  

“She always cared about her students,” Ayyappan said. “She did a lot of extra stuff for her students that made class more fun and enjoyable. I looked forward to her class every day.” 

Aadhi has enjoyed a lot of cool moments with his teammates, both on and off the court. But he says that his favorite basketball moment came during his freshman year.  

“We were playing against Owasso,” he recalled. “I sunk a shot at the buzzer to give us the win. It was an incredible feeling.” 

While he is a great athlete, Ayyappan also excels in the classroom. He carries a 4.0 grade point average and is in all honors and AP classes.