Minnesota basketball legend Khalid El-Amin to coach St. Thomas Academy

[DAVEROD]

Minnesota basketball legend Khalid El-Amin to coach St. Thomas Academy

A Minnesota high school basketball icon and former University of Connecticut star has been tapped to coach St. Thomas Academy's basketball program.

kstp.com

 

[Waquoit]

I wish him the best. Doubtful he ever coaches a kid as good as he was. How about that, Boat and KEA sightings on the same day.

 

[Mr. French]

I wish him the best. Doubtful he ever coaches a kid as good as he was. How about that, Boat and KEA sightings on the same day.

He's pretty lucky if he does, he was a McD AA and a total stud, as well as the namesake of my first AOL Instant Messenger name and the reason I wore 42 in college.

So if he never coaches a McD AA, at least he has that going for him!

 

[Mike Honcho]

Ok this is a controversial topic but.... best personality in the Calhoun era? Loved Khalid's moxy.

 

[Waquoit]

Ok this is a controversial topic but.... best personality in the Calhoun era? Loved Khalid's moxy.

We had many great players that didn't get it done before KEA. He was the difference maker. I still remember him breaking ankles without putting the ball on the floor. That can't be taught!

 

[Son of Robert]

Is this St. Thomas More, or some other school, as in, is Khalid coaching in Connecticut?

 

[HooperScooper]

Is this St. Thomas More, or some other school, as in, is Khalid coaching in Connecticut?

Minnesota.

Private All Boys Middle & High School | Saint Thomas Academy

Saint Thomas Academy is an all boys Catholic middle and high school in the Twin Cities with strong academics and athletics. Learn more about our school!

www.cadets.com

 

[Watchdog]

We had many great players that didn't get it done before KEA. He was the difference maker. I still remember him breaking ankles without putting the ball on the floor. That can't be taught!

When I read we recruited a 5'10", 210 or 220 pound, point guard my first thought was the story must have factual errors.
Then it got more interesting when it mentioned how he took over at a workout or practice session with the team while on his visit.
And then we saw him in the first exhibition game and decided Calhoun wasn't out of his mind and we had the guy we needed.

 

[methodology]

He hit the game winning shot against st Thomas in 1996 state championship

 

[Tdaley]

In my humble opinion, Khalid had one of the highest basketball intelligence of any player to ever put on a Uconn jersey. He clearly had spent very large portion of his life on basketball courts before arriving at Storrs. I loved watching him play.

 

[Waquoit]

When I read we recruited a 5'10", 210 or 220 pound, point guard my first thought was the story must have factual errors.
Then it got more interesting when it mentioned how he took over at a workout or practice session with the team while on his visit.
And then we saw him in the first exhibition game and decided Calhoun wasn't out of his mind and we had the guy we needed.

He was one of our highest-rated recruits ever, though.

 

[donyell34]

Khalid had it and Calhoun knew it. Verballed to Minnesota the year before but rescinded and Calhoun swooped in and got his man. 99 was awesome obviously winning the championship but 98 was great also seeing that young team grow stronger by the game and took the tar heels in North Carolina to take them out. Great scene jumping on the scorers table in Pittsburgh after that great finish and just totally deflating the whole building and just broke there hearts.

 

[HooperScooper]

When I read we recruited a 5'10", 210 or 220 pound, point guard my first thought was the story must have factual errors.
Then it got more interesting when it mentioned how he took over at a workout or practice session with the team while on his visit.
And then we saw him in the first exhibition game and decided Calhoun wasn't out of his mind and we had the guy we needed.

He was a very highly ranked recruit and a McDonald's All American so the spotlight was on him and most knew what he was about before he got to UConn.

 

[Hans Sprungfeld]

Khalid had it and Calhoun knew it. Verballed to Minnesota the year before but rescinded and Calhoun swooped in and got his man. 99 was awesome obviously winning the championship but 98 was great also seeing that young team grow stronger by the game and took the tar heels in North Carolina to take them out. Great scene jumping on the scorers table in Pittsburgh after that great finish and just totally deflating the whole building and just broke there hearts.

I've written some of what follows before, but always from a different point of view, and likely in a different relationship with time.

My first UConn game was in early 1963, if not just before that New Year.

For the next 35 years, Husky basketball was the unsurpassed bonding vehicle for my father and me.

My Dad chose hospice in mid-December 1997 and was gone before the year changed. He saw ONLY Khalid El-Amin's earliest freshman games. He got to see just enough to know that KEA had something.

I've been gifted with a couple dozen seasons he never got to see. He no doubt saw Walt Dropo. I've seen 4 National Championships. He never saw a Final Four.

Best wishes to KEA!

 

[RichZ]

He hit the game winning shot against st Thomas in 1996 state championship

Did he jump on the scorer's table as the post game melee was starting? If so, signature move!

 

[Waquoit]

Did he jump on the scorer's table as the post game melee was starting? If so, signature move!

I dunno if that's the move when the coach hauls you down. I'll go with "We shocked the world!"

 

[Chief00]

A few years after he played, I talked to an opposition college coach, who use to do the scouting report on UConn. The coach said there usually is a prototype you can point to in how to stop a certain type of player. However, with Khalid there was no template to use. He was that unique and a difference maker player.

 

[OkaForPrez]

A few years after he played, I talked to an opposition college coach, who use to do the scouting report on UConn. The coach said there usually is a prototype you can point to in how to stop a certain type of player. However, with Khalid there was no template to use. He was that unique and a difference maker player.

And now he’s our hope for ‘sool’s comp

 

[Scoe]

This is great to see, Khalid will make a tremendous difference in kids lives with all his basketball and life experiences. It won't be a quite bench lol, makes it so much more comforting having "that guy" on your team the guy everyone in the gym hates except your team and fans.

 

[8893]

I still get goosebumps thinking back on the first time I saw him play. I finagled student season tickets (and a new ID sticker) for several seasons after I graduated law school--summer associates are good for something!--and my seats were in the last row behind the basket, which I loved because I could stand the entire time and have plenty of room.

Pretty sure it was the Yale game his freshman year. As soon as I saw him I elbowed my buddy and said "He's the x-factor; he's what we've been missing."

Granted, I thought the same about Cupp Cormier (RIP) several years earlier and obviously missed the mark there...

In any event, Khalid is and always will be my favorite Husky.

 

[Chief00]

I still get goosebumps thinking back on the first time I saw him play. I finagled student season tickets (and a new ID sticker) for several seasons after I graduated law school--summer associates are good for something!--and my seats were in the last row behind the basket, which I loved because I could stand the entire time and have plenty of room.

Pretty sure it was the Yale game his freshman year. As soon as I saw him I elbowed my buddy and said "He's the x-factor; he's what we've been missing."

Granted, I thought the same about Cupp Cormier (RIP) several years earlier and obviously missed the mark there...

In any event, Khalid is and always will be my favorite Husky.

One of the team managers was charged by Coach Calhoun with the responsibility of getting Khalid to practice on-time. They had various team rules about getting to practice on time and restrictions regarding game minutes. The running joke in some quarters was the manager should be in the running for team MVP - LOL

 

[gtcam]

There is and will only be one KEA
And we had the pleasure to see him wear a UConn jersey and win a NC
Life can't get better than that
Best in everything you do KEA

 

[dogpause]

So glad to learn that my favorite Husky of all time is now a coach. He'll be a college coach soon enough.