If West can quickly move up the ranks of the Professional Squash Association, he’ll be able to do just that. Most of the athletes in the top 100 of the world rankings are able to focus only on playing. Since West has already beaten some of those top 100 in PSA tournaments while at Harvard, he stands a good chance to succeed as a professional.

Bajwa, a former professional squash player himself, expects that West will be able to flourish in the pro circuit, but concedes that it might take some time before he’s able to rise to the top.

“Colin can adapt to the pro game, but he’ll have to give it a year before he can conquer the challenge that he’ll have,” Bajwa says.

Both Bajwa and West’s former coach, Jim Paton, recognize that West’s ability to adapt along with his willingness to train will continue to bring him success.

“He’s one of the most coachable guys I’ve ever worked with,” Paton says. “I’d say ‘lets try this drill,’ and he’d pick it up instantly and just want to keep doing it until he could do it perfectly.”

West admits that his motivation stems from the fact that he has total control over his performance.

“I like individual sports,” West reveals. “I like it being on me.”

He is able to feed off of the pressure and channel it, whether playing the 9th match when the Harvard team faces a 4-4 tie (where he has never lost) or the finals of the Canadian under-19 National Championship (which he won).

“He takes every match as a first match; he’s able to isolate what happened in the past,” Bajwa said. “He’s very good at being in the moment.”

If he can do just that, West should be well on his way to his first CSA Individual National Championship.