Azeez Ali Named Assistant Coach at IPFW

FORT WAYNE, IN–Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne (IPFW) has announced the addition of Azeez Ali to its men’s basketball coaching staff.

Ali just completed his second season on John Shulman’s staff at The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. He served as the Director of Basketball Operations and managed travel, film exchange and the support staff.

“I’m excited to be here, excited to work with Coach Fife and his staff, and am very thankful for the opportunity,” Ali said.  “Hopefully I can contribute and be part of Coach Fife’s vision for winning the Summit League. I’d also like to thank Coach Shulman for the opportunity he provided me at UTC.”

“Azeez brings a wealth of experience and a winning mentality to our program,” Fife said.  “’Z’ has won at every level, including an NCAA berth with Chattanooga this past season.  He will be really good with our young guys as well as on the road recruiting.  We are very pleased to have him become part of our program.”

Ali helped lead the Mocs to the 2009 Southern Conference (SoCon) crown.  Before landing in Chattanooga, Ali worked at Cecil Community College (2005-07) in North East, Md. His duties included advance scouting and serving as the recruiting assistant. CCC had a record of 66-5 during his tenure. It won the 2006 NJCAA Division II National Championship and finished fifth in 2005, while also capturing two Maryland state championships and two region titles.

Ali is a native of Wilmington, Delaware. He helped lead Howard H.S. to the Blue Hen Conference title and the state final four in 2000. He is a 2004 graduate of Maryland-Eastern Shore with a degree in Business Administration.  He will graduate in December with a master’s degree in Special Education from UTC.

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