Yassin Idbihi
Freshman - Men' s Basketball

Entering this week, your team has won nine of its last 11 games. What do you look at as the key to the turnaround?
I think it occurred for us in our win at Northern Illinois in late January. It showed us what we were capable of – and we woke up. We realized what level we could and should be playing at.

How important do you feel that it is to close out the regular season on a positive note?
We have to continue to play the way we have been. Our confidence is high right now, and we obviously would like to keep that in tact. We will do that if we continue to do the things that we have been doing recently.

What type of expectations do you have for the upcoming Mid-American Conference Tournament, beginning with a first-round home game at Alumni Arena on Monday at 7 pm?
No one on this team has been part of a group that has advanced to Cleveland, so I can’t really ask anyone about the experience. My experience with tournaments is that you need to come out strong each day. That is definitely going to be the case in this tournament, because the MAC is filled with solid teams.

How did you come about choosing to go to high school in Germany after growing up in Morocco?
Because of my height, my friends told me that soccer was not the sport for me and convinced me to look for a different sport on a team or club in Germany. When I was 15, I went to this basketball camp in Germany and Schloss Hagerhof – a high school – offered me a scholarship to stay there and finish my schooling along with playing basketball.

It was the first time I lived in a different country, so it was difficult. The transition from living in Morocco to Germany was much harder than coming from Germany to America. Leaving home when I was 15 was tough, but it turned out to be a nice experience.

What went into your decision to attend UB? How much did the adjustment you went through moving to Germany help in your move to the United States?
Last May, I had no intentions of going to college. But then a coach of mine changed my mind. So in the beginning of June, that coach posted my name and statistics on some web site. A bunch of colleges called – Buffalo being one of them. UB assistant coach Mike Mennenga saw my video and was interested.

I wanted to go to America, because that’s the country you see in all the movies and everything like that. When I went from Morocco to Germany, I expected the people to be the same – and that was not always the case. So when I came over to America, I came to expect that people would be different. I understood that I would have to learn new things in order to adjust.

So far, what has been your most memorable athletic experience at UB?
Wednesday’s game against Kent State was the best basketball experience I’ve ever had in my life. It was incredible. The fans made Alumni Arena a great atmosphere. We hope to get the same type of crowd for Monday’s MAC Tournament first-round game.

What differences have you noticed between European and American basketball?
I don’t feel that there are really that many major differences. However, in Europe the post players are allowed to use their hands much more on defense. Here, if you use your hands to keep someone away from the basket, you will be called for a foul. They also call a lot more over-the-back fouls here, but the game is still ultimately the same.

How much does having range with your jump shot help you as a post player?
If I am out beyond the three-point line, my defender cannot help out defensively in terms of blocking shots – so the lane is open for our guards. If my defender does go help, I can shoot the open three-pointer.

Are your parents able to follow your games from Morocco? How often are you in contact with them?
My dad listens to the games via radio on the Internet, but the time difference makes it difficult – a game that starts at 7 pm here begins at Midnight in Morocco. He is learning English because he is listening to the broadcasts so often – but at the start he did not speak much English. Following the Kent State game, he says he was jumping around at 2 am in the morning.

My parents probably call me about once per week – plus we also have e-mail contact. This is the longest I have ever been away from home, because usually I was able to go back home during winter break.

Of the six languages that you speak, do you have a favorite? Have you gotten the chance to speak all six since coming to UB?
Moroccan is my favorite because it’s the one I grew up with. It’s the one that I refer back to when I am speaking other languages. I have been able to speak it a “shouia” (little bit) in Buffalo with some people I met from Morocco.

Since being at UB, I met some “la gente” (people) from Latin American and spoke Spanish with them and I met some people from French Canada and “ai parlé” (spoke) French with them. Most of the time though, I am speaking English.

-The "10 Questions with…" feature is compiled by Geoff Nason.

03/01/2004