Yusuf Ali

Yusuf Ali is entering his first season as an assistant Coach with the men's basketball program at Arizona State University. Prior to joining ASU, Ali served as an assistant Coach at Simon Fraser University. Under his guidance, the team earned signature wins, defeating No. 1 seed Saint Martin's (64-63), Western Washington (82-80 & 78-76), and local rival UBC (90-82) in an impressive Buchanan Cup triumph, securing a spot in the playoffs. Notably, all of his graduates signed professional contracts in the off-season. This year, Ali has played a pivotal role in recruiting a talented class of players at ASU, bolstering the teams roster. Before his tenure at SFU, Ali co-founded and served as the head coach of the Toronto Basketball Academy and DeepEnd Training from 2012 to 2020. His leadership was instrumental in TBA's outstanding record of 32-6 during his two years as head coach between 2019-2021. Renowned for his focus on player development, Ali has mentored and coached some of Canada's top basketball talents, many of whom have gone on to play in the NCAA and professional leagues around the world. As a former athlete, Ali was a standout player in U-Sports Basketball, representing the Ryerson Rams and achieving a National Championship with Seneca College in 2018. His exceptional performance earned him accolades, including the titles of CCAA Tournament MVP, OCAA Tournament MVP, and OCAA 1st Team All-Star during that season. He made a lasting impression against Zion Williamson, RJ Barrett and the Duke Blue Devils in the 2018-19 season when he scored 12 points and dished out 5 assists in a 86-67 loss at the Hershey Center in Toronto. Ali has completed his undergraduate studies at Laurentian University in Business Management. He is the older brother of Ahmed Ali who recently finished playing at University of Portland averaging 18 points and 3 assists.