Jihad Ali

Men's Basketball

Where Are They Now Wednesday - Jihad Ali

Our student-athletes are what make Georgia State so special. Our 'Where Are They Now Wednesday' segments feature former student-athletes from across all of our sports and not only look back on their accomplishments, but where they are now.

Excelling both on and off the court, Jihad Ali was two-time team captain who finished his career playing with a then school-record 126 games played. He earned the prestigious CAA Dean Ehler's Leadership Award following his senior season, a season which still remembered as one of the most remarkable in program history. After getting his career started at Georgia State, Ali has moved back and forth across the country climbing the ladder of collegiate athletics to his current role as CFO at The College of the Holy Cross.

Talk a little bit about what you have been up to since graduating from Georgia State (work, sports, family)
Since graduating from GSU, I've been back and forth across the country enjoying a career working in intercollegiate athletics. I now live near Boston and serve as the CFO at The College of the Holy Cross in the Patriot League. Prior to this role, I worked in the Athletic Department at Oregon State University for about three years.

Outside of work, I spend time making ceramics (bowls, mugs, vases, etc.), which has become a good pastime for me during the pandemic; perhaps someday I will begin to monetize the hobby.

I'm also looking forward to beginning a family of my own in the next few years, inshaAllah.

How did your experience at GSU help you get to where you are now?
My experience at GSU gave me the initial exposure and opportunity needed to get to where I am today. As a student-athlete, I interned in the athletic business office my senior year and returned as a full-time employee a few years after graduating which gave my career its start. I credit my coaches and the administration at the time for extending me those opportunities and allowing my curiosity of this industry to grow.

I'd also say my experience as a student-athlete at GSU directly informs the work I do in my career now; I have a good understanding of how resource allocation impacts to the student-athlete experience, and I'm able to better understand and support our coaches and program needs.

Your senior season was one of the most memorable in program history. Talk about that season and how the team came together under first-year head coach Ron Hunter.
Man, that year was special! I do remember getting off to a tough start, though; we finished 0-3 in a tournament at Washington to start the year. After that, we went on to win 11 straight and finished the year with a 20+ win season. I look back at that year from time to time.

Coach Hunter and his staff did a great job building a culture that brought the best out of us. Off the court, I remember visiting the NBA Offices in Secaucus between playing at Northeastern and Hofstra, meeting Ernie Johnson and his son, Michael (RIP), before a home game which lead me to an internship at Turner Sports, and often I enjoy memories of how fun it was to be with that group. That year changed my college experience for sure.

Talk a little about how you game greatly improved from your freshman to senior seasons and what led to that transformation.
I believe I've always played with a good amount of IQ and understood how to play the game the right way. But after playing my freshman year, it was clear that I needed to get stronger and develop even more. I remember practices my freshman year and getting killed going up against guys like Joe Dukes and Trey Hampton, who were sitting out as redshirt transfers from Wake Forest and Ole Miss that year.

So, I decided to redshirt as a sophomore which wasn't a popular thing to do at the time, and still isn't really; but paying attention to our roster I believed redshirting would give me the best opportunity to contribute my junior and senior seasons, as well as earn a graduate degree. I'm fortunate that things worked out as they did, and I was able to enjoy the success we had during my senior year under Coach Hunter.

By the time you graduated, you had played in more games than any other player in program history up to that time. What did that mean to you?
I really enjoyed playing at GSU and to have been able to once say I played in more games than anyone else was pretty cool. I thank God, and give a huge shout out to my coaches for trusting me, and our athletic trainers at the time, John Anderson and Dinika Johnson, who spent a lot of hours helping me stay healthy enough to play while battling injuries my last two seasons. 

You came to Georgia State after growing up not too far away from campus. What led you to GSU in 2007?
It didn't take long for me to know I wanted to be a Panther. I felt really comfortable with GSU from the start of the recruiting process; I connected with the players on my visit, already loved the city of Atlanta, and wanted the opportunity to play in front of my family and friends.

I must say, as a 17-year old high school senior making the choice on where to go to school, I didn't realize how valuable or important the support from coaches, administrators, as well as Alumni/Donors would be to my college experience and overall development as a person. I'm fortunate to be a part of the Panther Family. Choosing Georgia State wasn't a hard choice for me to make, I'm grateful Georgia State chose me.

Do you still stay in touch with any of your teammates from back in the days?
I do. Rashad Chase and I are still pretty close and connect when I'm in Atlanta. I also keep in touch with guys from that 2011-12 team; Eric Buckner, Ryann Green, Rashaad Richardson, Devonta White, James Fields, and others. We're all living in different parts of the country which makes it more difficult to connect in person but it's good to know they have gone on to become good husbands, fathers, are active in their communities, and remain close to the game in some capacity.
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