OMAHA, Neb.: Aly Khalifa will set his alarm for 4:30 a.m. Thursday, a witching hour for a school child if ever there was one, and roll away from bed for a similar breakfast as all the time: scrambled eggs, yogurt, some fruit, all washed down with an entire lot of water.
It would be the final he eats or drinks for almost 16 hours.
Then he’ll pray, prostrating in accordance with Ramadan, the holiest month for Muslims, not for main BYU to victory in its recreation hours later in opposition to Duquesne however out of a profound sense of reverential devotion.
It is a quick Khalifa is embarking on willingly, but one which carries with it uncommon challenges throughout the NCAA Tournament. The power the 6-foot-11 ahead from Alexandria, Egypt, will expend on the court docket over 40 minutes can’t be replenished till a lot later within the day, after the solar mercifully drops over the horizon and darkness lastly units in.
“Not going to lie,” Khalifa stated in a nook of the Cougars’ locker room Wednesday, having simply stepped off the bus for apply at about the identical time as tipoff will happen the next morning, “I’m real thirsty right now. That’s the hardest part.”
One of the Five Pillars of Islam is the “sawm,” the place throughout the ninth month of the Islamic calendar wholesome adults are required to abstain from foods and drinks throughout sunlight hours. The apply is meant to resume their consciousness and gratitude for all that God has bestowed upon them, and to function a reminder of their spiritual obligation to assist these much less lucky.
There are exceptions for kids and the aged, ladies who’re pregnant and those that are touring, and that might have given Khalifa a reprieve. In truth, BYU teammates Fousseyni Traore, a local of Mali, and Atiki Ally Atiki, who was recruited to the predominantly Mormon faculty from Tanzania, selected to watch Ramadan in different methods, comparable to prolonged prayer.
Yet Khalifa needed to quick in earnest, placing religion in God — and the BYU coaching workers — he might endure such deprivation.
Cougars coach Mark Pope has offered management and steering. Michael Davie, the college’s director of sports activities science, has been meticulously monitoring his weight and hydration degree. Robert Ramos, the director of sports activities drugs, is offering solidarity — “He’s doing it with me,” Khalifa stated with a smile. “Rob was like, ‘I got you.’”
They had a dry run final week throughout the Big 12 Tournament, the place the Cougars gained a second-round recreation in opposition to UCF earlier than shedding within the quarterfinals to Texas Tech. (Khalifa tweaked his ankle in opposition to the Red Raiders however is able to go this week.)
“We’re getting more comfortable with the schedule, more comfortable with the diet, more comfortable with the first thing he eats in the evening and how he rations it out,” Pope stated. “He’s become way more comfortable. He’s had a bit more juice (energy) every day. He’s adjusted to it. I’m super proud of him. He’s an incredible example of faith and devotion.”
Cougars guard Richie Saunders, who has helped to lift cash to construct basketball courts in West Africa, knew Khalifa’s quick can be an incredible sacrifice. But he additionally knew {that a} close-knit crew that had efficiently navigated its first season within the Big 12 to return to the NCAA Tournament for the primary time in three years can be there to assist.
They would possibly have to play extra minutes. Adjust their type. Provide emotional help, simply as a lot because the bodily form.
“I knew that sacrifice for him,” Saunders stated, “but we’re such a team of faith, all the different nuances or whatever. If that’s his choice, we’re going to be behind him. We’re going to carry him when he needs to be carried.
“It’s a team,” Saunders stated. “You know?”
Khalifa isn’t distinctive within the NCAA Tournament. Samson Johnson and Hassan Diarra of No. 1 total seed UConn fasted final 12 months, when the Huskies rolled to the nationwide championship, and are planning on doing the identical as they defend their title.
So far, tipoff instances have labored in Khalifa’s favor. Both of the Cougars’ video games within the Big 12 Tournament began earlier than midday, and their recreation in opposition to Duquesne on Thursday will start at 11:40 a.m. That beats a recreation that will begin within the midafternoon, when Khalifa’s starvation pangs and unquenchable thirst can be at their worst.
They gained’t know till Thursday evening, assuming they win, when they may tip in opposition to Illinois or Morehead State on Saturday.
“The built-in part of faith is that you kind of press forward with your acts of devotion,” Pope stated, “and it’s inherent in that you have faith that God’s will is going to be done. I don’t think Aly is asking for any handouts. I don’t think our players in their walk of faith are asking for any accommodations or handouts. I think that defies the point of it.
“One of the beautiful things about acts of devotion, which all of our guys on our team are incredibly familiar with, is that you kind of put your offering on the altar, so to speak — the figurative altar — and then you trust that God’s will is going to be done.”
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AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-mens-bracket and protection: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness
(This story has not been edited by News18 workers and is printed from a syndicated information company feed – Associated Press)
