The Millikan Varsity Boys basketball team has a new and upcoming star. Freshman MBA point guard Quali Giran is making headlines for his standout performances in every game Varsity basketball has played so far this season. Giran has received official scholarship offers from UCLA and UC Berkeley.
Quali has had multiple standout performances this season including scoring 31 points in a very close loss to Sierra Canyon (pre-season No. 1 in CIF-Southern Section) in his first high school game.
He has also racked up 40 points in two separate games this season, against Jordan High School and Calvary Baptist High School. Through 25 games this season, Giran is leading the Moore League in both average points per game with 25.2 (to get this number, one divides the total points a player has scored in a season by the number of games they’ve played), and total field goals (dunk, three pointer, any two point shot) with 250.
Sports Illustrated mentions that, “[Giran] was on the radar of college recruiters already, but his shot-making ability against Sierra Canyon earned him a UCLA offer less than 24 hours later.” Giran has also received offers from San Jose State, Texas Christian University, Sacramento State, and Cal State Northridge, who are all NCAA Division 1 schools.
On Wed., Jan. 7 after Millikan’s 89-31 win against rival Lakewood High School, Giran said, “My favorite part [of playing basketball] is just playing for the team and winning.” He also said his parents inspire him
both on and off the court.
In this game, Giran totalled 28 points, five rebounds and three assists offensively, while also putting in a shift defensively, registering four steals (when you take the ball away from an opponent) and one block(swatting or hitting the ball during an opponent’s shot).
As the season progresses, Quali has shown no signs of slowing down. In his most recent game, a big 102-39 win in the second of two games against Lakewood high school, Giran posted 32 points, two rebounds and five steals, according to Maxpreps.com.
Giran has already been regarded as a top-10 national recruit for his class(2029), according to another Sports Illustrated article.
If you want to come watch Quali take the court, Millikan’s next varsity home game will be on Feb 3, when they will host Compton high school in the final game of the regular season.
Luke Campos • Feb 3, 2026 at 12:24 pm
I really enjoyed reading this piece. I appreciate how clearly the article presents Giran’s accomplishments and how it captures the excitement surrounding his breakout year. As a Millikan student, it’s inspiring to see someone so young already making such a big name for himself, especially with official scholarship offers from schools like UCLA and UC Berkeley.
The article does a great job showcasing his standout performances—like scoring 31 points in his very first high school game against Sierra Canyon, or dropping 40 points in two separate games. I also liked how it explained his league‑leading stats, such as averaging 25.2 points per game and totaling 250 field goals so far. Including quotes from Sports Illustrated and mentioning the multiple Division 1 offers he’s received really emphasizes how special of a player he is. His comment about loving to play for the team and being inspired by his parents adds a personal touch that makes him even more admirable.
However, I do wish the article had gone a little deeper into how Millikan’s coaching staff views his development and what their long‑term vision is for him. Since he’s already considered a top‑10 national recruit for the class of 2029, it would be interesting to hear more about how the program plans to support his growth, or even the challenges that come with having such a high‑profile freshman on the team. I would also like to know how his success has influenced team dynamics or expectations for the rest of the season. Overall, I enjoyed this article, and it made me even more excited to follow Millikan basketball. Seeing a player like Quali Giran rise so quickly brings a lot of pride to the school, and I’m looking forward to what the rest of his high school career—and the Millikan basketball experience—will bring.
Aubrie Jones • Feb 3, 2026 at 9:49 am
Luc talks about freshman, Quali Giran, and how he is already making a big impact on the Millikan basketball team in his first year attending. According to the article, “Giran has already been regarded as a top 10 nation recruit for his class (2029).” He also tells the audience how many offers he’s received, and that a majority of them are Division 1 schools. “Giran has also received offers from San Jose State, Texas Christian University, Sacramento State, and Cal State Northridge, who are all NCAA Division 1 schools.” Niren also uses outside sources including Maxpreps and SportsIllustrated to enhance how good of a player Quali really is. Luc also uses definitions for people who would like to read this article but need clarification. For example he says, “In this game, Giran totalled 28 points, five rebounds and three assists offensively, while also putting in a shift defensively, registering four steals (when you take the ball away from an opponent)…” This is a great addition because it makes the article suitable for anyone to read. Something that I would suggest is adding a quote from his coach and also taking into consideration grammar and punctuation, especially spacing and capitalization. Another thing that I would suggest is to change the conclusion since readers may read this after the game has already passed.
Sarah Buss • Feb 2, 2026 at 10:07 pm
On January 27, 2026, Luc Niren wrote an article titled “Quali Giran: Making Headlines”. I really enjoyed reading about Quali and think this was a strong piece overall. The writer did a great job highlighting his achievements as a freshman and making his stats easy to understand, especially by explaining what points per game and steals mean. It made me more interested in going to Millikan’s games, which is a big compliment to the story that Niren created.
I especially like the quote where Quali talked about playing for the team and winning, because it showed that he cares more about basketball and his teammates than just his own recognition. That made him seem mature for his age, which stood out to me.
One concern I had was that the article focused mostly on individual performance and not as much on how the whole Millikan team has been playing together this season. For a suggestion, I think the article could be enhanced by including a short quote from his coach or a teammate about what it’s like to play with him and how he impacts team chemistry.
Overall, my reaction is that Quali is an incredible player with a bright future, and it’s exciting to see someone from our area already being nationally recognized at such a young level. I’m curious to know how he balances school, basketball, and all the attention from colleges at such a young age, and whatever he feels pressure or just excitement going forward.
Sincerely,
Sarah Buss
Oliver Sammelius • Feb 2, 2026 at 1:51 pm
On January 27, 2026, Luc Niren wrote an article titled “Quali Giran: Making Headlines”. This article succeeds in its aim to highlight the athletic accomplishments of freshman point guard Quali Giran. The article gives context to who Giran is, and how he has impacted Millikan’s varsity basketball team. Giran’s achievements are highlighted throughout. I appreciate the usage of highly credible sources such as Sports Illustrated in order to shine light on the way Giran is being viewed and ranked by basketball scouts and explaining it in a way that the reader can understand. To add on, I believe that the way statistics such as field goals, steals, and blocks for example are explained allows readers who do not entirely understand the sport of basketball to be able to understand the article and Giran’s impact on the court.
This is clearly an article written by somebody that understands athletics and tailors their writing to be consumed by sports fans and non-sports fans alike. While this article does an outstanding job of highlighting the impact that Giran has on the court, I believe that shining light on who Giran is off the court as well, being that he is a part of the Millikan community, would be useful in order to understand who Giran is. Additionally, I believe that another way to highlight Giran’s impact on Millikan’s basketball team would be to interview players and coaches in order to get their input on how Giran impacts the team both on and off the court. Overall, this is a very well written article, and it was a pleasure to read.
Ava Von Hoene • Feb 2, 2026 at 1:10 pm
On, January 27, 2026, Luc Niren wrote an article titled “Quali Giran: Making Headlines”. This article did a sufficient job reaching out to the Millikan community, sponsoring the new freshman athlete, Quali Giran, and his accomplishments throughout his first season on the team. As previously stated, Giran is a freshman at Millikan and has already been scouted by top college coaches, including UCLA. As someone who attended the boys’ varsity basketball game against Poly and watched Giran play for the first time, I was very surprised at his skill level. Anyone could have walked into that gym that night without knowing anything about the team, and by the end, you would know Giran’s name, number, and position. This player really did pump the crowd up, on and off the court, and after watching him play, I wasn’t surprised at the number of offers he had gotten. To add on, the amount of detail in this short article progressively increases the reader’s enthusiasm for the boys’ basketball team. The incorporation of conclusions from previous games Giran has played highlights his abilities on and off the court, as well as his improvement and the team’s this year. I hope to see him play again soon.