For Kirath Makhar, there were some things he would’ve liked to do differently in his first two years at Treasure Valley Community College in Oregon. 

“I played alright, could’ve played better … but can’t change it now,” said Makhar, who added that things changed once TVCC had a new coach to tip off his sophomore season. “I felt great about my role, [we had a] new coach; it was his first year, and he let me be me.” 

Anyone familiar with Makhar’s game knows that when coaches let go of those reins, he’ll not only gallop to glory—he’ll bring the whole team along for the ride. 

“I was starting and kind of did a bit of everything … scoring, play making and [contributing] a huge part on defense,” said Makhar. 

That versatility, and the addition of new head coach Eric Holbrook, who played at Western Oregon University and most recently was an assistant at Dawson Community College in Montana, seemed to help Makhar. 

“I fell in love with the game of basketball as a player and I have now fallen in love with teaching the game of basketball. My goal as a coach is what I call the ‘spider web effect.’ Because my coach impacted my life and turned my life around, I want to be able to keep that going,” said Holbrook in a media release at Dawson. “If I can impact a student-athletes’ life, I hope that when they get the chance to help someone, they will do the same. This all creates a large web of good people helping others who need it.”

The thing is, Makhar was already good at helping people—he just needed the right coach to guide him on his way. The new TVCC coach has certainly done that for Makhar, who averaged 17 points, five rebounds, four assists and two steals per game as a sophomore, earning All-East Region honors in the Northwest Athletic Conference, or NWAC. 

Makhar also helped lead the Chukars to the conference tournament’s Elite 8—not an easy task when 32 schools make up the NWAC. TVCC completed the 2024-25 season with an 8-6 record in the East Region of the NWAC, good for third place, and were 13-15 overall. 

Makhar was one of a handful of TVCC players that opted to return to the two-year school in the town of Ontario, Oregon, located about 40 miles west of Boise, for his sophomore year after averaging 19 minutes and 10 points per game as a freshman. 

That is hard to believe, considering the young man was a legend and viral YouTube sensation at Cottonwood High, setting Utah’s internet on fire with dazzling ball-handling skills, as he contorted his body into the next jaw-dropping move that usually resulted in someone else getting most of the credit in the form of a two or three-point bucket. 

But, the truth is that the truly great ones don’t think they’re really that great. As student-athletes, they put in so many hours at the gym that they often have to be kicked out by janitors. 

The other truth is that players like Makhar are as vital to any team’s ecosystem as the bottles of water and Gatorade they must drink to replenish their bodies, hearts and minds after playing hard on both ends of the floor. 

The Cottonwood legend is on track to graduate with his associate’s degree in the spring, setting the stage for his next step, which is still being formulated but will include a four-year school. 

“I’m trying to figure that out,” Makhar said. “I’ve had some [NAIA schools] reach out to me, but I’m for sure going to play at the four-year level.”  λ