SACRAMENTO — Local high school students are chalking up pool cues to represent our country on the world stage.
He is a high school student by day and a billiards genius by night. In Sacramento’s Hard Times His Billiards, this his 15 year old boy is playing a killer behind the cue.
Adrian Prasad is a 10th grader at Monterey Trail High School and the Billiards Educational Foundation’s Under 16 National Champion.
At the age of 13, he was already competing internationally against adult professionals. He will be representing his country at the Junior World Championships in Austria this month and has his eyes on the prize.
“Being world champion means everything,” Adrian said.
It’s fair to say he was bitten by the billiards bug early on. He discovered his love for the game when he was barely tall enough to peek over a pool table.
“Adrian used to watch us play when he was four or five years old and eventually we started playing together,” said Atish Prasad, Adrian’s father.
That hobby he shared with his father quickly turned into an obsession.
“No one of our friends can beat him,” Atish said.
Prasad is called a child prodigy, but his accomplishments actually come from sheer discipline.
“I play four to six hours during the week. I try to play at least four hours,” Adrian said. “On the weekends, I try to work eight to 10 hours a day.”
Since he is not old enough to get a driver’s license yet, his parents make him practice. That is as long as the homework is done.
“Our rules for him are that he has to be straight A in all classes, and if he can achieve that, we will give him the opportunity to travel anywhere in the world and play as much as possible. ” said Atish. He said.
Often the youngest in the pool hall, Adrian has a quiet confidence about him. When under pressure, he lets his cues speak.
“This is where I belong,” he said. “I’m going to be competing against the best players here, and to be honest, I think they think this kid is here to win.”
Prasad is scheduled to head to Austria on October 16th and is looking forward to bringing the World Champion title back to Sacramento.