Akbar Abdul-Ahad This is Me

Education

 Web References

1. 1. Ottumwa Courier - News - 03/29/2005 - Abdul-Ahad commits to Miami of Ohio

   www.ottumwacourier.com/site/ne - [Cached]

   Published on: 3/29/2005   Last Visited: 3/30/2005

   Abdul-Ahad commits to Miami of Ohio
   ...
   At 6-0 and 175 pounds, Akbar Abdul-Ahad my have risen higher throughout this past season than any member of the 2004-05 Indian Hills basketball team.
   
   Brought in from Division III JUCO school Minneapolis Community and Technical College, Abdul-Ahad was slated to be a bench player that would get 10-15 minutes per game.
   ...
   "It's really about your skills," Abdul-Ahad said. "I thought I could play at any level."
   
   With heart and hard work, Abdul-Ahad went from bench player to starting point guard at IHCC and an All-Region XI honorable mention selection. That play attracted a number of NCAA suitors, but at the end Abdul-Ahad has given his verbal commitment to Miami of Ohio.
   ...
   "He wants me to come in and be the captain of the team," Abdul-Ahad said.
   ...
   "He wants to have a relationship with the players," Abdul-Ahad said. "He has a great sense of humor, great personality. He's a great role model, a real father figure."
   
   Abdul-Ahad will also play at a school known for producing great guards. Following in the footsteps of NBA all-star Redhawks Ron Harper and Wally Szczerbiak, Abdul-Ahad has really come a long way since first picking up a basketball when his family moved to Minneapolis at age 10.
   ...
   Originally born in Chicago, Abdul-Ahad didn't become interested in basketball until age 11. Once he became interested in the game, Abdul-Ahad saw it as a tool to avoid the wrong path in life.
   
   "I first thought of it as a sport, but it became a motivational tool for a kid coming up from the projects," Abdul-Ahad said. "The neighborhood I grew up in, I saw basketball as the outlet of life. It got me away from the violence and the gangs."
   
   Abdul-Ahad also used his ability to turn negatives into positives to build on his opportunities. Despite hearing much criticism from fellow players and even his sophomore head coach in high school, Abdul-Ahad never considered dropping the game.
   
   "My sophomore coach at Hopkins high school told me I'll always be an ally (street) ball player and never a great team player," Abdul-Ahad said. "It took some criticism and negative talk to motivate me.
   
   "I took it as a negative thing. It motivated me, and made me show my heart out there on the basketball court."
   
   Abdul-Ahad, after enrolling at Roosevelt High School in the middle of Minneapolis, blossomed into what would be a great high school career. Abdul-Ahad became an All-State selection and was a star on Team Minnesota in the 2001 Mr. Basketball Tournament in Kerney, Nebraska.
   
   Abdul-Ahad continued to learn more about being a team player during his season at Minneapolis Community Tech. There, he learned the values of getting everyone else on the court involved to win.
   
   "Basketball-wise, it was a lot more structured (in junior college)," Abdul-Ahad said. "In high school, I was always the one to look for offense. You become a good player when you get everyone else involved."
   
   Those attributes allowed Abdul-Ahad to score 15 points per game at Minneapolis before heading to Indian Hills.
   ...
   "When I first met Zo, he thought I was a little bit cocky," Abdul-Ahad said. "I've always tried to encourage myself. I had no name coming into Indian Hills, so I had to prove myself again."
   
   Throughout the past season, Abdul-Ahad has done just that. By season's end, the Minneapolis native averaged 11.3 points and 3.7 assists per game, leading to the numerous offers from Division I programs.
   
   After years of hard work on the court, Abdul-Ahad wasn't overwhelmed by the attention. In fact, it seemed somewhat overdue.
   
   "I definitely felt I earned it. I worked so hard, it wasn't a shock to get so many offers," Abdul-Ahad said. "When you work hard, you expect great things. I expected Division I offers coming out of high school.
   
   "It's not about your physical skills, it's about how hard you work."
   
   Hard work will continue to be what will drive Abdul-Ahad and, perhaps, drive Miami of Ohio back toward to national spotlight.
   
   "I want to be a part of good team and contribute in any way I can," Abdul-Ahad said.

2. 2. The Ottumwa Courier - AREA SPORTS NOTEBOOK: Former Warrior testing NBA draft waters

   www.ottumwacourier.com/sports/ - [Cached]

   Published on: 5/25/2001   Last Visited: 5/25/2006

   One player you probably will not see at that draft will be Akbar Abdul-Ahad, the starting guard on the 2004-05 Indian Hills basketball team. After playing all 27 games in his first year at Idaho State this past season - leading the Big Sky Conference in assist-to-turnover ratio - Abdul-Ahad plans on being back next year as a senior leader of the 2006-07 Bengals' squad.
   
   Still, that hasn't stopped Abdul-Ahad from declaring for this year's NBA Draft. That declaration, however, is Abdul-Ahad's opportunity to begin clearing a path for the former Warrior to play at the pro level.
   
   Abdul-Ahad looking to make name for himself against elite competition
   
   Akbar Abdul-Ahad has already made plans to be in an Idaho State jersey next season for his senior year with the Bengals. Still, Abdul-Ahad has eyes on his playing career after his days at Idaho State are done.
   
   For that reason, The former Warrior starting guard and Minneapolis native has declared for this year's NBA Draft. Abdul-Ahad, however, doesn't plan on staying in the draft pool but instead is looking to test himself against players who by next year may be starring on the NBA hardwood.
   
   "I'm going in to play against the best talent out there," Abdul-Ahad said. "I plan on coming back next season, but I want to have everyone's attention first. I don't want to get in (to the pros) through the back door. I want people to pay attention to me my senior year."
   
   By declaring for the draft, Abdul-Ahad will be able to compete in a number of different camps in front of numerous pro scouts before having to withdraw by the June 18 deadline. Abdul-Ahad is working out this week in Chicago with a camp hosted by Michael Jordan and Jordan's training staff.
   ...
   From there, Abdul-Ahad will head to Los Angeles to compete in against more draft prospects. All roads will eventually lead to the NBA's Pre-Draft Camp, held in Orlando from June 6-10.
   
   "Some guys are afraid of what people will say about them (in these camps). I want people to judge how good I am," Abdul-Ahad said.
   ...
   "He's always bringing up that we're rivals," Abdul-Ahad joked of O'Brien.

3. 3. Basketball news

   www.tourbus.com/basketball-new - [Cached]

   Published on: 7/18/2004   Last Visited: 4/28/2005

   Coach Doug Oliver announced the signing of Akbar Abdul-Ahad of Indian Hills Community College in Ottumwa, ...