Perseverance Pays Off for Guard Nayab

Ali Nayab almost wasn’t a part of this Cal State Fullerton basketball season.

It appeared doubtful that he would be eligible after appeals for a medical redshirt year were turned down twice, first by the Big West Conference and then by the NCAA. But Nayab refused to give up.

He continued to build his case, gathering more supporting information, and made one final appeal to the Big West Council not long before the season began. This time he won.

“Being able to play my senior year meant so much to me,” Nayab said. “I would have been really disappointed if I hadn’t. I knew it was more of a misunderstanding than anything.”

And Nayab, a 5-foot-10 point guard, didn’t want his college career to end on a 6-20 season. That’s another reason he’s so pleased the Titans have improved significantly this season. He’s averaging 6.6 points and is second on the team in steals with 20.

The eligibility question arose partially because of a failure to clarify Nayab’s status after he sat out the 1994-95 season after injuring his lower back in a preseason game. It was his first year at Fullerton after transferring from Southwestern College in San Diego.

“Nobody had explained to me what I needed to do, and apparently the paperwork at that time was not enough for explaining my situation,” Nayab said. “But the whole administration did a good job of helping me get it straightened out, although it was a rough three months for me.

“I just knew it would have been unfair if I hadn’t been able to play. That season I was hurt I had really bad back spasms. I couldn’t even sit down at times. And when I did go back to practice in February, I was very limited in what I could do.”

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The big difference this year for the Titans is more experience and depth, and Nayab helps with both.

“Last year, we had a lot of guys playing Division I basketball for the first time,” Nayab said.

With Nayab and Chris St. Clair, the Titans have two experienced point guards.

“I think that’s a big plus for us,” Nayab said. “We’ve both been playing about the same amount each game, no matter which one of us starts. If you’re playing well, you stay in. If you’re not, you come out, whether you’re a starter or the 13th man.”

A third point guard, Kenroy Jarrett, is out because of a knee injury and probably will be a redshirt.

“My game is making things happen, offensively and defensively, with my quickness,” Nayab said. “I look for the pass first and the shot second. I got my scholarship because I can pass the ball, but I know the point guard has to be able to hit the open shot, and I’ll take it when it’s there.”

In a game this season, Loyola Marymount dropped off Nayab to put more pressure on power forward John Williams, and Nayab responded by making seven of nine field-goal attempts and scoring 18 points.

“It was one of those situations where they were giving me the shots and I took advantage of it,” Nayab said. “When my first three shots went in that night, I just kept going.”

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Nayab is known for the work ethic he shows in practice and his hustle in games. He says the effort comes naturally.

“I started working in the little restaurant my father started in San Diego when I was 8,” he said. “It was that kind of family business, and my five brothers and sisters worked too.”

Nayab said his father was a successful businessman, with four cotton factories, in Kabul, Afghanistan, before he fled the country with his family at the start of the war with the Soviet Union in 1979.

“We were fortunate that my father had enough money to get us out of Afghanistan, but we went from being fairly wealthy there to having to start from scratch again,” Nayab said. “Everything we had in Afghanistan is gone now. The first three or four years after we came over were very tough, but we still feel fortunate to get away as we did. We were able to get out when a lot of people couldn’t.”

Nayab said his father, Zia, had to retire and sell his restaurant after a third triple-bypass heart operation.

“I really respect my parents for what they’ve done,” he said. “My father used to work so hard, from early in the morning until late at night. Every time I see him, I’m so happy for all that he did for us.”

Titan Notes

The women’s basketball team has lost six consecutive games, all by fewer than 10 points, going into Friday night’s home game against UC Santa Barbara. Dee Braxton and Kristen Sigg, averaging 13 points, lead the Titans in scoring. . . . Pitcher Todd Singelyn, 1-0 with the Titans last season, has dropped off the team. That leaves the Titans with 11 pitchers. Freshman Mike Garner is the only left-hander. Pitching coach Dave Serrano said he has has been encouraged by the progress of several pitchers, especially Matt Wise. The Titans open the season Jan. 28 at Cal State Northridge. . . . When the men’s basketball team plays at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Saturday, it will be the first time the two teams have played since the 1973-74 season. Both teams were in the college-division California Collegiate Athletic Assn. San Luis Obispo joined the Big West Conference this season.