In my own words: Basheer Jihad

In a sport where “what have you done for me lately” is not just an idiom but often a prevailing line of thinking, late bloomers in college basketball are often appreciated as consistent multi-year contributors. 6-9, 240-pound forward Basheer Jihad started just one game during his first two seasons at Ball State before bursting on the scene last season, averaging 18.6 points and 8.0 rebounds. He also paced his team with 34 blocks and earned a second-team All-MAC selection.

Whether it’s his own assertion or the confidence that the Arizona State staff had in him during a short but impactful recruiting process, Jihad, a father to a newborn son who is just over a week old, felt that calling Tempe his home could help him achieve his goals on and off the court as he enters his last year of eligibility.

The Sun Devil newcomer shared with us his basketball journey, what drew him to ASU, and detailed his personal and team keys for success in this upcoming season.

“I grew up in Detroit, Michigan, and stayed there till I was about 12 years old, and then we moved out to the suburbs about 20 minutes away. Basketball wasn’t really my calling at first. I played a lot of soccer and a little travel soccer. I did a little baseball, too. My dad didn’t really push any sport on me, and there wasn’t any one sport that was anything serious for me until my older brother (Yusuf Jihad) started playing basketball; he plays at Eastern Michigan right now. He got cut from his eighth-grade team, and that crushed him. I saw that, and I never wanted to experience or feel anything like that for myself. But when he started working to get better, I started working with him, and that’s when I started to take basketball seriously.

“So, in eighth grade, I started to work on my game and be very specific about what I was doing with my approach. My brother really worked hard, showed me what it takes, and basically laid down the blueprint for me on how to get better. Only after my sophomore year did I think I could actually play D-I basketball. Having all these coaches call you gave me a lot of confidence. That’s when I started playing AAU ball and getting into the thick of things, and it just took off from there. I was always a skilled player for my size, and I had a growth spurt. I was about 6-3 my freshman year, grew to about 6-6 my sophomore year, and by the end of my senior year, I was about 6-8 and grew an inch and a half while I was at Ball State. I had good size, I could shoot the ball well for my size, and I had good hands and feet, and I knew that would translate to the next level.

“I’m an honest person, and I’m not going to sit up here and sugarcoat anything. I definitely was not ready at all out of high school to play for a bigger program. Everyone has his time, and each person blooms and sprouts at different times. So, it wasn’t my time when I came out of high school to play for a bigger program. I started playing basketball later than most guys. So, I needed not to have that high level of competition to start off, and that God was saying that he was saving that higher level of competition for me later in my career.

I got to Ball State as a 17-year-old freshman. I’m younger for my class, and I’m only 20 right now. So, it was a learning curve, for sure. My freshman year was up and down, as many freshman years are. I was frustrated. I felt I could be better, and I wanted to be better. I continued to work on my body getting stronger. After my freshman year, our head coach actually got fired, and Michael Lewis was my new head coach my sophomore year. I continued on that growth range of getting better. But we had a lot of older and experienced guys on that team, and I only started one game that year. So, that was another learning curve, and I was frustrated after that year. I felt I had the talent to start on every team in our league, and it was frustrating not being able to see the opportunity. Even though, as a team, we were successful and winning, I still selfishly wanted to play more and wanted to contribute more. I felt that I was at that level and that I had that ability.

“I didn’t want to leave Ball State then, and I attribute that to two of my teammates who came in as freshmen with me. It was a good group of guys. We were always together; we shared everything, and we talked about the deepest things that we never told anyone else. One of them is Jaylin Sellers, who is now at UCF, and it’s crazy how that comes full circle. I’m very blessed that I came in with that group of guys. They really helped me to see things that maybe I wasn’t able to, and they would always tell me the truth. They are a big reason I stayed, but I also knew I had confidence in myself, and I knew that my not being on the court was attributed to me needing to play better and playing hard. I took that as a self-reflection of trying to see what I could do better instead of dodging the situation. Everything was in my hands, and I was in control of it. I felt that I could pave the way for myself. I took a chance on myself by staying, and it paid dividends for me.

“Going into my last year at Ball State, which was my junior year, I continued to work hard. I also worked on the mental aspect of the game because I knew I had the skill set. I was holding that confidence through thick and thin, and I just blew up when I was given that opportunity. That’s all I needed, getting that opportunity. And once God finally gave it to me, I was ready for it, I took it head-on, and I had a successful year. I am a late bloomer and I know I can continue and build on what I did last year.

“After my junior year, I felt that my skills could translate to the next level, whether I stayed at Ball State or not. I had confidence in myself, and I wanted to play on a bigger stage and be at the highest level of college basketball. Obviously the Big 12 is going to be the best conference in college basketball. So, I felt I needed that for myself and to prove to myself that I could do that. I earned that right to transfer up. So, I took that chance, and God willing, it will be successful for me and the team.

“Ohio State, Michigan, Miami, UCF, Cal, Dayton, and Missouri are some of the schools that reached out once I entered the portal. Arizona State was the only school I visited because I wasn’t in the portal for long. Playing away from home, I thought that would be a good opportunity for me, and not just in basketball. I knew it would help me make new connections in a different part of the country, and that’s a good thing. I’m building connections with people that I wouldn’t see unless I was here. A lot of NBA guys come here to work out. I just saw Marcus Smart before practice the other day. So, there are a lot of good things going on out here.

“(Assistant coach) Yusuf Ali was the Arizona State coach I was in contact with the most when they were recruiting me. The first time we met, he was talking about what he saw in my skill set, and he thought it could translate to the NBA. He was confident in that, and I obviously share that same belief. So, that got me thinking about the right things, and that gave me confidence that God willing, Arizona State would help me get to where I want to go. He’s a younger guy, he’s Muslim, and I share the same faith as him. That was another very big reason why I trusted him and listened to him. His vision was the same vision I had for myself, which gave me the right positive energy.

“He saw me as a player that is able to score on all three levels, being able to play make, and someone who a lot of the offense can run through me. There are a lot of things that I can get better at. He pointed out my turnovers because they were way too high last year. The assist-to-turnover ratio wasn’t good enough. Playing with better players can hopefully make things easier. He said that I was a player who could put pressure on defense from all angles, and I was in the top 15 in fouls drawn.

“In my first meeting with Bobby Hurley, I liked how he was very calm and had a calm demeanor. I got a good vibe from him, and he shared the same same ideologies as Yusuf. He (Hurley) seemed like he was a genuine dude and was about the right stuff, and that’s big for me. I like his fast-paced offense and getting more opportunities in transition. I didn’t watch too many of their games, but I knew about Arizona State that they try to play fast, get in transition, take open shots, and get the best shot possible. Transition offense is the best offense. He was talking about how, in his best years at Buffalo, coaching at a school in my conference, he had a bigger guy who could score a lot of points, and he wanted to get back to more of that type. He wanted to play through the bigs and not just have them do screen and rolls. He wanted bigs who could put pressure on defenses.

“I had a great visit to ASU, and I knew that this was where I wanted to be. If I had waited just a week longer, I could have visited three other schools. I didn’t like the whole portal process of people just calling your phone, and I really didn’t want to stay in the portal for long. I got confidence from Bobby Hurley and, Yusuf Ali and the coaching staff. I took a chance on them, they took a chance on me, and hopefully it’ll work out. Tempe is a beautiful city. If you looked up where I was living for the past three years, it would be a surprise. There is a lot going on out here and a lot of good energy. The weather right now is a little too hot for me, but I know it will get better. The whole visit was just a good vibe.

“There are a lot of new players on this team, but if we all have the same goal, that’s just going to connect us the most. We all want to go out there and win games. It might take me diving the floor and doing something else for the next guy, but that’s a common goal, and if we all have it, then we’ll be OK. Obviously, there is going to be a learning curve, but if at the forefront of all of us is connecting, trying to win, and having that willingness to sacrifice yourself for the betterment of the team, then that is what is going to help us out the most. We’re still trying to figure that out, and I have confidence that we will figure that out.

“Having one year of eligibility and proving myself, and being a new father, which is a blessing and a lot of responsibility, I don’t look at it as pressure. God is going to choose a path for me, whether it’s playing more basketball or doing something else. Whatever it is, I don’t put too much pressure on myself, and I don’t think about that too much. I have confidence in myself, and I have confidence that my skills will translate. I have confidence that if I go out there and put out my best effort, then I will be in a good position. That’s what I’m going to hang my hat on, and that’s what’s going to ease my worries and all that is, as long as I go out there and do what I’m capable of, then I will be fine.”

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