My name is Muhammed Ahmarudeen Yusuf, I played Basketball at Wasatch Academy. I graduated high school in 2014.

Here is Billy in the middle who “adopted” both Yusuf and Alex on the right. He and his wife Suzanne brought both to his house in Cincinnati and took care of these guys physically, mentally, financially and spiritually for over 6 years. They still keep in touch with Alex who is back in France.

I also played college basketball at Cincinnati State and Tusculum University. I graduated college in 2018. I am originally from Lagos Nigeria. I came to the United States like other international student athletes through scholarship to continue their academics and basketball career. I am a sports enthusiast with a strong work ethic, disciplined, responsible, computer proficient and performs well under pressure. I have got great talent and one of them is skill in coaching multiple sports like basketball, soccer, weight training, and competitive bodybuilding. I also have experience with preparing all workstations and promotions for basketball tournaments. I went to Wasatch Academy in Mount Pleasant, Utah where I won two State Championship, and numerous accomplishments during my high school years. I was also an All-State & All-Star with the late coach Geno Morgan.

Yusuf with Caroline

After leaving Wasatch, I then had a short stint at Cincinnati State for a year before transferring to Tusculum University.

On his way back to Tusculum, Gary and Yusuf stopped at the original KFC.

Unfortunately, I was not able to continue playing basketball because of a heart problem as I was diagnosed with Marfan Syndrome. During my academic career, I managed to accrue nearly six years of work experience. I also had the privilege of working for numerous athletic camps and leagues, where I learned valuable skills such as event management tasks and training individuals to reach their athletic potential. I was on the Deans list for all four years in College and graduated with 3.6 GPA. Outside of basketball, I worked at soccer village printing logos on professional soccer jerseys and club teams.

Here is a picture of Gary, Whitney and Yusuf. Both Gary and Whitney worked for Billy at IronRoad, who he and his wife Suzanne both “adopted” Yusuf into their family.

I also worked at IronRoad as a Sales Consultant doing outreach to companies around Ohio. I worked at Heritage Housing as a Design Manager and lastly, I worked with Greene County Partnership as a sales consultant. In both of my academic and professional life, I have been consistently complimented by managers, coaches, professors and peers for his discipline, determination, and dedication. Whether working on academic, extracurricular, or professional projects, I apply analytical thinking, creativity, and leadership skills.

Here, is a picture of Yusuf with his “adopted family,” the Southerland’s. Blake, Suzanne (Mom), Allison, Caroline and Billy (Dad).

My Check Your Game story was when I was diagnosed with Marfan Syndrome, it was a disaster for me because during my time here I dedicated nearly 95 percent of my time into basketball and the remaining 5 percent into other areas. Basketball was my number one priority! I’ve always been a good student in school but I wanted to use basketball as a vehicle to help myself and my family for a better life because I came from a very poor home with 8 kids.

Long story short, after I found out about the Marfan thing, I decided to take school seriously, because I didn’t want to lose in both areas. I graduated from Tusculum this past year.

My Advice

Never depend on one thing in life, always have backup plan because anything can happen in life. It may be injury, sickness, family problems etc. Always have an option because you don’t want to put all your eggs in one basket. Make sure you pray, serve people and make friends because everything that I’ve learned so far in life is if your not making connections, or talking to people or making friends, you will have a difficult life. Everything in the sporting world or the business world is based on relationships and friendships. So friends out there be social, meet people, be open and friendly. Always check on people, ask them about their life, how they are doing both physically and mentally. Trust me this can go a long way.