Naa'il Mahdi '17 Recruiting Profile

NOTE:  

I graduated from Lakota West HS on May 19, 2016, with Honors (Cum Laude) and a 3.94 GPA.  In August 2016, I attended Quakerdale Promise Academy in New Providence, IA for a post-graduate year.  In August 2017, I attended Rochester Community & Technical College and was recruited to play for the basketball team. I graduated from RCTC on May 16th, 2019. Afterwards, I transferred to Grand View University in late August 2019. I redshirted during the 2019-2020 season and was active during the 2020-2021 season. I took the 2021-2022 year off from school and basketball because I had some important priorities to take care of back home in Cincinnati, Ohio. I am still in high pursuit of achieving a B.D. in Graphic Design, and with that said, I am ready to get back into school to accomplish that, while still being able to play the game I love. 

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My name is Naa'il Mahdi and I am currently looking to enroll in school that starts in the Fall 2022 semester. I was a student-athlete at Rochester Community & Technical College (RCTC) in Rochester, Minnesota, and then transferred and played at the NAIA level for Grand View University (GVU) in Des Moines, IA. On my basketball teams, I played the point guard and shooting guard positions. Depending on line-ups, I also played the stretch-four position. My dream for school is to pursue a Bachelor's degree in Graphic Design because it allows me to be fully creative and express myself through the arts. My basketball dream is to finish out my last years of school playing competitive, "next-level" basketball at a four-year college or university that will be a good fit in both academics and athletics.  My ultimate dream is to be an NBA player and own a business that helps other businesses in creating logos, flyers, cover arts, or any area of creativity where I can use my graphic design skills. 

As a point guard, I believe in getting my teammates involved because I love to see everyone around me succeed and win.  I am able to handle pressure and deal with competitive opponents, along with running the offense efficiently while always setting up my game by how I get going on defense. My two years at RCTC were very good experiences for me and it has shown me what it takes to be a good college basketball player and how much I have to dedicate to the court and my actions off the court. It has especially made me step out of my comfort zone and step up and be way more vocal and carry myself as the leader. 

I feel my time at RCTC got me ready and set to perform on and off the court at GVU. NAIA is a blessing because a lot of people overlook it, but it is super competitive and sees a lot of guys that can really play some great basketball that can be transferred to the NCAA levels and beyond. During my time at GVU, I saw a lot of talented and relentless players, and all it did was make me better and help me understand the game better mentally. To start the season, I came off the bench. However, due to Coronavirus protocols and dealing with some adversity, my coach trusted me with more minutes and I performed and got better as the season went on. 

I feel that I can bring experience and maturity to any school I'm blessed to play for. I have strong work ethics both on and off the court.  I am very focused and disciplined and will work hard to reach my goals. I've been more serious and disciplined in the weight room, along with working on expanding my ball-handling and shooting skills, particularly in the mid-range area. I have a high character off the court as well, making good relationships with the school staff and taking part in some of the campus events. I will always carry myself in a way that represents my school in the best way possible. 

Here are some contacts that can provide additional information regarding my student-athlete profile, work ethic, skills, overall basketball knowledge, etc.:

1. Coach Ricardo Hill:  513-237-0604
2. Coach Sherwin Anderson: 513-602-7827
3. Coach Brian LaPlante: 507-990-6129
4. Coach Jason Bonde: 651-448-0459
5. Coach Matt Christensen: 507-993-3085
6. Coach Thomas Barrett:  973-303-5906