The man who can speak six languages has finally lived up to his potential this season. Through 10 conference games this season, Yassin Idbihi ranks in the top 10 in the conference in six statistical categories. As the senior leader of the men's basketball team, Idbihi's 15.9 points per game is fifth in the MAC and his 9.1 rebounds ranks second.
I'm not going to name names, they know who they are, but there are people who believe that Yassin Idbihi is not a great player in the MAC because he looks awkward at times. To this I say... criminy.
I am sick of people throwing their love around for "P-Smitty" or "A-Rob" while Yassin gets bashed for not living up to potential. Idbihi has had his best season as a Bull, and it's high time we realize that Idbihi is one of the best big men to ever don the Blue and White of Buffalo.
Idbihi has made a post-season team every year that he has been at Buffalo. As a freshman he was named to the MAC All-Freshman team, as a sophomore he was named to the All-MAC Tournament team and as a junior Idbihi made the All-MAC honorable mention squad.
This year Idbihi has stepped up his game like everyone expected him to after his freshman year, yet people still complain about his turnovers and awkward style of play. However, Idbihi is not first or second on the team in turnovers, those honors belong to P-Smitty and Eric Moore.
Ever since Mark Bortz graduated, Idbihi has had to play out of position. He is a natural power forward who is at his best roaming and spotting up for jumpers, yet because of the non-existence of another big-man Idbihi has had to change his game to a back-to the-basket post player at times.
Idbihi's post moves and rebounding have improved immensely throughout his career and have taken a sharp jump this season. When Idbihi came to America, his biggest flaw was his hands. He could not catch the ball or hold on to a rebound, never did anyone imagine that four years later, Idbihi would be averaging 9.1 rebounds per game.
It may be hard for Idbihi to win the MAC Player of the Year with the team losing six of their last seven games, and being in 11th place in the standings, however Idbihi has carried this team on his back throughout the season. Players such as Moore, A-Rob and P-Smitty, have been inconsistent throughout. If you are looking for the most valuable player to his team, Idbihi is the only option to consider.
Good guy, not great player
Perhaps the best thing I can say about Yassin Idbihi is that if not for Yassin, Mark Bortz would be the best big man since the school turned Division I in the early-90s.
Now don't get me wrong, I think Idbihi is a good player, a player that will probably rank in the top five all-time at Buffalo in rebounding and scoring. He's played some big games for UB-that playoff game in his freshman year against Northern Illinois comes to mind-but for all of Idbihi's positives and praises, he has not lived up to the hype after his very successful freshman campaign.
For the sake of space, I'm only afforded the following two examples to demonstrate my point:
Example No. 1: The 2005 MAC Title game against Ohio. In the biggest game in Buffalo's history, Idbihi scored seven points and grabbed five boards while shooting 20 percent from the field and missed all three of his shots from three-including the three from the corner that I'll never forget. While only a sophomore, as a freshman he had 23 and eight against Northern Illinois in a playoff game.
Example No. 2: This season against Pittsburgh in Alumni Arena. Idbihi "got his numbers" posting 18 and 10, but a deeper look reveals a different side of the story. 14 of those 18 points came in the first half and for the game, Idbihi shot 8-22 (36 percent) and an absolutely DREADFUL 1-10 from three-point range. His one make came in the first half.
With Turner and Calvin's classes gone, this was the year where he needed to step up and although Idbihi has registered a career-high in points, his marks in field goal and three-point percentage are career lows. His field goal percentage of 43.5 is particularly disappointing given the high marks from fellow MAC big men Leon Williams of Ohio and Joe Reitz of Western Michigan. Williams is shooting at a near 60 percent clip (59.9 percent) while Reitz is not far behind at 57.3 percent. All that says to me is that while Idbihi is scoring more, he's also taking a lot more shots and missing a lot more.
Perhaps Idbihi would be a more efficient scorer if he didn't spend so much time beyond the arc. Idbihi has made only 12 of 50 three-pointers this year for a meager 24 percent, a staggering statistic when one considers that Idbihi's game seems based more on jump shots than post-moves.
And while it is impossible to blame an entire team's struggles on one player-especially with such a young team and an extremely disappointing year from Parnell Smith-it's notable that in a year in which Idbihi is undoubtedly the man, the team has struggled to it's worst record in five years.
Like I said, Idbihi is a solid player, a guy who has spent the last four years "getting his numbers" and keeping Buffalo competitive, but the "Moroccan Magician" has been far from "The Dream" that many UB fans compare him to be.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
