El Halaby forgoes pro career for college

Yasser El Halaby is one of Princeton's premier athletes. For those of you living in a hole the last couple of years, El Halaby has made headlines by treading where no other squash player has before during his time in one of the nation's oldest and most elite squash programs.

But one thing that has not been told about this extraordinarily talented player — at least not outside the squash community — is El Halaby's contribution to the sport of squash itself, a contribution that has nothing to do with the championships and honors he has won.

El Halaby has been playing squash since he was eight years old. He was first gained international recognition with his performance in the British Junior Opens, the biggest international squash event for all age groups.

"He had been recognized ever since he was 12 or 13 years old as one of the best players for his age," head coach Bob Callahan said. "He had competed in the British Junior Open, and he had been winning consistently year after year in that tournament for his age category."

El Halaby participated in the event 10 times, winning three Opens. Because of this success, he was never expected to go to college. Instead, El Halaby seemed destined to jump straight to the professional squash circuit. Therefore, it was a big surprise to Callahan to have a friend of El Halaby's family step into his office one day and tell him that El Halaby was interested in Princeton.

"Ninety percent of the people who come into my office, the kids are not good," Callahan said. "But I ask him, 'What's his name?' and he tells me, 'Yasser El Halaby.'

"Now, when someone's been as successful as that, you expect him to go pro and spend X number of years on the road. You can make half a million a year, and he could be one of those elite players. So in Yasser's case, he was under the radar for most schools. He just wasn't expected to play college."

But El Halaby had other plans. For him, college had always been first and squash second.

"Going to college was something I was definitely going to do," El Halaby said. "I thought about doing the professional circuit, but I realized that it wasn't a realistic option. I couldn't dedicate the time necessary for the pro tour and get the best possible education out of college."

Visa problems

El Halaby applied early decision when he was 16 years old in the fall of 2000. After being accepted, he deferred a year to take classes and relax before making the leap into college squash. But in the fall of 2002, after Sept. 11, things didn't go exactly as scheduled.

"My visa didn't come in time," El Halaby said. "I missed orientation and the first day of classes. I got a little nervous; coach got a little nervous. I was definitely expecting the worst."

When El Halaby was about to give up hope, his visa finally came through, and he rushed to Princeton. Forgoing a professional squash career to pick up life as a politics major seeking a certificate in Near Eastern Studies, El Halaby often seems like the typical student-next-door. He's a member of Tiger Inn, listens to jazz and old-school hip-hop, hangs out with friends and attends all the home sporting events he can. Around campus, El Halaby is just a normal guy working on his JP, but on the squash courts, he's anything but ordinary.

'Overly fair'

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"As a player, Yasser is extremely talented," Callahan said, "[but] he's also improved the sportsmanship level of the collegiate squash community."

According to Callahan, El Halaby's role as a leading figure in squash has made his sense of sportsmanship influential throughout the entire collegiate squash community.

"I saw him in 1996 as a 14-year-old, and I was impressed then with how talented he was, but also I saw that he had such good personal values," Callahan said. "Typically in squash, players are supposed to get out of each other's ways to get to the ball, but most players try to create interference for his advantage without getting called. Yasser is almost overly fair, and he forces and embarrasses the other players to be fair."

"I play squash to have fun," El Halaby said. "Squash was my fourth or fifth sport to pick up, and I do not see the point of not playing fair. Not only with squash and the way you behave on the courts, but also it tells about the way you are."

El Halaby's sense of sportsmanship has done nothing but help his results on the court.

"Different people have different games, different styles of playing," El Halaby said. "I never know what to expect of the other player. That's what I like about squash. The best players are the ones who can read the game. It makes a big difference."

If his accomplishments thus far are any indication, El Halaby appears to have this ability to read the game. His freshman year, he led Princeton in the No. 1 spot to claim the Five-Man National Championship and the Ivy League championship. He also won the College Squash Association's National Intercollegiate Singles Tournament and led the Tigers to a second-place finish for the CSA National Team Title.

El Halaby was named First Team All-America and First Team All-Ivy his freshman year, as well as sweeping both the Ivy Player and Rookie of the Year Awards.

His sophomore year was even more impressive. Besides taking the CSA National Individual Title again, El Halaby became the first amateur to ever qualify for the Tournament of Champions, held in New York. It is the biggest international professional tournament in the world.

To qualify for the tournament, El Halaby defeated the No. 90 and No. 60 professional players in the world. In that tournament, El Halaby eventually fell to the No. 11 player in three close games, 15-12, 15-10 and 15-12.

El Halaby has only lost one collegiate match during his two and a half years at Princeton.

He attributes squash to easing his transition to college life.

"I had an awesome senior class when I was a freshman," El Halaby said. "Those guys really made me feel comfortable being part of Princeton and everyday life."

El Halaby has made giant leaps in the squash community both as a sportsman and an athlete. His next two seasons at Princeton hold the promise of even greater achievements before he moves into the professional realm.