Every athlete has a dream. For Touger Lor, that dream was simple: he wanted to play college basketball.
It wasn’t a goal built on hype, rankings, or attention from recruiters. It was a dream he carried with him since his freshman year of high school, even when the path ahead seemed uncertain. At the time, Touger weighed nearly 240 pounds and often felt overlooked. He didn’t fit the image many people had of a future college basketball player, but despite the doubts and challenges, he never stopped believing he belonged on the court.
After his freshman season, Touger made a commitment to himself. If he wanted to chase his dream, he knew he had to change. Through discipline, sacrifice, and countless hours of work, he transformed both his body and mindset, losing nearly 100 pounds before his sophomore year. While many people saw the weight loss, few saw the determination behind it. Every workout, every difficult day, and every small step forward was driven by a belief that his basketball journey was far from over.
Even after that transformation, the road wasn’t easy. Throughout high school, Touger faced injuries, limited playing time, and setbacks that would have caused many athletes to walk away from the game. He didn’t have the advantage of playing AAU basketball, which often serves as a major avenue for exposure and recruiting opportunities. He wasn’t collecting major awards or attracting widespread attention. Instead, he relied on something far less glamorous but far more important: consistency.
While others focused on what he lacked, Touger focused on what he could control. He continued to develop his game, improve his skills, and work on becoming the best player he could be. Year after year, that commitment began to show. By his senior season, he had earned a starting role and the honor of being named team captain. The player who once felt overlooked had become a leader his teammates could trust.
Using film from his senior season, Touger began receiving opportunities to continue his basketball career at the collegiate level. He initially committed to Mayville State University, a major step toward achieving the dream he had chased for years. However, he realized it wasn’t the right fit and made the difficult decision to return home.
For many athletes, that moment might have felt like the end of the journey. Instead, Touger viewed it as another obstacle to overcome. Rather than giving up, he returned to the gym, continued training, and kept believing that another opportunity would come. His faith in the process eventually paid off when he earned an opportunity to play basketball at Maharishi International University in Fairfield, Iowa.
For Touger, this achievement means more than simply playing college basketball. It represents years of perseverance, sacrifice, and belief in himself when circumstances made it easy to doubt. Every setback, every injury, every moment of frustration became part of the foundation that helped him reach his goal.
What makes this next chapter even more meaningful is that he won’t be taking it alone. Touger will be joined at MIU by Touwin Yang, someone he has known for years and considers a little brother. The opportunity to continue their basketball journeys together is something he deeply values.
“Being teammates with Touwin is a great feeling,” Touger shared. “We’ve known each other for years, and that’s like a little brother to me. Doing this alongside my little brother is great. We both want to win, we both have the same goals and mindset, and we’re going into MIU to prove that Hmong people can ball too.”
Touger’s story is one that extends beyond basketball. It’s a reminder that success doesn’t always come quickly and that the journey is rarely perfect. Many people know what it’s like to feel overlooked, underestimated, or uncertain about whether their hard work will ever pay off. Touger experienced those same feelings, but he never allowed them to define him.
From a freshman weighing 240 pounds to a college basketball player earning a scholarship opportunity, his journey serves as a powerful example of what can happen when determination outweighs doubt. His story reminds us that dreams are not reserved for the most recognized athletes or the most naturally gifted players. Sometimes, they belong to those who simply refuse to quit.
As Touger prepares to begin his collegiate career at Maharishi International University, he carries with him not only his own dream, but also a message for the next generation of Hmong athletes: keep working, keep believing, and never let someone else decide what you’re capable of achieving.