Panthers rebounder helping push for playoff berth

Mohamed Idris has proven to be a great defensive player for the Colleyville Heritage boys basketball team, and head coach Stephen Hamrick has taken notice.

The senior forward is hoping to walk on to the University of Texas at Arlington men’s basketball team next season, and Hamrick said he is the kind of player that any coach would want to have on his team.

“Mo has been a big contributor on the boards,” Hamrick said. “He has been averaging seven rebounds a game for us in district. He is getting more and more confident in himself week by week with his ability to score at the rim. I’m really proud of him in progressing and expanding his game and his mental toughness.”

Hamrick said as the season winds to an end, he needs for Idris to continue to do what he has done throughout the season to this point.

“We need Mo to continue to have a strong presence on the defensive end and continue to rebound the basketball at a high level,” Hamrick said. “We also need him to continue to be aggressive and attack the basket on the offensive end.”

Idris said he has been pleased with the way the team has played this season, particularly in the first half of district, but added that his team does need to pick things up to get into the postseason.

“We started off this season with a bang,” Idris said last Monday. “We came out and beat [Fort Worth] Dunbar, a team who’s always been a powerhouse. We did pretty well the first half of district and ended up in second place.

“We’ve been on a slump that we’re hoping to get out of this Tuesday against Grapevine and get back on track and play how we usually do, with energy and enthusiasm.”

Idris said what he will remember the most about his time on the Colleyville Heritage basketball team is “the enthusiasm, energy and pride that we posses not only as basketball players, but young men as well.”

Hamrick said that Idris will be missed.

“Mo is great young man,” Hamrick said. “He is a fantastic student athlete and I am proud of his growth as person, student and as an athlete.”

Idris plans to study nursing at UTA.

This story was originally published February 13, 2017 at 4:32 PM with the headline "Panthers rebounder helping push for playoff berth."