Durango High's Sadat rekindles his basketball flame at UNLV

He goes through the drills with precision and passion. And in his case, the passion may be more important than the precision.

Ra'oof (pronounced: Rah-OOF) Sadat admits he had fallen out of love with basketball. His experience at the University of San Francisco two years ago had soured him on the game. He had a bum right knee. He wasn't playing a lot. His mother was ill and he was away from home.

But he has reunited with the game and the love is back. He will return to the court at UNLV this fall, playing for the team he grew up watching.

"It's been a roller coaster ride," Sadat said. "I had to get adapted to a whole new life."

With all the changes taking place in the UNLV program, Sadat, the Nevada prep player of the year in 1996 after leading Durango High to the state title, has been lost in the shuffle.

People forget that he is eligible to play this upcoming season after sitting out last year. But coach Bill Bayno hasn't forgotten. He said Sadat is in his plans for 1999-2000.

"Absolutely," Bayno said. "He certainly has the potential to help us. He's an active player who can make shots."

The 6-foot-9, 215-pound sophomore paid his own way this year to attend UNLV. He hopes to be on scholarship, especially with the burden his mother Roxane is trying to cope with. She attempts to continue working despite suffering from seizures stemming from muscular dystrophy.

But regardless, he's back home, he's happy and he's looking forward to resuming his basketball career.

"I'm building up the muscles around the knee and I'm almost to the point where I was before I got hurt," he said of his right knee, which he injured three years ago as a freshman at USF. "I don't do as many moves as I used to. I use my mind instead of just relying on my talent. It's made me a better player."

He admitted there were times this year when he'd sit on the Rebels' bench and be frustrated because he couldn't help out. But it also gave him a chance to view the game from a different perspective.

"Sometimes, it was fun," he said of being a spectator. "You'd learn a lot about different guys from watching them and I'll put that to use if I have to play against them.

"But the frustrating thing was when the team was struggling, there was nothing I could do about it. All I could do was sit there and watch. That was hard."

While the Rebels struggled to a 16-13 record last season, Sadat had his own demons to conquer. He needed to rekindle the flame for the game. When he was alone working out, he was able to do that.

"Just playing got me excited about the game again," he said. "Working out by myself, I could be alone with my thoughts. It was just me and basketball."

Bayno saw the renewed commitment and it convinced him that Sadat could help the program.

"He got the fire back," Bayno said.

His game still is about attacking the basket or pulling up and taking the jumper if the defense tries to take away the drive. He still needs to get stronger -- he's a weight-room regular at the Lied Athletic Complex.

His one regret? He won't get the chance to share the ball with Shawn Marion on given Marion's recent decision to turn pro and skip his senior season.

"I got to play in a pickup game with him a couple of weeks ago and it was a lot of fun," Sadat said. "But I understand his reasons. He had to do what was best for him and his family."

Sadat is looking forward to the Nov. 19 opener against Mississippi Valley State. But he's not placing any expectations on himself, other than to do his best when Bayno calls upon him.

"I can't talk and say I'm going to do this or do that," he said. "I have to go out and play hard and help the team wherever I can."

He tried to do that at USF.

Despite limited playing time, he led the Dons with 24 blocked shots in 1998. And in the West Coast Conference tournament that year, he was the catalyst in USF's 80-67 win over Gonzaga that propelled the Dons into the NCAA Tournament. Sadat had 18 points and 12 rebounds off the bench against Gonzaga, validating his credentials as a guy who could play Division I ball.

But he struggled to connect with Phil Mathews, the USF coach. Finally, he decided to head back to Las Vegas. He doesn't regret the move, even though he couldn't play this past season.

"Looking back, I needed a change," he said. "It wasn't going to work out there (at USF)."

But Sadat never really envisioned himself playing at UNLV. Despite his lofty accomplishments at Durango, Sadat wasn't really recruited by Bayno the first time around.

Sadat, who is into writing and poetry, won't allow himself to look down the road. For now, he's glad to be back home so he can be close to his mom and be back playing ball again.

"I take it a day at a time," he said. "You never know what tomorrow will bring, but we all work toward tomorrow."

When asked if he borrowed that phrase from someone, Sadat shook his head.

"That's an original. That's mine," he said.

The passion, apparently, is not limited to the court.

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