Bonnies Baseline: Waheed Ready For New Opportunity

Considering he’s the son of a basketball coach, it’s little surprise the scouting reports on new Bonnies guard Akbar Waheed III mention his high basketball IQ.

His prep resume shows the skill that goes along with his intelligence on the floor. A consensus four-star recruit coming out of Georgetown Prep, he brings a varied skillset to Bona’s backcourt along with a bit of a chip on his shoulder after a redshirt season last year at Boston College.

“I would describe my game as someone who can be a jack of all trades,” he said. “I love to shoot the ball but I’m someone who can also put the ball on the floor and initiate offense. Basketball is a game of no positions now, so to play as many positions as you can is something very important and that’s something I try to do.”

Waheed, who is listed at 6-foot-6, 205 pounds, was actually ranked as the No. 39 small forward in the nation by ESPN during his prep career where he scored over 1,000 points.

“I want people to see me as someone who came into their own (this season),” he said. “I feel like I’ve been a little slighted. I think coming here is a great opportunity to show something that some people aren’t expecting of me. Even as a group, just show that we’re going to fight for something that means more than any of us individually.” 

Basketball has always been a connecting force for the Waheed family. 

His father has over 25 years of coaching and scouting experience after a playing career at Niagara. His sister, Infiniti, ranks 17th all-time in scoring at Holy Cross with over 1,300 points during her college career as an All-Patriot League performer. 

“My father being a coach, my sister was one of the best players at Holy Cross, my family is all into sports. It’s just in my nature,” Akbar said. “I was kind of born with a basketball in my hands.”

The elder Akbar Waheed also joins head coach Mike MacDonald’s first Bonnies staff after time as a scout in the NBA with Brooklyn and Oklahoma City as well as coaching roles at Georgetown, Boston College, Hofstra and Niagara. 

“It’s kind of a surreal feeling playing for my dad,” Akbar III said. “Growing up, he was always someone I could go to with questions. To share this experience with him is something very special and something I never thought I would be able to experience.”

So, who’s tougher – Dad or Coach?

“Dad is tougher,” he said, “but it comes from a special place. It’s tough love, but it’s something I really need sometimes.”

The father-son duo hopes to be part of something special in the Reilly Center this season. They’re part of a group that has already formed a strong bond this summer.

“I felt like I made the right decision to come here when I saw how tight-knit this group is. We gelled very early on,” he said. “That’s something that should really help us in the long run. One of our first days, we went out to eat and someone came up to Coach Mac and said, ‘this group looks like they’ve been together for a long time.’ That’s something that’s pretty special. You’ll see that this team really plays for one another.”

With his family background, Waheed has plenty of experience with great basketball communities. Now, he gets the opportunity to become part of another basketball tradition when he wears the Bonnies uniform this fall. 

“The game of basketball has taken me endless places I never thought I would be at. I’m very grateful,” he said. “The atmosphere, the crowd, the amazing people that get behind Bonnies basketball is something special. It’s something I wanted to be a part of.”