Prospect Spotlight: Rahim Ali (2020)
The class of 2020 in Baltimore is a deep and talented one made up of mostly backcourt players. Within those guards, there are a couple of point guards that immediately stand out amongst the group. Baltimore Polytechnic Institute’s Rahim Ali is one of those guys.
For the majority of freshman, transitioning to the varsity high school level is an extremely difficult task. For Ali, it was even more challenging not only because he is a point guard, but also because he was surrounded by a number of great players, including PrepHoops’ Baltimore Player of the Year Dre Perry. Usually it’d be ideal to surround a freshman point guard with a load of talent to make the transition easier, but Ali’s role was crucial in capturing the school’s first state title in program history.
The 5’11 floor general fulfilled his responsibilities exactly how he should’ve. His first priority was making sure the team was in the sets that head coach Sam Brand demanded from the sidelines. Next was to get guys like Perry and Demetrius Mims in spots showcase their scoring abilities. And sure, Ali would always be looking to take advantage of his match up falling asleep on him every possession with strong drives to the rim after a swift crossover. Ali is also a capable three-point shooter, which fit well alongside Perry and Mims when they would penetrate or see double teams.
Coach Brand and his staff have created a culture at Poly of developing a winning attitude both on and off the court. When I spoke with Ali yesterday, he couldn’t even tell me his individual statistics from the past season. “I’m not even sure,” Ali said. “I just went out and played to win. I didn’t worry about numbers.”
The game of basketball has changed drastically in recent years not only for big men, but for point guards as well. Now they’re expected to sometimes be the best scorer on the team. While Ali can score when the opportunity presents itself, his main goal is making the right basketball play. It doesn’t take long to realize his vision is ahead of his time in terms of age. In transition, he makes flashy, crisp passes. In the half court, he displays a real patience in waiting for the defense to lag on a rotation or simply fall asleep on their man.
“Seeing the floor, you know, court vision,” said Ali when describing his strongest aspect. “Also my ball handling.”
Mid-range shooting has quickly become a lost art in today’s game. While it doesn’t rule well with the analytics and efficiency stats, being able to be a threat from all-three levels separates the good players from the elite ones. Ali knows that’s something he needs to improve on this summer. As his high school career continues, pick-and-roll sets could emerge as his bread and butter considering his vision and ability to attack the rim.
Ali hasn’t had the chance to play a ton of AAU ball as he nursed a dislocated pinky, but in his first action since being cleared, he helped lead Poly in a dismantling over Edgewood 44-11 in a summer league game. He’s excited that he finally gets to get back on the floor to work on his craft as Poly looks to defend their Class 3A State title.
Ali told PrepHoops that UNLV is showing high interest, while USF and Maryland have also expressed interest in the rising sophomore. The 3.0 student is really looking for a school who has a history of recruiting smaller guards. Miami comes to mind immediately considering Gonzaga’s Chris Lykes (5’6) is headed there next season.
In his off time, Ali likes to break down film of Chris Paul and Kyrie Irving. In accordance to Paul, Ali believes he is hands down the best point guard in the NBA and likes to watch how he can control a game from both ends. Irving offers the exciting, crafty aspects that you can tell Ali tries to implement in his own game as well.
(Video was from last August prior to Ali’s freshman season)