The Art of the Steal

Sitting there, he looks like 200 pounds of trouble. The man isn't real big or all that fast. He is just dangerous. He is so soft-spoken only five guys on his team know which three languages he speaks. One of the best things about sports is the characters the game produces. You see, we can't see inside someone's chest. Just because you know one thing about a person doesn't mean you know everything about them. You can't buy time, tradition, rituals or memories. You can't buy kindness. These are things that cannot be bought, but they can be found in a good home. This guy lives life like it's the 15^th round and he is behind on points, yet I've never met a nicer man. He can read defenses better than stop signs and has a PhD in stealing basketballs. This guy understands that when you play hard and give it everything you've got, two things can happen: winning and learning.

Ehab Amin is a maniac on the floor.  His teammates call him "Easy E." Maybe that's because he makes the game look so easy.  He owns great hand-to-eye coordination and is highly intelligent.  His hands are like water, so fluid, and he can throw a bounce pass through a hurricane.  He may have three or four arms, depending on whom you are speaking with.  The man moves faster than bad news, and he has never met a jump shot he didn't like.  With Ehab on your team, the impossible becomes possible.  But what makes him different is his love for playing defense.  "When I started playing basketball, I found out I could take the ball from the other guys and score," said Amin.   The guy has mad skills and handles the ball like it's a bubble.  If he were Robin Hood in tennis shoes, he could steal everything on the court.  Make no mistake; he's a thief all right.  If you are bringing the ball up the court and Ehab Amin is waiting for you, you are in trouble.  Because you know it is as much his ball as it was yours.  Amin can steal the basketball and all the gold out of your teeth.  You couldn't take your eyes off of him.  Going to an Islanders' game and not watching Ehab Amin would be like climbing to the top of the Empire State building and not looking down.  He led the nation in Division-1 basketball last year, with 124 steals.  It was like he was playing with a four-leaf clover tucked in his sock.

Ehab Mohamed Mohamed Amin was born by the sea in Alexandria, Egypt, on August 1, 1995.  Both his mom and dad love sports and have a background in the medical field.  Ehab grew up with two brothers and he loved playing soccer, basketball and swimming.  "Everybody is super passionate about soccer in Egypt, but I was always better at basketball," said Amin.  "The game is played much different back home.  The emphases on fundamentals are taught early on and no one is surprised to see the "bigs" shoot 3's."   

When asked about his uncanny ability to take away the basketball, he offered this take.  "Since the age of six, I've always been good at stealing the basketball from others," said Amin.  "I like playing defense, on the ball and off the ball.  And like shooting three-pointers, I practice taking the ball away from my teammates.  A big part of my success comes from anticipation, the help of my teammates and scouting.   The defensive positions we are placed in by our coaches also plays a big part.  I do have to admit, I'm a risk taker," he said with a smile, "and sometimes it gets me in trouble." 

No doubt Ehab is blessed with instinct.  It's as if he knows what the opposition is going to do ahead of time.  In Egypt, there are no sports teams in the school systems.  You have to join a club team to participate in any sports.  Ehab attended Riada American School in Alexandria and graduated in 2013.  He joined the Alexandria Sporting Club at the age of six.  Ehab has been very successful in his travels.  In 2011, he won the FIBA African Under 16 MVP Award.  In 2012, at the age of 17, Ehab was selected the African Youth Player-of-the-Year.  In the last five years, he has played basketball in over 17 different countries.  In 2013, he was recruited by St. Johns Military Academy, located in Wisconsin.  St. Johns is a private prep school.  He was then recruited by the Islanders for the 2014-15 season.  Last year, Amin averaged 16.9 points and 6.6 rebounds per game.  Amin was included on the 2017 Southland Conference All-Defensive Team.  He was also selected to the 2017 CollegeInsider.com All-Tournament Team.  Ehab collected 3.4 steals per contest, while leading NCAA Divison-1 basketball with a total of 124 steals.  That brings his total to 218 steals in three years.  

Several weeks before the 2017 season started, Amin injured his right hip.  He needed surgery to remove a bone spur and mend some damaged cartilage.  The surgery was performed successfully on November 10, and Ehab qualified to be red-shirted for season.   At our meeting, Ehab had tossed aside his crutches and is now participating in physical therapy every day along with hydro works.  He hopes to be back at full strength by May.  When asked how he has handled not being able to practice or travel with the team, he answered.  "I go to practice but its super tough to stay mentally focused.  I want to be out there with the team.  So, I focus more on my studies."  Ehab is trilingual and speaks Arabic, English and French.  He is taking four classes this semester and is scheduled to graduate with a degree in General Business, in May.

Make no mistake, Ehab has a funny bone.  Maybe it's because he rooms with teammates Joe Kilgore and David Bloom.  Ehab chose to wear the #4 to honor his brother, Sherif, who wears the same number.  Like most young men, Ehab enjoys playing video games and watching movies in his spare time.  He also loves to travel and being close to the water.  His favorite NBA player is Manu Ginobili of the San Antonio Spurs.  When asked where he sees himself in five years, he answered immediately, "Fulfilling my dream and playing in the NBA.  I would love to play for Pop (Gregg Popovich), if he's still coaching," exclaimed Amin. 

Interestingly, there are several other Egyptians playing college basketball in the U.S.  Anas Mahmoud, a 7-footer who plays center for the University of Louisville, is a friend.  Omar El Manasterly just graduated from Jacksonville University in Florida.  Ehab and Omar grew up in the same neighborhood and played on the Egyptian National Team.  They all speak with each other quite often.

I enjoyed my time with Ehab and look forward to seeing him play for the Islanders next year.  I reminded him that sometimes when you have someone counting on you, you can find strength you didn't know you had. 

I asked Ehab, since he had a love for the water, if he would have come to Texas A&M University Corpus Christi, if it had not been located near the ocean.  "Yes!" he said.  "I came here to play basketball for Coach Wilson."  It has been said that an athlete will never forget his coach.  He may forget his teachers but not his coach and how and what kind of person they were.  I don't know about you, but I'm an Ehab Amin fan.  Go 'Ders!
 
 
Andy Purvis lives in Corpus Christi, Texas and has always had extreme interest in and knowledge of sports. He has a radio talk show Dennis and Andy's Q and A Session and maintains contact with sports "greats" and other sports friends.  Read more of Andy's works at www.purvisbooks.com.