Iowa City prep earned standout stats, coaches’ praise and All-American status in 2007-08
With remarkable play and spotlight attention, Ali Farokhmanesh has entered college basketball legendary status, at least for the 2010 NCAA national tournament. With all the well-deserved kudos, many fans at Kirkwood Community College are recalling a spirited player of their own from a couple years back.
Many of the news reports of the University of Northern Iowa guard have mentioned his “junior college play at Kirkwood in Cedar Rapids.” His one year on the Eagles roster earned him school, conference and national honors–and an invitation to join the UNI team in the fall of 2008.
In a Cedar Rapids Gazette interview following the bracket-crushing defeat of number-one seed Kansas on March 20, Kirkwood Head Men’s Basketball Coach Doug Wagemester praised the character and qualities of Farokhmanesh when he played in Johnson Hall.
“To me, he embodies everything good about sport. He understands the value of hard work. He understands the value of team. He understands the value of teamwork. His spirit is so positive that it rubs off on everybody. You just can’t help but like the guy,” Wagemester said.
Following the Iowa City West High grad’s Kirkwood season, he was named to the NJCAA Division II All-American first team.
“He is obviously a talented player that can put up statistics but beyond that, he is a tireless worker and very competitive. He truly wants himself and his team to be the best they can be,” Coach Wagemester said when the spring 2008 honor was announced.
Farokhmanesh put up big numbers for the Eagles during his year at Kirkwood. He averaged 16.5 points per game and 4.5 assists. He was the season MVP of Region XI and the MVP of the Regional tournament as well. Farokhmanesh was named to the All-Tournament team at the NJCAA Nationals.
Farokhmanesh then signed to continue his basketball and academic career at UNI.
As they say, the rest is history.
On March 22, his former coach joined fans around Iowa in a simple observation. “This is amazing. It’s a great story. What a great story,” Wagemester said.