Warrior Insider

Less than three weeks before the start of the school year, the University of Hawai’i basketball team added another player to its roster.

Ahmed Ali, a 5-foot-11 point guard, is transferring from Washington State to join the Rainbow Warriors. He has one year of eligibility remaining, and is awaiting status on an NCAA waiver that would allow him to play immediately for Hawai’i during the 2019-20 season. If the waiver is denied, Ali will have to sit out the 2019-20 season and play for the Warriors in 2020-21.

Ali started 24 of 32 games in his lone season at Washington State last season. He averaged 7.3 points and 2.9 assists per game, and had an assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.4.

“We’re extremely excited with the addition of Ahmed ” Hawai’i head coach Eran Ganot said. “He’s an experienced guard who is a proven scorer and ball-hander. He comes from a great JC program and played at a high level in the Pac-12. Ahmed provides another great dimension to our roster and we’re thrilled to have a player of his caliber join our ‘ohana.”

Ali is originally from Toronto, Canada. Prior to Washington State, he played two seasons at Eastern Florida State College.

As a sophomore he averaged 17.9 points and 4.7 assists and was an NJCAA Division I second-team All-American as well as the Mid-Florida Conference Player of the Year. Ali finished his two-year career at EFSC with 1,182 points and set a school record with 230 three-pointers made. He shot at a 43 percent clip from behind the arc in those two seasons. 
 
Ali joins three other newcomers who signed earlier this spring in Bernardo da Silva, Justin Webster and Junior Madut. Ali and Madut were teammates on the same Eastern Florida State squad in 2017-18 that went 30-5 record and finished third nationally.
 
2019-20 Men’s Basketball Signees
Ahmed Ali, G, 5-11, Sr., Toronto, Canada (Washington State)
Bernardo da Silva, F, 6-9, Fr., Rio das Ostras, Brazil (Wasatch Academy)
Junior Madut, F, 6-5, Jr., Sydney, Australia (Eastern Florida State College)
Justin Webster, G, 6-3, Fr., Dallas, Texas  (Hargrave Military Academy)