MKE MBB: Getting to Know Ahmad Rand
*This story originally ran in the Roar Report that came out December 20, 2022.
 
With the 2022-23 season underway, the fans at UWM Panther Arena have been getting to know the roster, which includes many new faces for the Milwaukee men's basketball team. One of them is Ahmad Rand, a transfer into the program from Oregon State, who will have one season to make his mark for the Panthers.
 
It hasn't taken him long to do that, as the high-flying, 6-foot-8 forward has been thrilling the fans with his dunks and intimidating opponents with his shot-blocking abilities.
 
Rand appeared in 29 games with the Beavers a year ago, averaging 5.3 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 1.1 blocked shots in 13.4 minutes per game. Despite the limited minutes, he finished eighth in the Pac-12 in blocked shots per game (1.14) and scored in double figures in four games, including a career-best 15 points against Samford in November.
 
He spent his first two collegiate seasons at USC Salkehatchie in Allendale, South Carolina, where he averaged 9.8 points and 8.2 rebounds as a sophomore and led the team to a 24-7 record. That followed a freshman campaign where Rand contributed 8.9 points and 9.0 rebounds per game while shooting 69.5 percent from the field. He led the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) in blocked shots per game both seasons, finishing at 4.4 blocks per game in 2018-19 and 4.98 blocks per game during the 2019-20 campaign.
 
Rand has played above the rim most of this current season so far with the Panthers, with 26 of his 44 made field goals (59.1 percent) coming via the slam dunk. His field-goal percentage checks in at an impressive 72.1 percent, among the best across the NCAA and on pace for a new MKE single-season school record.
 
And the blocked shots … ohhh, the blocks.
 
Rand not only leads the Horizon League in blocks at 2.5 per game, but also stands as the No. 6 shot blocker across the NCAA Division I level. With 30 blocks already, he is well on pace to break the single-season Milwaukee record of 54 set by J.J. Panoske back in 2015-16.
 
The MKE Communications staff recently sat down with Rand for the following Q&A session.
 
-The first question … Why Milwaukee?
 
Rand: "I could have gone to a lot of schools but I knew Coach Jake (Williams) and Coach Lundy for a while and knew they were great coaches that had come from winning programs. Last year, when I was at Oregon State, we only won like three games (the team went 3-28), so I knew this year I wanted to go somewhere I could play and get myself some exposure, so that was why I chose Milwaukee."
 
-The team is off to a very solid 8-4 start despite playing with a roster that is completely overhauled and includes 13 new players. What's been the key?
 
AR: "To be honest, everyone is locked in and everyone is on the same page. That was one of the main things I saw when I came here from the start. When I met the guys, it didn't seem like anyone was selfish on the team. Everyone seemed they wanted to win, so that was one of the main things."
 
-What kind of game does Ahmad Rand bring to the court?
 
AR: "I bring a lot of dunks and a lot of blocks. But, me personally, I feel like I am more of a hype man for the team, because I like to talk a lot of junk on the court."
 
-How old were you when you really got into the game of basketball?
 
AR: "I was real young, I don't even think I could tell you specifically. I remember when I was like a kid, both of my parents outside in the yard, when we didn't have much, they were outside hooping with me. I was definitely 10 or younger."
 
-How old were you when you were able to dunk on a 10-foot basket?
 
AR: "I was probably like 14 years old, but don't really remember the first time in a game. I think it was the summer after freshmen year going into sophomore year."
 
-When did you know that your future would be so closely tied to basketball?
 
AR: "Funny story. I basically come from a football family. I have cousins that played in the NFL … my cousin, Jarius Wynn, played for the Green Bay Packers. Another family member named Garrison Hearst that played at the University of Georgia. I really felt that basketball was for me because I was playing football when I was a freshman in high school and I got hit real hard by my cousin and my whole body hit the ground and I said 'no this is not for me'. And then going into my sophomore year, we had a new basketball coach named Coach Wuchte and he said that football was not my sport. He saw me being a big-time basketball player before I even saw it. Really it was him. While football was going on in the summer, he had me in the gym working out with a few teammates while everyone else was playing football."
 
-What are the goals for your one season with MKE?
 
AR: "In my one year with the Panthers, of course I want to make a name for myself, but I just really want us to win as many games as we can. That is my main goal. I don't care about how many points I score, I just want to win."