Ahmad Ibrahim: The Future Hope of Lebanon
- Thread starter Khalid80
- Start date
daniab
Active member
lebanon4ever
Member
ahmad ibrahim vs arslan kazemi
http://www.lebanesebasketball.co.cc/2010/03/two-of-top-young-players-from-middle.html
http://www.lebanesebasketball.co.cc/2010/03/two-of-top-young-players-from-middle.html
kerdito
Active member
This is so old...
Dani there is a player called Remi Dibo he is a 6-8 PF is he also lebanese?
Link: http://hswestvirginia.scout.com/a.z?s=413&p=8&c=1&nid=4658461
Link: http://hswestvirginia.scout.com/a.z?s=413&p=8&c=1&nid=4658461
tonysaade
Member
no man he's not .... as you can see he even played for the French NT
REMI DIBO basketball profile
Height: 201cm / 6'7''
Position: Forward
Born: 1991
Team: High School (Canada) (2008-09)
Nationality: Ivorian-French
Previous teams:
Le Mans (France)
FRA NT (France)
Remi Dibo Basketball Career
Born: May 23, 1991 in Paris (France)
Full name: Remi N. E. Dibo
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Career:
2007-2008: Le Mans Sarthe Basket U21 team
2008-2009: Stoneridge Prep (Ca.)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Awards/Achievements:
French U16 National Team -07
European Championships U16 in Rethimnon (Greece) -07: 8 games: 7.1ppg, 3.8rpg, 2FGP: 55%, 3FGP: 33.3%, FT: 58.8%
Adidas World Junior Tournament in Douai (France) -08
Adidas Nations Tournament in Dallas, TX (Team Africa) -08, 09
daniab
Active member
April 2, 2010
Falcons get some revenge
MSU Academy opens ESPN tournament with win over Oak Hill Academy
BALTIMORE — With the national spotlight burning bright, Mountain State Academy rose to the occasion.
The No. 6 seed Warriors defeated No. 3 Oak Hill Academy 59-53 Thursday in a quarterfinal contest at the ESPN RISE National High School Basketball Invitational.
The game was televised nationally on ESPNU.
Oak Hill Academy dealt MSA one of its three losses at the Big Atlantic Classic in February.
“It’s unbelievable,” MSA coach Rodney Crawford said. “To be a young program like we are and to battle with an established program like Oak Hill Academy — it’s remarkable. It’s really incredible. It’s a credit to the kids and everyone involved.
“We controlled the tempo and rebounded well. That’s what took us over the top. We got it done.”
The Falcons (22-3) advanced to face No. 2 Findlay Prep (Nev.), the 2009 national champion. The semifinal game tips off at 2 p.m. today and will be televised on ESPN2.
Findlay defeated No. 7 Charlotte Christian (N.C.) 65-50 Thursday night.
“This win feels great, but we have a much bigger fish to fry (today),” Crawford said. “We’ll have to lay it all out on the line. Everything’s a little bigger right now.
“This is big for Beckley, big for the academy,” Crawford added. “We’re setting out to win it. They beat us pretty bad the last time we played, so we’ll have to execute much better and be more detailed this time.”
Oak Hill Academy held a 27-24 advantage at halftime, due in part to hitting 6 of 11 three-point attempts. The Warriors connected on just 1 of 13 treys in the second half, however.
“They were hot early, but we were hanging in there,” Crawford said. “We knew that it couldn’t last the whole game.”
Mountain State Academy won the battle on the boards, outrebounding OHA 38-26. WVU-bound center David Nyarsuk grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds for the Falcons.
“David really controlled the paint,” Crawford said. “That was huge for us.”
Ahmad Ibrahim led MSA with 13 points. Remi Dibo scored 12 and Justin Martin tallied 11 for the Falcons.
Oak Hill Academy ended its season at 29-4.
Doron Lamb paced Oak Hill Academy with 20 points. Pe’Shon Howard added 11 and Juwan Staten chipped in with 10 for the Warriors.
In other quarterfinal games Thursday, No. 1 Montverde Academy (Fla.) beat No. 8 Montrose Christian (Md.) 51-49 and No. 5 Winter Park (Fla.) downed No. 4 Christ School (N.C.) 82-72.
The national championship game will be played Saturday at 1:30 p.m. and will be aired on ESPN.
MOUNTAIN STATE ACADEMY 59,
OAK HILL ACADEMY 53
MOUNTAIN STATE ACADEMY (22-3)
Jabs Newby 1-3 0-0 2, Ahmad Ibrahim 6-15 0-0 13, Ronald Ross 3-9 1-1 8, Anthony Bennett 1-6 1-2 4, David Nyarsuk 3-5 1-1 7, Obij Aget 0-0 2-2 2, Justin Martin 5-9 0-0 11, Remi Dibo 4-6 2-2 12. Totals 23-53 7-8 59.
OAK HILL ACADEMY (29-4)
Doron Lamb 8-15 0-0 20, Juwan Staten 4-8 2-2 10, Baye Keita 1-4 1-2 3, Pe’Shon Howard 4-14 1-1 11, Martins Abele 1-3 0-0 2, Keith Hornsby 0-2 0-0 0, Roscoe Smith 2-6 2-3 7, Yemi Makanjuola 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 20-52 6-8 53.
Halftime—OHA 27-24. 3-Point Goals—MSA 6-16 (Dibo 2-4, Ibrahim 1-4, Ross 1-3, Bennett 1-2, Martin 1-3), OHA 7-24 (Lamb 4-8, Howard 2-11, Smith 1-3, Staten 0-1, Hornsby 0-1). Fouled Out—None. Rebounds—MSA 38 (Nyarsuk 10), OHA 26 (Howard 6). Assists—MSA 11 (Newby, Ibrahim, Ross 3 each), OHA 11 (Howard 9). Total Fouls—MSA 10, OHA 10.
Falcons get some revenge
MSU Academy opens ESPN tournament with win over Oak Hill Academy
BALTIMORE — With the national spotlight burning bright, Mountain State Academy rose to the occasion.
The No. 6 seed Warriors defeated No. 3 Oak Hill Academy 59-53 Thursday in a quarterfinal contest at the ESPN RISE National High School Basketball Invitational.
The game was televised nationally on ESPNU.
Oak Hill Academy dealt MSA one of its three losses at the Big Atlantic Classic in February.
“It’s unbelievable,” MSA coach Rodney Crawford said. “To be a young program like we are and to battle with an established program like Oak Hill Academy — it’s remarkable. It’s really incredible. It’s a credit to the kids and everyone involved.
“We controlled the tempo and rebounded well. That’s what took us over the top. We got it done.”
The Falcons (22-3) advanced to face No. 2 Findlay Prep (Nev.), the 2009 national champion. The semifinal game tips off at 2 p.m. today and will be televised on ESPN2.
Findlay defeated No. 7 Charlotte Christian (N.C.) 65-50 Thursday night.
“This win feels great, but we have a much bigger fish to fry (today),” Crawford said. “We’ll have to lay it all out on the line. Everything’s a little bigger right now.
“This is big for Beckley, big for the academy,” Crawford added. “We’re setting out to win it. They beat us pretty bad the last time we played, so we’ll have to execute much better and be more detailed this time.”
Oak Hill Academy held a 27-24 advantage at halftime, due in part to hitting 6 of 11 three-point attempts. The Warriors connected on just 1 of 13 treys in the second half, however.
“They were hot early, but we were hanging in there,” Crawford said. “We knew that it couldn’t last the whole game.”
Mountain State Academy won the battle on the boards, outrebounding OHA 38-26. WVU-bound center David Nyarsuk grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds for the Falcons.
“David really controlled the paint,” Crawford said. “That was huge for us.”
Ahmad Ibrahim led MSA with 13 points. Remi Dibo scored 12 and Justin Martin tallied 11 for the Falcons.
Oak Hill Academy ended its season at 29-4.
Doron Lamb paced Oak Hill Academy with 20 points. Pe’Shon Howard added 11 and Juwan Staten chipped in with 10 for the Warriors.
In other quarterfinal games Thursday, No. 1 Montverde Academy (Fla.) beat No. 8 Montrose Christian (Md.) 51-49 and No. 5 Winter Park (Fla.) downed No. 4 Christ School (N.C.) 82-72.
The national championship game will be played Saturday at 1:30 p.m. and will be aired on ESPN.
MOUNTAIN STATE ACADEMY 59,
OAK HILL ACADEMY 53
MOUNTAIN STATE ACADEMY (22-3)
Jabs Newby 1-3 0-0 2, Ahmad Ibrahim 6-15 0-0 13, Ronald Ross 3-9 1-1 8, Anthony Bennett 1-6 1-2 4, David Nyarsuk 3-5 1-1 7, Obij Aget 0-0 2-2 2, Justin Martin 5-9 0-0 11, Remi Dibo 4-6 2-2 12. Totals 23-53 7-8 59.
OAK HILL ACADEMY (29-4)
Doron Lamb 8-15 0-0 20, Juwan Staten 4-8 2-2 10, Baye Keita 1-4 1-2 3, Pe’Shon Howard 4-14 1-1 11, Martins Abele 1-3 0-0 2, Keith Hornsby 0-2 0-0 0, Roscoe Smith 2-6 2-3 7, Yemi Makanjuola 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 20-52 6-8 53.
Halftime—OHA 27-24. 3-Point Goals—MSA 6-16 (Dibo 2-4, Ibrahim 1-4, Ross 1-3, Bennett 1-2, Martin 1-3), OHA 7-24 (Lamb 4-8, Howard 2-11, Smith 1-3, Staten 0-1, Hornsby 0-1). Fouled Out—None. Rebounds—MSA 38 (Nyarsuk 10), OHA 26 (Howard 6). Assists—MSA 11 (Newby, Ibrahim, Ross 3 each), OHA 11 (Howard 9). Total Fouls—MSA 10, OHA 10.
daniab
Active member
Mountain State 59, Oak Hill 53
Falcon senior forward Remi Dibo banked in a long jumper from the top of the key to propel No. 6 Mountain State past No. 3 Oak Hill in the opening round of the NHSI.
04/01/10 - BALTIMORE -- Rodney Crawford wanted his team to finish strong. And if they got a few bounces along the way, that was fine with him, too.
With 25 seconds left and Crawford’s Mountain State Academy (Beckley, W.Va.) squad nursing a late, two-point lead, the first-year coach got both his wishes.
A jam by Mountain State Academy's Ahmad Ibraham sealed an upset victory over Oak Hill.
Falcon senior forward Remi Dibo banked in a long jumper from the top of the key to propel No. 6 Mountain State past No. 3 Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) in the opening round of the ESPN RISE National High School Invitational.
Ahmad Ibraham added a breakaway dunk for the exclamation point in a 59-53 triumph.
“We got a little lucky there, but that’s OK,” Crawford said with a laugh. “I’ll take it.”
For the Falcons (22-3), the win did a lot more than just advance them to Friday’s NHSI semifinals, where they will square off against defending tourney champ Findlay Prep (Henderson, Nev.) at 2 p.m.
It was the kind of victory -- on national television, over a perennial power -- that can propel a program to bigger and better things.
“We were looking for a quality win like this,” Crawford said.
The Falcons trailed, 41-38, entering the fourth quarter but rallied thanks to some timely baskets from Ibraham (13 points, eight rebounds) and Dibo (12 points). Xavier recruit Justin Martin, ranked No. 40 in the ESPNU 100, added 11 points.
The final eight minutes were a back-and-forth affair, with neither team leading by more than four points until Ibrahim's dunk. Mountain State’s Ronald Ross' 3-pointer with the shot clock running out and a defender draped all over him with 1:29 left gave the Falcons a 55-51 lead.
Oak Hill (29-4) turned to All-American Doron Lamb on the next possession and he delivered. Lamb hit a mid-range jumper with 1:13 remaining to cut the deficit in half, setting the stage for Dibo’s off-the-glass heroics.
“You feel a little snake-bit,” Oak Hill coach Steve Smith said. "But they made some tough shots, and you have to give them credit for making them."
Lamb came out scorching, scoring 11 of his team’s 15 points in the first quarter. But Lamb, who played in Wednesday night’s McDonald’s All-American Game in Columbus, Ohio, wore down as the game went on. He had 15 points in the first half but only five after the break.
Pe’Shon Howard, committed to Maryland, added 11 for Oak Hill.
“I told Pe’Shon he had to be more aggressive in the second half because I was getting tired,” Lamb said.
It’s hard to blame him, given the hectic travel demands of the last 24 hours.
“He played as hard as he could play,” Smith said.
In the end, it just wasn’t enough, as Mountain State avenged a one-point loss to Oak Hill from earlier this season.
http://rise.espn.go.com/boys-basket...k-Hill-Academy-falls-in-NHSI-first-round.aspx
Falcon senior forward Remi Dibo banked in a long jumper from the top of the key to propel No. 6 Mountain State past No. 3 Oak Hill in the opening round of the NHSI.
04/01/10 - BALTIMORE -- Rodney Crawford wanted his team to finish strong. And if they got a few bounces along the way, that was fine with him, too.
With 25 seconds left and Crawford’s Mountain State Academy (Beckley, W.Va.) squad nursing a late, two-point lead, the first-year coach got both his wishes.
A jam by Mountain State Academy's Ahmad Ibraham sealed an upset victory over Oak Hill.
Falcon senior forward Remi Dibo banked in a long jumper from the top of the key to propel No. 6 Mountain State past No. 3 Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) in the opening round of the ESPN RISE National High School Invitational.
Ahmad Ibraham added a breakaway dunk for the exclamation point in a 59-53 triumph.
“We got a little lucky there, but that’s OK,” Crawford said with a laugh. “I’ll take it.”
For the Falcons (22-3), the win did a lot more than just advance them to Friday’s NHSI semifinals, where they will square off against defending tourney champ Findlay Prep (Henderson, Nev.) at 2 p.m.
It was the kind of victory -- on national television, over a perennial power -- that can propel a program to bigger and better things.
“We were looking for a quality win like this,” Crawford said.
The Falcons trailed, 41-38, entering the fourth quarter but rallied thanks to some timely baskets from Ibraham (13 points, eight rebounds) and Dibo (12 points). Xavier recruit Justin Martin, ranked No. 40 in the ESPNU 100, added 11 points.
The final eight minutes were a back-and-forth affair, with neither team leading by more than four points until Ibrahim's dunk. Mountain State’s Ronald Ross' 3-pointer with the shot clock running out and a defender draped all over him with 1:29 left gave the Falcons a 55-51 lead.
Oak Hill (29-4) turned to All-American Doron Lamb on the next possession and he delivered. Lamb hit a mid-range jumper with 1:13 remaining to cut the deficit in half, setting the stage for Dibo’s off-the-glass heroics.
“You feel a little snake-bit,” Oak Hill coach Steve Smith said. "But they made some tough shots, and you have to give them credit for making them."
Lamb came out scorching, scoring 11 of his team’s 15 points in the first quarter. But Lamb, who played in Wednesday night’s McDonald’s All-American Game in Columbus, Ohio, wore down as the game went on. He had 15 points in the first half but only five after the break.
Pe’Shon Howard, committed to Maryland, added 11 for Oak Hill.
“I told Pe’Shon he had to be more aggressive in the second half because I was getting tired,” Lamb said.
It’s hard to blame him, given the hectic travel demands of the last 24 hours.
“He played as hard as he could play,” Smith said.
In the end, it just wasn’t enough, as Mountain State avenged a one-point loss to Oak Hill from earlier this season.
http://rise.espn.go.com/boys-basket...k-Hill-Academy-falls-in-NHSI-first-round.aspx
!
daniab
Active member
yes and ahmad ibrahim got only 4 pts
findlay won the whole championship which was organized by ESPN!
daniab
Active member
International players power MSA
So you're down with the idea of international players' being sprinkled onto rosters of the nation's top traveling high school basketball teams, as Findlay Prep (Nev.) recently defended its ESPN RISE National High School Invitational title with seven players from outside the U.S.
Lebanon native Ahmad Ibraham leads an international roster at Mountain State.
Montverde Academy (Fla.), the top seed entering the NHSI, is led by Boston College signee Papa Samba Ndao of Senegal, Maryland pledge Haukur Palsson of Iceland, and 7-foot-1 Ugo Okam, a Nigerian bound for Harvard.
But what's up with Mountain State Academy (22-4)?
The Falcons, who were seeded No. 6 in the eight-team tournament, have 14 international players. Coach Rodney Crawford doesn't have a sprinkling; he has a flood -- including two Sudanese 7-footers; half a dozen young men from Ontario; two players from Lebanon; and one each from France, Serbia, Montenegro and the Republic of Georgia.
Here's what's most amazing: Crawford was hired last summer with little travel budget and just three returning players, and only one of them figured to be in the regular playing rotation. So how did he draw all these folks to the town of Beckley, W.Va.? And why the overwhelming international flavor?
"There's only so many top kids that you can get from the United States," the coach said. "By the time I got started, they knew where they were going and I had missed on most of them except Justin Martin. The program was started three years ago, and this is my first year, so you've got to go [the international] route. There are players everywhere.
"They're not household names, but they're the same caliber, high-level players that any top team has. I had to go through the people that I know in the game. We don't have a budget set in place to be able to travel abroad. You get a lot of film, see them in AAU. I had to work quick."
Crawford -- previously an assistant at Harmony Community School, a Cincinnati prep school -- has worked well to stock the private school's roster.
Martin, a 6-foot-6 guard forward from Indianapolis, is one of three MSA players already signed to a national letter of intent. He'll attend Xavier, 7-foot-1 center David Nyarsuk of Sudan signed with West Virginia, and point guard Dabs Newby of Toronto will go to Eastern Kentucky.
Seniors Remi Dibo (a 6-8 forward) of France and Kofi Mensa (a 6-4 guard) of Toronto both have ESPNU grades of 90 (although Mensa has been out ill all season). Juniors Ahmad Ibrahim of Lebanon and Ronald Ross of Indianapolis and sophomores Obij Aget of Sudan and Anthony Bennett of Toronto are on plenty of watch lists.
Martin was established before arriving late last summer.
The No. 46 prep player and No. 13 shooting guard in the ESPNU 100, he attended Lawrence North High (Indianapolis), the same school that sent up former North Carolina center Eric Montross and former Ohio State stars Greg Oden and Michael Conley.
Former Bowling Green and Cleveland State assistant coach Sean Bledsoe suggested MSA.
"My trainer [Bledsoe] and coach Crawford are real good friends," said Martin, who leads the Falcons with an average of 15.9 points per game. "He talked to coach Crawford, and I was in need of a new school because my academics were slipping a little bit. I wanted to go somewhere there weren't a lot of distractions.
"I just kind of fell in love. It's everything I was looking for, and coach Crawford has been amazing on and off the court."
[+] EnlargeMike Buscher for ESPN.com
Justin Martin is part of a senior class that has helped Mountain State earn national attention.
There are about 85 students in grades 6-12 at the Academy, which is affiliated with Mountain State University. The MSU men's basketball team has been ranked No. 1 nationally more frequently than any other NAIA program since 2000, with a national title in '04 and a runner-up finish in '08.
The Academy basketball players stay in MSU dormitories and eat in school cafeterias.
Crawford said tuition is about $10,000 at MSA, and while there are athletic scholarships (other sports include baseball, softball volleyball and coed soccer, although the sports other than baseball are played chiefly on a local level), nothing is free.
"Those are sponsorships," he said, without offering to mention any sponsors. "Everything is paid for, and I'm constantly trying to raise funds. We need a certain amount of support at the local level."
Ibrahim, a 6-6 guard from Lebanon, played for Patterson last season, but the Lenoir, N.C., school closed after last school year. He considered several options before landing at MSA. "A West Virginia coach told my family about it," he said. "Coach teaches us well. It's just like a family, and they help you to get your grades. We just bond together."
Martin, who said he also considered Tennessee, Kentucky and Marquette before choosing Xavier, said the MSA experience has been unique.
"Coming from a school where there's 3,000 people and everybody is American was an adjustment, but basketball is an international language," Martin said. "Sometimes, you may have to take time to explain something. We all get along, and it's like one big family."
Crawford said the Academy's mission does not include teaching student-athletes English from scratch.
"If they can't speak it, I can't take them," the coach said. "As cutthroat as that may sound, we don't have the infrastructure for that. You want to make sure you can get them qualified."
Dibo, who is considering Wyoming and Nevada, and Mensa, who Crawford said is leaning toward New Mexico State and was also recruited by West Virginia, Ole Miss, Virginia Tech and Marshall, are unsigned. All five current seniors are likely to play Division I basketball.
The Falcons struggled against Findlay Prep in January, losing by 25. Yet in February, they gave No. 3 seed Oak Hill Academy (Va.) a run before falling 45-44. On Thursday, they sent Oak Hill home early with a stunning 59-53 win.
"The goal is to sign the best players possible wherever they're at," Crawford said. "Justin Martin is a prolific 3-point shooter, very intelligent, tremendous upside. David [Nyarsuk] is a shot blocker [4.8 per game] and rebounder [11.1]. Remi Dibo is shooting 42 percent from 3-point. Jabs Newby is quick and athletic, has a real good feel for the game. He was the only returning guy in the rotation.
"My sales pitch is just like everybody else's, but … through the people I've built relationships with, I was able to have quality co-signers. Just about every team now has at least one or two international kids, but I would say we're unique in that sense in that we have a whole lot. Most [domestic] kids stay at their high schools; no sense trying to recruit most of them because they're not leaving."
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncaa/recruiting/basketball/mens/news/story?id=5051128
So you're down with the idea of international players' being sprinkled onto rosters of the nation's top traveling high school basketball teams, as Findlay Prep (Nev.) recently defended its ESPN RISE National High School Invitational title with seven players from outside the U.S.
Lebanon native Ahmad Ibraham leads an international roster at Mountain State.
Montverde Academy (Fla.), the top seed entering the NHSI, is led by Boston College signee Papa Samba Ndao of Senegal, Maryland pledge Haukur Palsson of Iceland, and 7-foot-1 Ugo Okam, a Nigerian bound for Harvard.
But what's up with Mountain State Academy (22-4)?
The Falcons, who were seeded No. 6 in the eight-team tournament, have 14 international players. Coach Rodney Crawford doesn't have a sprinkling; he has a flood -- including two Sudanese 7-footers; half a dozen young men from Ontario; two players from Lebanon; and one each from France, Serbia, Montenegro and the Republic of Georgia.
Here's what's most amazing: Crawford was hired last summer with little travel budget and just three returning players, and only one of them figured to be in the regular playing rotation. So how did he draw all these folks to the town of Beckley, W.Va.? And why the overwhelming international flavor?
"There's only so many top kids that you can get from the United States," the coach said. "By the time I got started, they knew where they were going and I had missed on most of them except Justin Martin. The program was started three years ago, and this is my first year, so you've got to go [the international] route. There are players everywhere.
"They're not household names, but they're the same caliber, high-level players that any top team has. I had to go through the people that I know in the game. We don't have a budget set in place to be able to travel abroad. You get a lot of film, see them in AAU. I had to work quick."
Crawford -- previously an assistant at Harmony Community School, a Cincinnati prep school -- has worked well to stock the private school's roster.
Martin, a 6-foot-6 guard forward from Indianapolis, is one of three MSA players already signed to a national letter of intent. He'll attend Xavier, 7-foot-1 center David Nyarsuk of Sudan signed with West Virginia, and point guard Dabs Newby of Toronto will go to Eastern Kentucky.
Seniors Remi Dibo (a 6-8 forward) of France and Kofi Mensa (a 6-4 guard) of Toronto both have ESPNU grades of 90 (although Mensa has been out ill all season). Juniors Ahmad Ibrahim of Lebanon and Ronald Ross of Indianapolis and sophomores Obij Aget of Sudan and Anthony Bennett of Toronto are on plenty of watch lists.
Martin was established before arriving late last summer.
The No. 46 prep player and No. 13 shooting guard in the ESPNU 100, he attended Lawrence North High (Indianapolis), the same school that sent up former North Carolina center Eric Montross and former Ohio State stars Greg Oden and Michael Conley.
Former Bowling Green and Cleveland State assistant coach Sean Bledsoe suggested MSA.
"My trainer [Bledsoe] and coach Crawford are real good friends," said Martin, who leads the Falcons with an average of 15.9 points per game. "He talked to coach Crawford, and I was in need of a new school because my academics were slipping a little bit. I wanted to go somewhere there weren't a lot of distractions.
"I just kind of fell in love. It's everything I was looking for, and coach Crawford has been amazing on and off the court."
[+] EnlargeMike Buscher for ESPN.com
Justin Martin is part of a senior class that has helped Mountain State earn national attention.
There are about 85 students in grades 6-12 at the Academy, which is affiliated with Mountain State University. The MSU men's basketball team has been ranked No. 1 nationally more frequently than any other NAIA program since 2000, with a national title in '04 and a runner-up finish in '08.
The Academy basketball players stay in MSU dormitories and eat in school cafeterias.
Crawford said tuition is about $10,000 at MSA, and while there are athletic scholarships (other sports include baseball, softball volleyball and coed soccer, although the sports other than baseball are played chiefly on a local level), nothing is free.
"Those are sponsorships," he said, without offering to mention any sponsors. "Everything is paid for, and I'm constantly trying to raise funds. We need a certain amount of support at the local level."
Ibrahim, a 6-6 guard from Lebanon, played for Patterson last season, but the Lenoir, N.C., school closed after last school year. He considered several options before landing at MSA. "A West Virginia coach told my family about it," he said. "Coach teaches us well. It's just like a family, and they help you to get your grades. We just bond together."
Martin, who said he also considered Tennessee, Kentucky and Marquette before choosing Xavier, said the MSA experience has been unique.
"Coming from a school where there's 3,000 people and everybody is American was an adjustment, but basketball is an international language," Martin said. "Sometimes, you may have to take time to explain something. We all get along, and it's like one big family."
Crawford said the Academy's mission does not include teaching student-athletes English from scratch.
"If they can't speak it, I can't take them," the coach said. "As cutthroat as that may sound, we don't have the infrastructure for that. You want to make sure you can get them qualified."
Dibo, who is considering Wyoming and Nevada, and Mensa, who Crawford said is leaning toward New Mexico State and was also recruited by West Virginia, Ole Miss, Virginia Tech and Marshall, are unsigned. All five current seniors are likely to play Division I basketball.
The Falcons struggled against Findlay Prep in January, losing by 25. Yet in February, they gave No. 3 seed Oak Hill Academy (Va.) a run before falling 45-44. On Thursday, they sent Oak Hill home early with a stunning 59-53 win.
"The goal is to sign the best players possible wherever they're at," Crawford said. "Justin Martin is a prolific 3-point shooter, very intelligent, tremendous upside. David [Nyarsuk] is a shot blocker [4.8 per game] and rebounder [11.1]. Remi Dibo is shooting 42 percent from 3-point. Jabs Newby is quick and athletic, has a real good feel for the game. He was the only returning guy in the rotation.
"My sales pitch is just like everybody else's, but … through the people I've built relationships with, I was able to have quality co-signers. Just about every team now has at least one or two international kids, but I would say we're unique in that sense in that we have a whole lot. Most [domestic] kids stay at their high schools; no sense trying to recruit most of them because they're not leaving."
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncaa/recruiting/basketball/mens/news/story?id=5051128
lebanese phoenix
FB Connect
who are those ? do we know about them ?
daniab
Active member
ahmad ibrahim and wael abdul malak
khaledlebanon
Member
is wael a gd player like ahmad?
kerdito
Active member
No one is like Ahmad at the moment, and Wael is a Guard but he needs a lot to be from the same level from what I know, right Dany?
