Although the college basketball season will not start for another four months, the action has not slowed down for Bowling Green men’s basketball junior forward Youssef Khayat and associate head coach Lourawls Nairn Jr.
Khayat and Nairn are the only player-coach duo competing in this year’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament. Khayat is representing Lebanon, while Nairn is representing the Bahamas.
Khayat, who transferred to Bowling Green after playing two seasons at Michigan, turned heads in Lebanon’s 104-59 loss to Spain on Tuesday.
The Beirut, Lebanon, native scored a game-high 20 points in 25 minutes. He also added six rebounds and three steals while shooting 8-14 from the field and 3-5 on three-pointers.
“I felt we started strong, but unfortunately, we couldn’t keep it up. I’m proud of all my teammates,” Khayat said after the game. “We have to keep on pushing. Fortunately, we have another chance to prove ourselves.”
Meanwhile, Nairn started for the Bahamas in their 96-85 win over Finald on Tuesday.
Nairn tallied four points, three rebounds and two assists in 15 minutes. The Michigan State alum shot a perfect 2-2 from the field.
Nairn will return to action against Poland on Wednesday at 11:30 a.m., while Khayat will battle Angola on Thursday at 11:30 a.m.
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