Matthew Singer is a Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Rancho Solano Prep for AZPreps365.com

SCOTTSDALE -- Rancho Solano center Amoljeet “AJ” Singh’s basketball journey was not an easy one. Being overweight and having never played basketball before, the odds were against him to succeed.

From significant weight loss to learning basic fundamentals, his journey required significant effort and time.

AJ was born in New Bombay, India, in 2007 to Surendra and Preiti Singh, and bounced around a lot before settling in Scottsdale and enrolling at  Rancho Solano Prep in 2022. 

Once enrolled at Rancho Solano as a sophomore, AJ decided to play basketball because of his height, 6-foot-6.

“He chose basketball because first of all, it was his height. We wanted to take the best benefit out of it,” Preiti, AJ’s mother, said. “And secondly, because Rancho Solano is such a good school and they welcome all students with open arms.”

Once on the team, the real challenges began. AJ was 410 pounds when he moved to Scottsdale.

 “It was hard at first,” AJ said. “Because, when I was 410 pounds, it's not easy to play basketball and run up and down the floor. I was playing JV. I barely got in the game because I was not able to run up and down the court. I used to barely get off the ground as a 6-8 player.”

However, Aaron Trigg, AJ’s coach, was determined to mold him into the best basketball player he could be.

“In a lot of ways it was fun,” Trigg said. “I mean, there certainly were some frustrating moments. But to see someone who was a completely blank slate, and so he may not have had positive habits yet, but he didn't necessarily have bad habits.”

It was also a way for Trigg to grow as a coach.

“As a coach, you get to see a pretty direct reflection of what you're teaching,” Trigg said. “So if he's doing something wrong, it's probably because I taught it wrong. If he's doing something right, well, then that's probably a good way to teach something to others.”

AJ’s development as Trigg described did not happen overnight. It took a lot of hard work and dedication to get to where he was. The first part was losing weight in order to get into playing shape.

“Fifty percent was my work and the other 50 percent is credited to my coaches and my parents,” AJ said. “They pushed me a lot to stay with my diet. What to eat, what not to eat and playing basketball all day. My workout used to be 8 to 10 hours a day, every day, working on lifting, cardio and my basketball skills.”

The second part was learning the correct fundamentals.

“He didn’t have a lot of the basketball fundamentals that a lot of players had at that point,” Trigg said. “But the amazing thing was, regardless of that, he was committed to showing up and giving his best effort every day and was not discouraged by anything. He was committed to reaching his potential, whatever that might be, really from day one.” 

AJ’s strong character, hard work and dedication led to him eventually losing enough weight to make the varsity team and play meaningful minutes. While on the JV team and bench, AJ showed not only that he is a hard worker, but also a great teammate.

“AJ has positive, infectious energy,” Trigg said. “He cares so much about the team and he cares so much about his teammates.”

 “I treat my teammates like my brothers, like they’re family,” AJ said. “Everyone is, from an eighth grader to a senior, everyone's my brother to me. Whoever's on the team with us, middle school guys who are friends with me, or just high schoolers. It's fun to have a bond with my teammates, because it's going to help you in-season anyways and outside of basketball.”

AJ’s parents have also seen a change in him, not only as a basketball player and teammate, but also as a person.

“He’s definitely more responsible and disciplined,” Surendra, AJ’s father, said. “He’s clear about his goals, what he has to do.”

AJ is now 6-foot-8, 230 pounds and playing consistent minutes with the varsity team.

“As of now, I feel way better,” AJ said. “I feel light. I can dunk now. I can run, move, stay on defense, stay low and guard the players. In our practices, I go hard and I can do skill workouts without even getting tired.”

Right now, AJ is set on playing college basketball.

“If I don't get an offer, maybe go to a good school for my academics,” AJ said. “I would go for business, management or marketing. I'd also walk-on a basketball team. But the goal still is to get a basketball offer. That’s Plan A.”

AJ’s story is an inspiration to everyone that crosses paths with him.

“He's just been such a pleasure and a joy to coach, because I may never coach a kid like him again,” Trigg said. “Where he came from to where he is now, the level of work ethic and commitment and dedication that he's shown is just so rare.

"So whether it's in basketball or whatever area of life he pursues in the future, he's going to be successful because he has those attributes.”