USU MBB: Zee Hamoda has a ‘high ceiling’
LOGAN — A blue light illuminated the Utah State Men’s Basketball locker room when forward Zee Hamoda flipped the switch to light up the “A” after the Aggies’ 38-point rout of Westminster on Thursday.
Hamoda — the first Division I player from Bahrain — was all over the floor and consequentially the stat sheet. The sophomore set career-highs with 28 points, 10 field goals made, six 3-pointers made and four steals in 28 minutes. Hamoda credited his team’s unselfishness for his performance.
“It is special but it’s nothing new,” Hamoda said. “It’s just my friends and coaches and teammates giving me the opportunity to play well. We all share the ball, which we’re a good team with assists, so that was just my part to play today.”
Hamoda also slammed a 360-degree dunk and a two-handed jam off of fast break opportunities.
3 … 2 … 1 … SHOWTIME‼️
🌀 @_zee_6 #AggiesAllTheWay pic.twitter.com/MDC4z5S2Yj
— USU Men's Hoops (@USUBasketball) December 16, 2022
Hamoda’s six treys were the most by an Aggie in the last three games, since guard Steven Ashworth hit seven against Utah Tech.
“We definitely have the confidence in Zee to hit shots when he’s open and that’s what we were able to see tonight,” Ashworth said. “Zee had a great night tonight in that aspect to where he let the game come to him in the second half. He found open looks.”
After making 10 threes last season, Hamoda has already surpassed that total with 12 through nine games. But that’s not the only way he’s improved since last year. In fact, Hamoda has improved in basically every statistical category per game this season. And as a result, head coach Ryan Odom has bumped up his playing time. Homada has gone from averaging less than eight minutes a game last season to nearly 20 this year.
It has been a slow grind for Hamoda to earn more minutes, but it is a process that his teammate Ashworth relates to.
“Really happy for Zee,” Ashworth said after the win over Westminster. “It’s interesting to see Zee and the situation he’s in because I see a lot of my freshman year in that same situation. You’re battling to get on the floor and then you really want to prove yourself when you’re on the floor.”
With the increase in minutes, Hamoda seems to be proving himself by averaging 8.6 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game. Additionally, he is second on the team in blocks, with seven, and third on the team in 3-point shooting percentage and steals.
And while Hamoda’s best performance has come against Division II side Westminster, it still clearly shows improvement from last year where Hamoda’s best games came against NAIA-squad Carroll College, where he set his previous career-high of 15 points, and Boise State, where he tallied 10 points and filled minutes when his teammates where in foul trouble.
“Zee’s got a high ceiling,” Odom said. “It’s fun to watch Zee play.”
It’s clear that Hamoda has high aspirations to break through his ceiling — even the number on his jersey, 24 for Kobe Bryant, symbolizes what he hopes to accomplish for his basketball future. And while he’s still early in his collegiate career, some might already be wondering if he may be one of the next Aggies signed by an NBA team.
Featured image by Sam Warner from the Utah Tech game.