Parkview basketball's Christian Cordova's life was spiraling. Now, he's thriving.

Shortly after Jack Simpson took the Parkview basketball coaching job, he received a call from one of his friends at the Springfield Police Department. The officer asked if Christian Cordova played for his basketball team.

Simpson said, "Yes," to which the officer informed him that he had pulled over Cordova with a group of other kids believed to be affiliated with local gangs. Cordova wasn't in trouble, but the officer wanted Simpson to be aware.

Soon after, Simpson sat Cordova down and talked to him about what had happened. The young coach wanted to let his athlete know that there were two directions he could take: Either Cordova could cut out negative influences and be part of the basketball team, or he could take another path and risk the chance of his life spiraling.

"Basketball is what brings me out and makes me happy," Cordova said. "I talked to Coach Jack about my situation, he understood me and he put me in a good position to where I am now."

About three years later, despite all of the challenges that life has thrown at him, Cordova will be in the starting lineup for Parkview when the Vikings take the floor in the program's first state semifinal appearance since 1981 on Wednesday night at Mizzou Arena in Columbia.

Now a senior, Cordova continues to choose the path of doing the right things, setting himself up for a promising future. It all started with the choice he made after sitting down with his new coach before his sophomore year.

"To see a kid turn his life around like that is pretty special," Simpson said.

Parkview's Christian Cordova shoots a field goal as the Vikings took on the Milton (Georgia) Eagles in a consolation semifinal game of the Bass Pro Tournament of Champions at Great Southern Bank Arena on Friday, Jan. 17, 2025.

Parkview basketball's Chrisitan Cordova has always wanted to do the right thing

Cordova didn't have someone in his life to tell him what to do or teach him the difference between right and wrong. In a way, he raised himself, relying on a part of him that knew what was right.

When he was young, he lost his mother, who died of an overdose. He started hanging out with the wrong crowd, which got him into situations he didn't want to be in.

His dad wasn't very involved in his life. At one point, he got in trouble with the police and started doing things that Cordova wasn't OK with. Cordova decided to leave his dad's custody and move in with his little brother's dad instead.

"I didn't want to leave, but it was mentally draining me to the point where I couldn't do it anymore," Cordova said. "I didn't even want to play basketball sometimes because I'd have to deal with him sometimes. I just wasn't focused enough."

Cordova struggled to stay focused on basketball or his schoolwork. Heading into his sophomore year, he didn't pass enough classes or attend school enough to play the first semester of the season, the program's first under Simpson.

Parkview Basketball coach Jack Simpson during practice on Monday, March 17, 2025.

It was tough for him, but Simpson recognized the effort the young player was making to try to turn his life around and be a positive influence on those around him.

"That semester was tough, but he always came to practice and always had a great attitude," Simpson said. "By the second semester, he played and contributed to that team in a smaller role. It was so impressive how he just stuck with it."

Christian Cordova is on track for a successful life

Parkview basketball player Christian Cordova.

Cordova looks at his little brother's dad as a father figure, while Simpson is more of a big brother who can give him parental advice at times. Whenever there's something going on in life, he knows he can lean on Simpson. The greatest lesson Cordova can recall was Simpson telling him not to do anything he'd regret in the future.

Cordova doesn't have any regrets, and he's thriving.

Whenever life throws its challenges at him, Cordova goes to the gym and gets some shots up. His father now lives in Mexico, and the two keep in minimal contact. Nothing's been easy for the senior, but choosing to do the right thing somehow always has.

Cordova takes pride in being a straight-A student, and he's now enrolled in an automotive technology program at Ozarks Tech. He has a brakes and suspension class remaining, and once he passes, he'll earn certification to go into the automotive field and become a lube or service technician. He dreams of owning a car dealership someday and looks forward to working from the bottom to the top to become a master.

Christian Cordova grabs the rebound as Parkview Vikings took on Oak Ridge Pioneers (FL) in the first round of the 2025 Bass Pro Tournament of Champions.

On the court, Cordova does a little bit of everything that's needed. He's a 6-foot-1 guard who has started every game. He averages 9.1 points and 3.8 boards, but his greatest impact comes from being a vocal, positive leader for one of the best Parkview teams in decades. He can be a bit of a class clown, making everyone around him smile and keeping a calm demeanor.

That poise went away for a brief moment during the Vikings' 63-50 quarterfinal win over Helias Catholic. He turned the ball over and was called over to the bench. Simpson recognized he was upset.

The coach who helped Cordova get his life on track hugged him, reminded him that he loved him, and, in the heat of one of the great wins in Vikings history, said he wanted Cordova to be the one to change his oil in the future.

"I'm glad Coach Jack stepped in when he did because I wouldn't be here right now," Cordova said. "I wouldn't be here."

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: How Parkview basketball's Christian Cordova got his life back on track

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Parkview basketball's Christian Cordova's life was spiraling. Now, he's thriving.

Parkview basketball's Chrisitan Cordova has always wanted to do the right thing

Christian Cordova is on track for a successful life

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