Oak Lawn’s Ali Farhan has a natural knack for knowing when to alter the flow of a game.
The senior point guard combines that with an emotional approach that fires up his team.
“I think it was something I was just born with,” Farhan said. “I get frustrated if something is not going my way. Knowing we were down, I knew we had to figure a way to pick it up.
“Do something differently out there.”
In a season full of success, Farhan made a difference Saturday with five points, four rebounds, two assists and two steals as the Spartans dropped a 68-51 decision to Riverside-Brookfield.
Junior forward Marc Harvey produced 19 points and nine rebounds Oak Lawn (19-8). Senior guard Donte Montgomery also scored 19 points and added five rebounds and three steals.
Farhan scored all of his points at the start of the fourth quarter, injecting life into a comeback attempt that came up short for the Spartans.
“Donte was off the floor with foul trouble, and I knew we just couldn’t sit there,” Farhan said. “I had to bring a different energy.”
The moment crystallized his direct and intense way of playing.
“He’s a tireless worker and gym rat who’s got endless energy,” Oak Lawn coach Jason Rhodes said of the 5-foot-10 Farhan. “He always gives you the full 32 minutes.
“He’s been hobbling for the last week with a blister on his foot. It doesn’t really matter. He does a lot of little things for us.”
Junior forward Omar Saleh, who had four points and four rebounds, is Farhan’s closest friend. Their connection is deepened by a shared Palestinian descent and strong cultural identification.
The two have a spirited back-and-forth camaraderie that mixes humor and combativeness.
“We bring the best out of each other,” Saleh said. “We can joke with each other and even push each other. It’s why our chemistry is so good.
“He doesn’t get the most attention, but he’s OK with that. I feel like we’re both unselfish players and we try to get the ball to our teammates because they’re very good scorers.”
The two also are able to communicate on the floor in Arabic. Farhan said he’s conversational and reads well without being wholly fluent, but basketball remains their connective thread.
“I live in the area of Bridgeview that’s known as Little Palestine,” he said. “My whole family, especially on my mother’s side, were all athletes.
“I didn’t take the game all that seriously at first. I didn’t even make the team in middle school. I saw all of these Muslim and men’s leagues. I saw their passion and just fell in love with the game.”
By the time Farhan arrived at Oak Lawn, the game was his obsession.
Last season was his first on the varsity. He stepped in for the normal point guard and started seven games.
“I needed to learn how to be a better leader,” Farhan said. “Now, just being able to be more free offensively is a big change. Coming off the bench last season was different.
“Knowing I played last year, the coach is giving me more opportunities and I’m able to show what I can do on the court.”
Growing up, Farhan suffered an injury while playing football, so his mother dissuaded him from continuing that sport. He tried soccer but it lacked the immediacy and spontaneity of basketball.
Farhan is pursuing playing opportunities in college. The emotional gratification is what drives him.
“Knowing how big high school basketball is around here is just crazy,” he said. “As a kid, I never thought I would play in front of a crowd like we do. I thought I’d be nervous, but I’m much more comfortable.
“It’s fun being out there.”
Patrick Z. McGavin is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
