Jamal Mayali, a six-foot-four political science major starting at guard for Redbird basketball, is off to a scorching start this season.  

The Toronto native is averaging 21.7 points on 46.7 percent shooting from the floor for a 4-0 start for McGill, including 29 points in a season-opening win over Concordia. While the strong start is nice, Mayali's goals are long-term.  

"Coming into training camp was a learning process, us figuring out what our identity was going to be and how we fit with one another. Once the regular season started, we had a much better feel for who we are – gritty, grinding, having that underdog mentality. We have a new coach, Ryan Thorne, who's done a great job making things familiar for us, and our goal is to win an RSEQ title. I haven't done it since my first year, and as a group we're hungry to compete at that level."  

The biggest boon to Mayali's maturing game was his time playing for the Palestinian national team at the FIBA Asia Cup qualifying tournament in Bahrain earlier this year. He played in two of Palestine's four games, a loss to Kazakhstan and a victory over Sri Lanka, while averaging an impressive 28 minutes of court-time and 13.5 points a night.  

"That entire experience was huge, it's what really elevated my game to another level. It was about so much more than the games - the way that those guys carry themselves and treat their profession was eye-opening. There is never any doubt that the preparation is going to be on point, everything is precise and at maximal effort. It's about that hard-working mentality."  

Mayali was born in Canada and both of his parents were raised in Lebanon, but has family spread throughout the globe, including a large contingent living in the West Bank. He is a Palestinian national, making him eligible to compete on the world stage, and counts the Middle East, Europe and Asia as areas with family connections which made it all the more special to put on his country's colours.  

"Since I was a young boy, I've always wanted to represent Palestine. It was a toss-up whether it would be in martial arts or basketball, and, obviously, it wound up being basketball. We're one big united country, and to have an opportunity to represent it is something I'll never forget."  

SOURCE:
Zachary McRae
Communications Officer
McGill Athletics & Recreation
514.616.5573 (Tel.)
www.mcgillathletics.ca
zachary.mcrae@mcgill.ca