PORTLAND, Ore. – Transfer point guard Ahmed Ali (Toronto, Ontario, Canada) has signed a National Letter of Intent and will join the University of Portland men's basketball team for his final season of eligibility, head coach Terry Porter announced on Thursday.
Ali was a JUCO All-American at Eastern Florida State College (Brevard County, Fla.) before earning starter's minutes at Washington State during the 2018-19 season. He transferred to Hawaii following a coaching, but did not play for the Warriors during the 2019-20 season.
"Ahmed brings a lot of experience having played a whole year in the Pac-12 and putting up good numbers," Porter said. "He has the ability to score the basketball and is a good three-point shooter. Ahmed also takes good care of the basketball and makes plays for his teammates. He will bring maturity and leadership to our team."
"I chose Portland because I like the style of play and I am a big fan of Coach Porter," Ali said. "I would love to learn from him and then continue to play professionally. To learn from someone who played 17 years in the NBA, it doesn't get much better. I am going to bring energy, leadership, shooting ability and just a spark. Portland just needs a spark and I think I can help energize the team and the fan base.
"
Ali started 24 games and appeared in 32 overall for Washington State as a junior and averaged 7.3 points and 2.9 assists per game. He posted a 2.4 assist/turnover ratio, scored in double figures in ten games, knocked down 45 three-pointers and shot 83 percent from the foul line.
He had a standout JUCO career for EFSC where he set a school record with 230 career three-pointers during his two-year stint. Ali was named to the NJCAA Division I All-America second team as a sophomore and was the Mid-Florida Conference Player of the Year after leading the Titans to a 30-5 record and third-place finish in the NJCAA Division I National Championships.
Ali averaged 17.9 points and 4.7 assists that season, while shooting 40.1 percent from three-point range. His 113 made three-pointers ranked fourth nationally at the NJCAA Division I level.
He made 117 three-pointers his freshman year (2016-17) while shooting a remarkable 44.5 percent from beyond the arc. Ali averaged 15.9 points, 4.9 assists and 4.0 rebounds, while posting a 2.4 assist/turnover ratio to earn all-conference first team honors. The Titans won 31 games and were the runners-up to the NJCAA DI National Championships.
Ali played prep basketball at John Polanyi Collegiate Institute and BTB Prep, both in Toronto. He became just the second Canadian player ever to score 100 or more points in a game when he drilled 23 three-pointers and finished with 103 points for JPCI against C.W. Jefferson in December of 2015.
Ali joins eight other newcomers to the program for the 2020-21 season. The incoming class consists of a two immediately eligible Division I transfers, five junior college transfers, and two incoming freshmen.
2020 Portland Basketball Signees
| Name |
Pos. |
Ht. |
Wt. |
Yr. |
Hometown (Previous School) |
| Ahmed Ali |
G |
5-11 |
170 |
Gr. |
Toronto, Ontario, Canada (Washington State/Hawaii) |
| Hayden Curtiss |
F |
6-9 |
205 |
Fr. |
North Bend, Wash. (Mount Si HS) |
| Isiah Dasher |
G |
6-3 |
175 |
Jr. |
Jersey City, N.J. (State College of Florida JC) |
| Eddie Davis |
F |
6-6 |
190 |
Jr. |
Port Salerno, Fla. (Colby CC – Kan.) |
| Clythus Griffith |
G |
6-2 |
180 |
Jr. |
Mississauga, Ontario, Canada (SW Tennessee CC) |
| Michael Henn |
F |
6-8 |
225 |
Gr. |
Bellevue, Wash. (Cal Baptist) |
| Latrell Jones |
G |
6-5 |
175 |
Jr. |
Avondale, La. (College of Central Florida) |
| Hunter Seymour |
F |
6-8 |
215 |
Jr. |
Charlotte, N.C. (Cabrillo College – Calif.) |
| Zac Triplett |
G |
6-5 |
165 |
Fr. |
Melbourne, Australia (Maribyrnong College) |
