Whiz Kid: Bindi Parikh Learns From Books and Basketball How to be a Leader

With an over-packed bookbag slung on her back, Fort Lee’s Bindi Parikh is hard to miss in the high school hallways.

The senior also stands out on the basketball floor as one of the captains on the Lady Bridgemen basketball team.

But it is this rare blend of dedication and success both on and off the court that makes Bindi Parikh a true Fort Lee “Whiz Kid.”

“There aren’t enough words for me to describe what a wonderful student athlete she is, and not only a student athlete, but a [wonderful] person,” said Bindi’s head coach Stacie Zafiris.

Parikh’s teammates have also noticed the special qualities that make up who she is.

“Bindi is very unique and one of a kind,” senior guard Brianna Mattessich said. “She is always happy and I don’t think I have ever seen her sad. [Bindi] works hard and hustles all the time. She is a really good person.”

The hard work begins long before many students her age even consider waking up, when Bindi gets out of bed at four o’clock in the morning.

“I know I have to get my work done so that is the only time of the day I can do it,” Parikh said. “At night [after practice] I am too tired to do it. So the morning I am most awake.”

Before the sun even rises, Bindi is busy hitting the books for all of her difficult classes. With a schedule that includes Advanced Placement Psychology, Accounting, English Honors, Physics, and Pre-Calculus, a typical student may crack under all of the pressure, but Bindi’s friends say this has never been the case for this whiz kid.

“I have never seen her be mean to anyone in my life,” Mattessich said of her friend. “She is always carrying books in this arm, books in that arm and her backpack full. Bindi is always talking about school.”

Parikh has always sought to be challenged, and it comes down to the people around her who motivate Bindi the most.

“My parents, my family, friends, and teachers all helped me,” the stand-out senior said. “They make me try to do better.”

And in basketball, her coaches and friends have helped Bindi grow into one of the top scorers on the Fort Lee team.

“I call her a gazelle because she flies up and down the court,” said a chuckling coach Zafiris. “It’s just her personality and nothing seems to faze her. You can never tell if [Bindi] is upset or not because she doesn’t show her emotions and she carries herself in a really mature way.”  

Remarkably, Parikh showed these characteristics years ago when she was also a strong student academically as well as an up-and-coming basketball player in the Fort Lee Girl’s Basketball League.

“She seemed the same way and I don’t think she changed one bit,” said Mattessich.

These abilities have helped Bindi be named a team captain for the Lady Bridgemen this season where she has helped lead the younger players by example.

“She is definitely a ‘team person’ and not a ‘me person,’” Zafiris said. “She really is a wonderful role model to the younger players…just by watching her demeanor in practice and in the game, you really see why she is a leader and why she is a captain.”

But with only a few games remaining and a few months of classes to go, Bindi is looking forward to college. She plans to major in business or accounting and follow an opportunity to play basketball as well.  

“I was thinking about Rutgers, Drexel, or Northeastern,” Parikh said on Tuesday night. “I have no dream school that I am going for. I want whatever school is a good fit for me – academic wise and athletic wise.”

Some of her closest supporters already know that it will be difficult to say good-bye to Bindi.

“It’s going to be tough,” said Brianna Mattessich. “I’ve been with her for a long time and to finally separate in basketball and school and going different ways. It’s tough. I’m going to miss her.”

Coach Zafiris thinks Parikh has the characteristics to succeed in whatever she does over the next few years.

“I see great things,” the coach said. “She has a great work ethic so I do see her succeeding in anything that she does because [Bindi] always strives to be the best. She understands that sometimes it takes a lot more work and a lot more practice to get there, but I see great things coming from her in the future.”

And no matter where she ends up, Bindi Parikh knows where she started and where her home will always be.

 “I’ve been in Fort Lee since I have been in my mom’s womb.”