Dubai: When you talk of sports academies in the UAE, MPAC Sports will not be the first name that springs to the mind of most people. However, three years is all it has taken this basketball institute to get almost 400 young enthusiasts on board across its eight centres. While many would find that an astonishing feat considering it has gone about its business without much hullabaloo, founder Luqman Rashad believes there is a very simple explanation to his venture's quickly attained growth.
"It has grown strictly through word of mouth," said Rashad who has set up the academy using the same blueprint of its original model based in Chicago. "Parents talk to other parents and it just spreads It speaks of the quality we have on offer. There's not been any need to create any fancy leaflet to promote the academy," he added.
Rashad, a 27-year-old Chicago native who played NCAA basketball for Lewis University said he was eager to come to the UAE after a Dubai-based parent had informed him of a lack of opportunity for young basketball lovers to hone their skills. "This guy used to send his son to our camps in the States. He said there was a dire need for basketball development in the UAE," said Rashad.
"We came out here the first time just to take a look and see what was in place. We saw so many kids and we saw there wasn't anything really with regard to the quality of coaching, at least in basketball."
With his rich NCAA background, Rashad said getting hold of reputed coaches is no problem compared to the challenge of attracting sponsors. MPAC Sports runs without the backing of any local sponsor and Rashad said: "The difficulty with us growing is the overhead cost of all the coaches we bring from the States. But we really feel the opportunity for growth, and when you look at the diversity of kids being in a place like Dubai, that breeds competitiveness and I really like that dynamic."
Rashad revealed he has stumbled upon some "exceptional" talent in the Emirates and those already on the MPAC Sports roster could seize to gain from the academy's strong ties with leading American universities.
"In the Middle East and the GCC, there's not much visibility with strong powerhouse universities. We have access to these universities. We have the credibility. All the coaches here are either former prop players or former NCAA players. We make sure they are surrounded by that type of talent, people who can tell them things which will help them grow."
Marwan Gadallah, one of MPAC's bright prospects, is dreaming of a move to an American university. "Without these guys, I would not have that opportunity as it's normally very hard for a player from the Middle East to get recognition from the States," said the 22-year-old Sudanese.
Parents seemed to share similar views, as Mira Bakey, mother of Michael Makawsky, 17, said: "[Michael's] school principal suggested this as the best place in Dubai for him to get practice and good training."
Rashad clearly has no plans on slowing down. "We want to cover the Middle East, Asia and America and start to develop international competitions for these kids to really compete on a higher scale. I don't want these kids to miss out on opportunities that they would have had in their own countries. Dubai has really made an effort to make this place comfortable for kids, and I just want to see how I can assist that same vision," he said.
