Cordova senior Malachi Gorman will represent the Lancers during the annual Optimist All Star Basketball Games on April 5 at Folsom Lake College. Photos by Rick Sloan

RANCHO CORDOVA, CA (MPG) - Cordova Lancers' senior Malachi Gorman has certainly accomplished a ton on the hardwood this year. 

Gorman, a 6-foot-3 multi-sport athlete who led the Lancers’ varsity basketball team in points (14.0), rebounds (6.0) and blocks (1.0) per game this past season, was recently named to the All-Metro League team by the California Interscholastic Federation Sac Joaquin Section.

Called a team leader by head coach Kevin Bridgeforth, Gorman has excelled on the court, in the weight room and in the classroom this school year. Yet, his latest accolade might just be the biggest one yet.

Bridgeforth recently called Gorman into his office to deliver the news that the athletic leaper was being selected to participate in the annual Optimist All Star Basketball Games. The yearly event will be on Saturday, April 5 at Folsom Lake College, giving top local seniors the opportunity to showcase their talents one final time, with a series of basketball games beginning at 10 a.m.

Cordova senior Malachi Gorman has exceled at both basketball and volleyball this year for the Lancers. 

Teams are determined by school attendance size, with games being held for small schools and big schools, boys and girls, and divided up by North and South rosters. The full game schedule was not available at press time.

"I feel like I've come so far and this is a great accomplishment for me," Gorman said of the honor. "I feel like all my hard work has paid off. All those long hours and times where it was really hard, I feel like it has paid off for what I'm trying to work toward. It's just another level of where I'm trying to get to and I'm trying to take that next step."

Gorman, who has been attending practices for the game while also being a key member of the Lancers' varsity volleyball team, said that he can learn a lot from the experience. Matching up against fellow area standouts is something Gorman isn't taking for granted. 

"It's helped me realize there are a lot of other people who put in the work and want to play this game as much as I do. It's different than if you were at a tryout where some just want to play for fun, some just want to be there for the communication,” Gorman said. “But being in the gym with a bunch of people who really want to pursue this in life has really enlightened me and has inspired me to push forward and not be complacent."