PG - 6’1 - Archbishop O’Leary/NexGen Basketball - C/O 2025
The final buzzer rings through a small school gym in Red Deer signalling the end of a heated fifth-place Provincials match. With this buzzer came the end of the regular school season for two teams who both fell short of their Provincial title aspirations. Archbishop O’Leary from Edmonton came out on top in this match, winning by two points in a game that went to the buzzer. This may not have been the finish that everyone had hoped for, but this was far from an unsuccessful season for their program. One of the most exciting things on display for this O’Leary team was the all-star calibre play that came from their senior, star point guard, Karan Singh. Karan averaged 23/4/4 with 3.8 steals per game this season, earned a tournament MVP award at the Sir Winston Churchill Tournament, and was named to the Edmonton Stingers All-Star Showcase roster. After his star-studded regular season with the Spartans, Karan has taken his talents to the NexGen basketball club out of Edmonton to round out his high school career.
Karan is the type of player that any coach would love to have on their roster. He is an athletic, 6’1, point guard who loves to push the tempo and can run an offence with ease. This young man has a confident composure with the ball in his hands that was forged through a history of playing at an elite level. He grew up playing basketball and has experienced the highest levels of ball including a year abroad playing in the States (Which is a whole different type of game). Back in the summer of 2023, he was recruited to play prep down in Florida. This short, yet impactful season visibly moulded his game through his tough defence and hustle on the court. Nothing is handed to players at the prep level and everything a player wanted, including play time, had to be earned. Playing in a hard-nosed system like he did down south helped shape the type of hard worker that Karan is today.
Playing ball is the first thing that Karan does when he wakes up in the morning and the last thing that he does before bed. Karan is a student of the game who lives and breathes basketball. He models his game and floor general presence off NBA players such as Kyrie Irving and Devin Booker. Two players who are next to none at shot creation and reading defences. This offensive IQ allows him to play his game and thrive as a three-level scoring threat, spreading defences thin. His mid-range pull-up is his self-proclaimed strongest shot and is a rare find in a game that seems to have often neglected the importance of a mid-range game over a three-point shot. Don’t sleep on his perimeter shooting though, as I have seen him hit shots far beyond the high school three-point line when needed. The shooting along with an impressive show of athleticism for his size allows him to comfortably run a fast-paced offence and finish in acrobatic ways that are needed for a smaller guard. As much as he has already shown on the court, he is still always working to improve. He works out three times a day most days, twice on the court and once in the weight room utilising every minute of the day that he can to work on his game.
Anyone who knew Karan in earlier years or has watched his progress knows how far he has come even in a short period. His high school coach explained to me that the largest growth in his game came while he was away in the States playing prep and was not on the offensive end. At the start of his high school career, he was the one that teams would seek out on the defensive end for a favourable matchup and this was one of the weakest parts of his game. In the final year, the one that mattered most, Karan became a guy that the coach would look at to get stops on even the strongest offensive perimeter threats. He has a strong eye for steals and reads the play in a way that allows him to take advantage of weaker offensive players and strip the ball. Working on an offensive game for most players is easy, especially when you are already naturally skilled at it. It takes dedication and grit to be able to improve drastically and work on something that you are not good at, and for Karan, this was his defence. His coach could not stress enough how large of a jump this was and how much of an impact it made on their season.
Basketball is Karan’s biggest hobby and main passion. The love for the game stems back to his childhood, where his father first introduced him to the game of basketball. His dad was always his number one fan growing up and is one of the biggest reasons that he played. The love for the game that was shared between the two of them has never been more important since the tragic passing of his father during his grade 10 season. This devastating loss forced Karan to take time for himself and his family back home in India. Throughout this period, Karan unfortunately missed a good portion of his school year and basketball season. Missing a whole semester during a largely developmental year has forced Karan to work overtime just to keep up with other kids in his class. This effort level and life experience have only made him stronger and set him apart from others as he developed an even stronger work ethic on, and off the court. Skill level aside, Karan has a why; he plays for his dad. Josh McJannet, his high school coach, has never had a kid go through as much as Karan has and is so proud of how far he's come since. This is a player who carries a sense of maturity that is rare for kids his age and makes an immensely positive impact while he is on the court.
After chatting with both Karan and his coach individually, I was able to piece together a portrait of a stand-up guy and a phenomenal athlete that deserves to find a program that can support him on and off the court. “Basketball aside, he's a kid that truly deserves to be in a great situation. I love him like a son. I hope he finds somewhere that contributes to his life success and basketball success alike” (Coach McJannet). This athlete is one of the premier point guards in the province and he will be the hardest-working athlete on any team that he signs with. Growth is not a question with Karan, and he will never stop looking to improve himself. He has had interest from a few programs already but is still unsigned for his post-graduate career. Please feel free to reach out to me directly at hpaulichuk@gmail.com if you are interested in Karan joining your program and I would be more than happy to discuss and pass along information and game tape!
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