Many high school basketball players who strive for a scholarship only really think about the outlet of a full ride for sports. But these players do not know the meaning of the student-athlete. Senior Varun Ram has not only become the star point guard on the basketball team, but a star student, taking five AP classes, one GT class, and an honors world language course.
     Ram has gone through an extraordinarily tough academic life, even before high school. In fact, he only spent four years in elementary school, skipping from third to fifth grade. Varun could just as easily be a sophomore right now.  His intellectual capacity may be strong enough to be a junior, but there is some trade off in his basketball career.
     It’s difficult to understand how he juggles homework and sports. “Time management is key; I have a strict schedule. I just come home from practice and do homework, and I have no leisure time.”
     “It was bad because right now I would still have two more years of eligibility,” said Ram about skipping a grade. He would have had another year to work on his strength and skills before trying out as a freshman. He could either be playing his second year of JV or playing on varsity as a sophomore and would have the ability to play there for two more years.  Ram was pulled up to varsity as a sophomore, which could have been his freshman year.
     Ram credits most of his basketball skills to the high percentage of his middle school life playing pick up games at the Columbia Gym for 2-3 hours each day. In 6th and 7th grade, he challenged himself to face high school players and adults. He struggled at first but was able to adapt to the height and abilities of more experienced players.
     He was also able to find the positive aspects of skipping a grade for playing basketball. “It was good because playing with older kids made me work harder, it made me tougher,” said Ram. And for most of the games, he stands as the smallest player on the court.
     It’s one thing for a player to be taking all AP classes and just be on the team, but Ram is also the star point guard. On the year he averages 12.56 points a game and has averaged close to 1.5 three pointers made per game hitting 27 on the year. And when the clutch factor is needed, Varun has shown up, shooting 73.2% from the line in 82 attempts.  Not once this year has he been held scoreless. He recorded a season high of 19 once and has scored 18 twice.
     Ram also came up huge during the tight playoff game against Hammond. He scored 13 of the team’s 43 points in the 43-41 victory.
     Varun Ram has excelled in both athletics and school, and a normal night consists of three hours of homework and three 3-pointers. He is truly the definition of not only the student-athlete, but also the scholar-athlete.