Basketball is an intellectual game for Hameed Ali, the No. 30 ranked player in the NorCalPreps.com 2011 boys basketball Top 40. Ali started playing organized basketball at the age of six for his local club team, the Ciphers.
Ali plays both point guard and shooting guard for the San Leandro High Pirates of the Hayward Area Athletic League (HAAL). As a junior, Ali led the Pirates to a 17-10 record but they lost in the first round to Washington Fremont 62-60. The combination guard was able to average 13.5 points, 4 rebounds, and 6.5 assists.
At 6-foot-3 and 160 pounds, Ali considers his basketball IQ to be his best skill. When asked which player he models his game after, he says former NBA star Penny Hardaway because, "He is a long, lean guard who was taught to do it all."
This past summer, Ali worked out and competed in tournaments with both his high school and club team, the Oakland Rebels. He especially worked on his ball-handling. Oakland Rebels Coach Raymond Young says of Ali's strengths, "Hameed's strengths consist of his basketball IQ and ability to create for himself as well as others and his perimeter shooting."
Ali's Oakland Rebels team includes Castro Valley High's Juan Anderson and St. Joseph's Brendan Keane. Ali says of how he performed with the Rebels, "I played well in LA and I would not want to play with any other guys in the country. I give credit to my Rebel teammates Oakland High's TJ Taylor, Oakland High's Dominique Taplin, Oakland High's Marcellus Clay, Castro Valley High's Juan Anderson, and St. Joseph's Brendan Keane for my performance."
At the 2nd annual NorCal Clash at Contra Costa College in August, Ali proved that he is an effective distributor and is expanding his range to make defenses respect his offense. He showed good range but needs to continue develop his scoring game as a senior. In addition, he will need some more bulk to be able to handle the bigger guards at the next level.
Ali's intellectual command of the game has garnered attention at the collegiate level. Columbia, Hartford, Montana, Southern Utah, and Weber State have contacted him. Coach Young says, "On the court, Hameed is a leader and winner. He always knows where his teammates should be on the court and is always thinking one step ahead. Once again, his IQ for the game is tremendous. Meedy is a mid-major prospect with big upside."
Meedy-bo-betherz, nickname that his teammates call him because it means "do it all," is looking for a program that will let him play his game style. He has no current geographic restrictions. Academically, Ali has a 3.20 GPA and a 1490 SAT score that makes him NCAA eligible. He would like to major in Communications as his favorite subject is Math.
Expect Ali to do it all on the basketball courts on the college level in the fall of 2011.
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