Jay Yoon Reflects on Four Years at Pepperdine

Men’s Basketball senior guard Jay Yoon looks for an open teammate versus Gonzaga on Feb. 16. Yoon said his dream is to see the 1% of Asian Americans in the NCAA grow tenfold. Photos courtesy of Jay Yoon

Approximately 18.6 million Asian Americans call the United States home, which is about 7% of the United States total population. In 2019-20, athletes of Asian descent make up less than 1% of all student-athletes in the United States.

One of them resides in Malibu, Calif.

Four letters stitched on the back of a jersey represent a story of strength, perseverance and dedication.

“Putting on that jersey every day, knowing that as a Korean American, that I’m kind of a trailblazer, just for the youth…