Mohammed Haroon, ‘Captain Mo’ to the Titan Varsity Basketball Team, Plays A Valuable Role In Collecting Valuable Data, Dishing Out Wit
The sport of basketball is rife with vibrant, outsized personalities, who personify the hip-hop culture and announce themselves at every turn.
Then there’s Mohammed Haroon.
Quiet. Unassuming. Cerebral. At least on the surface.
Haroon – or ‘Captain Mo’ to the San Marino High School varsity basketball team he serves as their manager – has made an almost silent impact on the people he has served the past three years.
He’s the one holding the iPad, which for my fellow Troglodytes, replaced the clipboard about a decade ago. He tends to speak when spoken to, though a quick query proves there is much more than meets the eye.
“When I was introduced to Mohammed as an 8th grader he told me that he wanted to be an NBA general manager some day,” said Titan Head Coach Mihail Papadopulos, lovingly known as ‘Coach Pop.’ “That’s his dream. And it’s certainly the first time anyone has ever started off that way.”
A deep thinker, Haroon is fluent on all things basketball.
“He can have a very high level conversation with him regarding any NBA team and knows their stats better than any high school kid that I’ve ever been around,” said Pop.”He is fun to be around. He is very witty and will not back down from anyone. Mohammed can banter with the best of them.”
Senior guard Eric Tse has seen Mo in action.
“That guy is a silent killer,” said Tse. “He is observant and stays quiet when he needs to, but when the guys are just joking around and making fun of one another, Mo says something and a career has just ended. It’s great until he targets you.”
Haroon has made himself useful in the millennial science of analytics, breaking down the sport of basketball into its mathematical parts in an effort to find an edge for his team.
“We have software to track everything,” said Coach Pop. “That is why Mohammed is important to us. We use everything we can to get an advantage and he has an amazing way of telling us how we are playing. I am so glad he is only a junior and has another year left with us.”
“Mo has been great throughout our season thus far,” said senior center Alex Cate, who will play college basketball at Kenyon. “He has found his role and continues to truly love the game of basketball. His stats not only help our team understand what we do right and wrong, but also allow individual players to see their performance in numbers. Mo is unique, however, in that he has taken his manager/statistician position to another level. He has a very high basketball IQ, and is not afraid to give the varsity players a piece of his mind when it comes to things like shot selection, rebounding, scoring, and efficiency. Mo will often spot things during and following games that even coaches might not notice, and will tell players directly what he sees. He is a valuable asset to the team.”
Mark Wicke agrees.
“Mohammed has a passion for the game of basketball that I have never seen before,” said the senior forward. “He makes it his mission to be at every practice and team event to support us. As a statistician, Mo is thorough and detailed, giving us crucial data as to what we can improve to increase our chances of winning. We all value the tremendous contributions Mo makes to our team, and we know that we would not be successful without him.”
Haroon and sophomore guard Chuma Azinge have become buddies of sorts.
“I could go on forever about Moho,” Azinge said. “He’s a great student, a hardworking manager, and a sincere friend. He probably knows more about basketball than any basketball player I know. Even though he isn’t required to, Moho spends most of his spare time at practice with the basketball team analyzing film, recording statistics, and often heckling our team members. I doubt he’s ever missed the opportunity to bring down Gio Shoushi or Mark Wicke. Moho travels with us on all our team trips, and livens up any dull moments that arise. Moho and I share a friendship that is defined by late NBA games, current events, fashion, and – most important of all – shoes. I think Moho is the only person on this earth whose shoe collection can rival mine. Every day we compete to see who’s outfit will turn out the best. I win every time, but sometimes he comes close. Moho is a great friend on and off the court, and he has left a lasting impression on my high school experience.”
“He’s on the iPad during the game keeping stats like no other,” said senior guard Austin Lee. “Mohammed is great to be around. He knows the game so well and always has insight. He’s also hilarious and has these really sneaky one liners.”
And, apparently, a sneaky shot. Haroon frequently works out with the team and has been known to hit a hot streak. On one now-legendary occasion, Haroon lit up assistant Coach Damian Ortiz during a pick-up game.
“Some days he can’t miss and other days I wish I had a hard hat for the sheer number of bricks falling,” Tse quipped.
Sounds like us all.
“Mo is actually getting much, much better at his game,” said Papadopulos. “If you don’t watch him, he will get you. But this is what I love about coaching in San Marino. Captain Mo is loved and respected by everyone on this team. He is a very valuable member of our basketball community.”
