Josh Chahal

Built, Not Born: The Reinvention of Josh Chahal

Once a six-foot post who didn’t touch the ball much, Josh tore down his own game and rebuilt it — one rep, one coach, and one mindset at a time.

Some players are born into their positions; Josh Chahal had to break out of his. “Growing up I was put in a box,” he says. “I played post until I was 18.” At six feet tall, that box was getting smaller every year. So he made a choice — bet on himself. For the last three and a half years, he’s been training, rewiring, and re-imagining everything about his game.

The moment that flipped the switch came after a district-final loss in high school. He couldn’t contribute the way he wanted — not because he didn’t care, but because he didn’t yet have the tools. “That made me hungry,” he says. “I wanted to prove to myself that I could become an all-around player who could hang with the greats.”

That hunger found direction when he met Coach Nel. “He took me under his wing,” Josh says. “We broke everything down — from IQ to skill work. I trusted him 100% from day one.” Later, Coach Boris entered the picture, reshaping his body and movement in ways that made him unrecognizable from the kid who once lived in the low post. “He got me in the best shape of my life before my tryout,” Josh says. “That changed everything.”

His biggest challenge wasn’t physical, though — it was becoming a guard at 18 after a lifetime in the paint. The only way forward was through humility and help. “My family, my mentors, my friends — they built this path with me,” he says. “Setbacks are normal. It’s not about what happens, it’s about the next move.”

Somewhere along the line, he learned a truth that now sits at the center of his philosophy:

“No one’s coming to save you.”

He says it calmly, not bitterly. “If I wanted change, I had to make it happen myself. No one was going to do the work for me.” That mindset turned him into the kind of player who outworks everyone — not out of anger, but gratitude. “My mom sacrificed so much for me to chase this dream,” he says. “I want to make her proud of the man I’m becoming.”

This season, Josh’s goal is to be a sponge — to absorb everything, on the court and in the classroom. Long-term, he’s aiming for two things: a degree and a shot at professional basketball. But success, to him, isn’t trophies or titles. “Success is improvement,” he says. “If I’m 1% better every day, that’s a win. Losing happens — what matters is what changes after.”

Off the court, he’s a study in contrasts — a comic-book and anime nerd with a grinder’s mentality. “It’s how I unplug,” he says. “Weirdly enough, anime helped shape my mindset.” He’s proud of being adaptive, both in life and in basketball, and teammates describe him as “the easy guy to talk to” — approachable, thoughtful, and completely invested.

His advice to younger players is simple and sharp:

“If it was easy, everyone would do it. You’ve got to sacrifice your old life for the new one you want.”

That’s Josh Chahal — proof that you don’t need to be born into greatness. You just need to rebuild yourself until you are.