Ali Farokhmanesh
Encyclopedia
Ali Fredrick Farokhmanesh (born April 16, 1988) is an American professional basketball
player. He was born in Pullman, Washington
, where he attended high school at Pullman High School
for two years before moving to Iowa and attending West High School
in Iowa City, Iowa
. He then attended junior college at Indian Hills Community College
and Kirkwood Community College
before transferring to the University of Northern Iowa
.
He gained nationwide fame in the 2010 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
as a member of the Northern Iowa Panthers men's basketball
team, when he hit a crucial 3-point shot that helped UNI upset top overall seed Kansas
in the second round. His heroics, which came two days after hitting the game-winning three point shot against UNLV in the first round of the tournament, led to appearances on the cover of Sports Illustrated
.
ian descent. His father, Mashallah, was born in Borujerd
and was a member of the Iranian men's national volleyball
team, before immigrating to the United States in 1977, where he played for professional teams and eventually became a coach. Mashallah married Ali's mother, Cindy Fredrick, who has been the head coach for the women's volleyball team at the University of Iowa
since 2004. Before moving to Iowa, Fredrick was the head coach of the Washington State University
's women's volleyball team for 15 years, where she had a record of 278 wins and 192 losses. Cindy and her husband are now the head coaches at Luther College, who last year made it to the NCAA tournament for the first time in the school's history.
After going undrafted in the 2010 NBA Draft
, Farokhmanesh signed a deal to play for SAM Massagno Basket, an LNB Division A team based in Massagno, Switzerland.
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
player. He was born in Pullman, Washington
Pullman, Washington
Pullman is the largest city in Whitman County, Washington, United States. The population was 24,675 at the 2000 census and 29,799 according to the 2010 census...
, where he attended high school at Pullman High School
Pullman High School
Pullman High School is a public high school in the city of Pullman, Washington, the home of Washington State University.It is the only public high school in the city and in the Pullman School District...
for two years before moving to Iowa and attending West High School
Iowa City West High School
Iowa City West High School is a public high school in Iowa City, Iowa. It is currently home to over 1900 students, in grades 9 through 12, and nearly 200 teachers, administration, and support staff...
in Iowa City, Iowa
Iowa City, Iowa
Iowa City is a city in Johnson County, State of Iowa. As of the 2010 Census, the city had a total population of about 67,862, making it the sixth-largest city in the state. Iowa City is the county seat of Johnson County and home to the University of Iowa...
. He then attended junior college at Indian Hills Community College
Indian Hills Community College
Indian Hills Community College is a two-year public community college, with campuses located in Ottumwa, Iowa and Centerville, Iowa. I.H.C.C. serves both traditional residential students and commuter students.-History:...
and Kirkwood Community College
Kirkwood Community College
Kirkwood Community College is a two-year Liberal Arts college serving seven counties in Iowa. Kirkwood's main campus is in Cedar Rapids, with additional campuses in Marion, Iowa City, Belle Plaine, Monticello, Tipton, Vinton, Washington and Williamsburg....
before transferring to the University of Northern Iowa
University of Northern Iowa
The University of Northern Iowa is a college located in Cedar Falls, Iowa, United States. UNI offers more than 120 majors across the colleges of Business Administration, Education, Humanities and Fine Arts, Natural Sciences, and Social and Behavioral sciences, and graduate college.UNI has...
.
He gained nationwide fame in the 2010 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
2010 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The first and second round games were played at the following sites:*March 18 / 20*March 25 / 27*March 26 / 28Each regional winner advanced to the Final Four, held on April 3 and 5 in Indianapolis, Indiana at Lucas Oil Stadium, hosted by the Horizon League and Butler University, as per the NCAA's...
as a member of the Northern Iowa Panthers men's basketball
Northern Iowa Panthers men's basketball
The Northern Iowa Panthers men's basketball team represents the University of Northern Iowa, located in Cedar Falls, Iowa, in NCAA Division I basketball competition...
team, when he hit a crucial 3-point shot that helped UNI upset top overall seed Kansas
Kansas Jayhawks
The sports teams at the University of Kansas are known as the Jayhawks. They are one of three schools in the state of Kansas that participate in NCAA Division I. The Jayhawks are also a member of the Big 12 Conference...
in the second round. His heroics, which came two days after hitting the game-winning three point shot against UNLV in the first round of the tournament, led to appearances on the cover of Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...
.
Personal
Farokhmanesh is of mixed European and IranIran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
ian descent. His father, Mashallah, was born in Borujerd
Borujerd
Borujerd is a city in and capital of Borujerd County, Lorestan Province in western Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 227,547, in 59,388 families....
and was a member of the Iranian men's national volleyball
Volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
team, before immigrating to the United States in 1977, where he played for professional teams and eventually became a coach. Mashallah married Ali's mother, Cindy Fredrick, who has been the head coach for the women's volleyball team at the University of Iowa
University of Iowa
The University of Iowa is a public state-supported research university located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. It is the oldest public university in the state. The university is organized into eleven colleges granting undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees...
since 2004. Before moving to Iowa, Fredrick was the head coach of the Washington State University
Washington State University
Washington State University is a public research university based in Pullman, Washington, in the Palouse region of the Pacific Northwest. Founded in 1890, WSU is the state's original and largest land-grant university...
's women's volleyball team for 15 years, where she had a record of 278 wins and 192 losses. Cindy and her husband are now the head coaches at Luther College, who last year made it to the NCAA tournament for the first time in the school's history.
After going undrafted in the 2010 NBA Draft
2010 NBA Draft
The 2010 NBA Draft was held on June 24, 2010 at the Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. The draft, which started at 7:00 pm Eastern Daylight Time , was broadcast in the United States on ESPN. In this draft, National Basketball Association teams took turns selecting amateur...
, Farokhmanesh signed a deal to play for SAM Massagno Basket, an LNB Division A team based in Massagno, Switzerland.