Alaa Abdelnaby update?

[YmoBeThere]

Alaa graduated....he was not the reason the 1990 FF banner was not raised. As a Class of 1990 grad, that is one thing I can guarantee you...because he and I both took several classes together...aside from George Burgin, he may be the smartest guy to receive a hoops scholarship from K. A lousy quarters player though...Alaa was a good guy.

There was another whom I thought was in trouble academically. Hopefully he did what it took to finish. I was going through my own excitement as a freshmen at the time but do recall the "controversy" regarding the banner.

[cspan37421]

Smartest guy under K to get a scholarship? That's quite a claim, when your putting him ahead of Weldon Williams (biomedical engineer), Quin (IIRC a 3.4 gpa when that WASN'T the overall average GPA at Duke!), and Shane Battier (is any illustration needed?). IIRC Cherokee was a history major too - that required tons of papers, IIRC. Unless you've got a heckuva ghost writer, that's no layup either.

Carmen Wallace reference: IIRC he did one of the most amazing up and under moves (reverse layup I think). Just about everyone's jaw was on the floor.

Brickey: what a leaper. I still remember one dunk against UNC he was basically horizontal for by the time it went through. He was called for an offensive foul on it though.

I'm glad to hear Alaa is one of the nicest coaches there. I hope he has matured, as my son may go to the K basketball camp next summer, and the last thing I want for him is to be tutored by someone still in the (alleged) "Chief and Chong" lifestyle.

[Spencer's Daddy]

Alaa graduated....he was not the reason the 1990 FF banner was not raised. As a Class of 1990 grad, that is one thing I can guarantee you...because he and I both took several classes together...aside from George Burgin, he may be the smartest guy to receive a hoops scholarship from K. A lousy quarters player though...Alaa was a good guy.

Ladies and gentlemen, the voice of Gilman basketball, the ATrain!

[TheTrain]

Somebody's got me pegged..c'est moi, c'est moi..The Voice of Gilman Basketball

Don't confuse lack of GPA for brains...two of the smartest people I went to school with were too drunk 90% of the time to achieve a great GPA...and they are all-stars in their given professions today

I will stand by my statement on Alaa's intellectual firepower...and since I knew both Quin and Alaa (both fairly well)...Alaa had the higher intellectual firepower of the two (and that is not meant as a slam on Q)...Alaa was just immature (like many of us when we arrived at Duke ...including moi) and partied hard.

[thebur]

There was another whom I thought was in trouble academically. Hopefully he did what it took to finish. I was going through my own excitement as a freshmen at the time but do recall the "controversy" regarding the banner.

I seem to recall that it might have been Robert Brickey who kept the banner down for a while. At least when I was going to Cameron for the 93-96 seasons and saw him in the stands that is what some Iron Duke told me, that he was back around to finish his degree.

Let me also say that Brickey was one of my all time favorites, and if his knee had been in better shape I think he could have been a lesser coming of CB34 to the NBA. And I love me some Chuck too, Inside the NBA has gone from afterthought to prime viewing material with him!

[killerleft]

I would have to agree that Josh has a long way to go before he fills Alaa's shoes. Alaa left Duke with some great post moves. Don't really remember much about Alaa's shooting touch from the outside, but no doubt Alaa could shoot better. Heck, there are few people who can't shoot better than Josh.

I wish Josh great success, though. Most of us have been mesmerized by Josh's "potential". If he comes close to realizing it, he'll do fine.

[cspan37421]

I totally agree that GPA is not the same thing as ability. It is a measure of academic achievement. Over the long run, if one sobers up, intellectual curiosity will carry the day and there's really not a limit to one's achievements if there's enough drive and curiosity there. Some high GPA-ers are just in it for the grades, but for others, grades are a by-product of their intellecutal drive. And yes, some party animals do wise up and realize that "fat drunk and stupid is no way to go through life, son."

So, what does Alaa like to discuss? Tony Judt's tome Postwar? Recent advances in cosmology or particle physics? Just wondering how his firepower manifested itself.

[jimsumner]

FWIW, AA's long consective fg-streak was at the beginning of his junior year.

Smartest player ever recruited by K? I think it's great that we can come up with so many valid nominees. Mark Alarie got an MBA from the Wharton School and his running buddy Jay Bilas got a law degree from Duke. Quin has multiple graduate degrees and George Burgin was a brilliant student. I would put Clay Buckley, Domazalski, Horvath, and Christensen in the hunt, along with better publicized players like Langdon, Battier and Jason Williams.

[JBDuke]

Somebody's got me pegged..c'est moi, c'est moi..The Voice of Gilman Basketball

Don't confuse lack of GPA for brains...two of the smartest people I went to school with were too drunk 90% of the time to achieve a great GPA...and they are all-stars in their given professions today

I will stand by my statement on Alaa's intellectual firepower...and since I knew both Quin and Alaa (both fairly well)...Alaa had the higher intellectual firepower of the two (and that is not meant as a slam on Q)...Alaa was just immature (like many of us when we arrived at Duke ...including moi) and partied hard.

Between Evans, Spencer's Daddy, The Train, and me, we might as well have a Henger reunion. (Jason, I know you didn't live there, but you're an honorary Henger...)