With more than twelve years of experience under his belt, captain and point guard Malik Corey delves into his final year of high school as the leading force for the Diamond Bar High School’s varsity boys basketball team.

“We’re all close on the team and I feel like we all feed off of each other’s [energy]. They know that I always have their back,” Corey said.

Corey’s father introduced him to basketball when he was five years old, which led to his playing in the Rec League. Since then, Corey moved on to play for other more advanced teams such as Hard 2 Guard, a travel team he joined two years ago.

There, Corey competes in tournaments that attract the best basketball players from across the United States. In Hard 2 Guard, he says there are younger players on the team whom he tries to be a role model for.

He recounted his most memorable experience in Hard 2 Guard as a weekend long tournament in Las Vegas, where he competed against highly ranked players in his division.

From his first shot at basketball to when he joined the DBHS varsity team in his sophomore year, Corey has been continuing his father’s legacy. His father, Horace Corey, who played at Iowa State University and Cal Baptist University, has played a big role in his son’s basketball career as his personal coach and motivator.

“With my dad, I learn personal stuff as in improving my dribbling more [and] shooting more,” Corey said. “It’s just to help me stay on top instead of being average.”

On the team, he leads alongside fellow captain junior Kingston Ko.

“[Through basketball], I’ve met a lot of new friends, and it’s made me very social. I have no problem talking to people,” Corey said. “Just from basketball, I know so many people and it’s crazy— I would’ve never known them if I never joined the team.”

In his last year on the court, he had a chance to play alongside his younger brother, sophomore Myles Corey.

“It’s amazing,” Corey said. “I love my younger brother. We’ve always wanted to do this and we finally got the chance and we’re just making the best of it.”

Although he hasn’t focused on a specific college to play basketball for, he said that definitely plans to continue basketball in college and later in life.

“I feel as if basketball has always kept me on the right path— in high school, in everything,” Corey said. “I feel that if I wasn’t playing basketball I just wouldn’t be in the same position I am today.”