Playing in front of scouts and coaches at a clinic or showcase can be a little intimidating for many teenager basketball players, especially when those scouts and coaches hold their future in their hands. For Omar El-Sheikh, that pressure was compounded when he took the court for a showcase that featured an audience which included Hakeem Olajuwon, Chris Paul, and Gregg Popovich.

                In 2015, the best basketball players on the African continent were invited to a National Basketball Association (NBA) camp where current players and legends of the league would be on hand to coach and counsel those lucky enough to be asked to be part of this prestigious event. And in that selected few stood El-Sheikh, a forward from Egypt who had only begun to play with his country's national team one year earlier.

                "Every year, there is an NBA camp in South Africa," El-Sheikh said. "I was selected to attend the camp. While I was there, I was coached by players and coaches from the NBA.  There were a lot of scouts there as well. When they saw me play, the thought that I had potential and could play in the United States."

                That potential was good enough for the teenager to continue on in the NBA system as he was selected to the global camp where the best players on each continent are brought for training. The camp was in Toronto where more professional players and coaches witnessed El-Sheikh's abilities on the court.

                "I became more confident in myself because more people saw my potential," El-Sheikh said. "If there are people who believe that I can accomplish a dream, like being an NBA player, it pushes me even more to work hard and achieve that dream."

                But before he could achieve that professional desire, El-Sheikh knew that he needed to continue to play and hone those skills that have caught the attention of so many. He continued to play with the Egyptian National Team, and found that his ability on the court did not earn him a spot with his own peers but with players who were two years older than him.

                "I joined the national team and played with the guys from 1996 even though I was born in 1998," El-Sheikh mentioned. "I was getting experience with the older guys. I was able to travel with them within the country but could not travel with them when they left the country."

                Eventually, his play landed him on the team which competed in this past summer's FIBA World Cup which was played in his country. He was an instrumental part of the team's success, ranking among the team leaders for scoring and rebounding.

                "I was an all-around player on the team, which was the goal my coach set for me," El-Sheikh said. "He wanted me to help everywhere on the court. I think I succeeded in doing that but I still felt that I could have helped my team more as a leader throughout the games. It's an experience that helped me learn about leadership."

                It was not the first time that the forward was asked by a coach to be a leader of a team. Walter Townes, the head coach at The Knox School  on Long Island, also approached El-Sheikh when the coach started the boys basketball program at the prep school, hoping the talented player would help him build the program.

                "The Knox School did not have a basketball program before I came to the United States," El-Sheikh said. "Coach Townes had the confidence that I could be a cornerstone and could help build the Knox into a national recognized program."

                So El-Sheikh accepted the offer and made the most of his opportunity to play in the United States. And his new family at The Knox School began to help the young man make the transition from one country to another country.

                "It was tough at first," El-Sheikh said. "There was a language barrier of course, plus other social perspectives that I needed to learn. I started studying English when I was four years old, but I still had to adapt to the language when I came to the US. I was lucky enough to have my second family at Knox. They were like brothers and sisters to me. They really helped me with the transition."

                The Knox School, under Coach Townes' guidance, wasted little time in earning that national reputation with the world of prep basketball. And in the center of that success was El-Sheikh, who once again impressed those who watched him play.

                "Coach Townes coached a lot of college basketball so his experience helped me with a fast transition to the US style of playing," El-Sheikh said. "The transition from Europe and Africa to the US meant getting used to the physicality and quickness of the game. You have to make faster decisions and change tactics quicker here. I think my game is different now than it was when I was in Egypt. We made some noise in my junior year but we achieved our goal of becoming a national-type of program in my senior year. We finished with 21 wins that year and earned some respect and recognition. Accomplishing all that we did under Coach Townes really made me proud."

                With success already mandated at the international and scholastic level, El-Sheikh now turns his attention to using his experience and skills to help Fairfield University basketball make a run over the next four years.

                "I am blessed to be here at Fairfield," El-Sheikh said. "I am getting adapted to college life now. I really like the atmosphere and the people here. I think it will be a great place to develop as a person and as a basketball player. I have not declared a major yet but I am interested in economics, business and psychology so I am looking forward to learning more about those areas before making my choice."

                From the basketball side of things, El-Sheikh also points to Fairfield University as the place where he can continue to work toward his intention to play professionally once he leaves campus. And at the heart of that desire is Head Coach Sydney Johnson.

                "One of the reasons I chose Fairfield was I saw my same skill set as a player in the way that Coach Johnson played when he was in college," El-Sheikh said. "It's rare to have a big guy play like a point guard which is the way Coach Johnson played. The fact that I think and approach the game in the same way that my head coach did as a player will help me a lot and help my development as a player."

                Whether it's NBA legends or the Fairfield faithful, those who watch Omar El-Sheikh play will look forward to seeing that development translate into bigger and grander moments on the basketball court.