Photo Courtesy of SWC Athletics
Christian Gamboa, a talented player on the men’s basketball team, passed away in August – leaving the team and the Southwestern College community grieving the loss of the promising 23-year-old.
For his coach and teammates, Gamboa was more than the player wearing number 24. He was someone they shared grueling practices, long bus rides, and game day nerves with.
Countless moments on and off the court, his presence became part of the team’s everyday life. Making his loss felt not only as the passing of a student athlete, but as the loss of a teammate and friend.
Gamboa joined the Jaguars in 2021, playing around four games before taking a long lasting break to deal with personal matters. Then making his return to the team in Fall 2025.
For basketball Coach Tyrone Shelly, the loss of Gamboa felt deeply personal, having watched him grow as a player.
“He was phenomenal, a hard worker,” he said. “He put his teammates first. He didn’t complain, he was like a superstar for us. He had a bunch of offers to different colleges and universities. Personally, I love the kid. I wish he would have taken them, and gave himself an opportunity to fulfill his purpose in life and continue to grow”.
Shelly said he’ll remember Gamboa’s smile and energy.
Tai Jones first met Gamboa during summer 2023, when they shared the court as teammates. Although Gamboa later took a break from basketball, the connection they formed during the time stayed with Jones.
“He was in a locker right next to mine this past season,” he said. “We would always catch up on what we have going on outside of basketball. He would also always bring the energy. There would be days where none of us would want to practice and he would come into the locker room yelling and getting everyone hyped.”
Jones described Gamboa as a selfless person who put team before self. The teammates were so close that Jones referred to Gamboa as, “my brother. All my teammates are brothers,” he said.
While basketball was an important part of Gamboa’s life, it was only one part of who he was. Away from the court, he was a son, a brother, and a loved one whose role within his family meant just as much. His brother, Ricardo Vazquez, remembers him not as the player others saw on the court, but as the brother he grew up with.
His brother remembers him as a homebody who loved being around his family, finding comfort in the people closest to him. As well someone who always put others before himself.
“He always had positive energy around the people he cared about,” Vazquez said. “I feel like he had so much life to live, I want him to be remembered as someone who was really selfless. He was someone who was willing to go to war and back for someone. Even when dealing with his own things he always showed up”.
Family relationships do not always look the same, and for Gamboa and his brother, their bond was uniquely theirs.
“I was kind of like a father figure, we didn’t have a traditional brother relationship,” Vazquez said. “I think of him as that young kid who in a way is a reflection of me. He was always laughing and loving everyone around him. He was a goofy kid”.
A jersey may have been what identified Gamboa on the court, but it could never tell the whole story of who he was. His life reached far beyond the basketball court, and so will his memory.
