DETROIT (10/17/2025) -- Recruiting is sometimes about who you know, the relationships you have, the people you can trust, and things just fall in place.
For Detroit Mercy freshman
Zak Abdalla, that is how he made his way from Las Vegas to the Motor City as the rookie embarks on his first collegiate season.
"We had a good family friend in Rodney Heard, and he is very close to coach Monty," said Abdalla. "From there, they saw me play, and we started talking, and I just decided it was the best fit, especially after coming on the visit and seeing all the coaches and just feeling the family atmosphere."
It was not just that relationship, but also hailing from Las Vegas, he knew Titan Hall of Famer
Eli Holman '12. He made a lot of trips to Detroit as a young kid, and all that made the offer to wear the red, white, and blue that much easier.
"I remember when I was younger, and I'd come here to Detroit to visit. I remember, especially when I was really young, coming to see this gym and seeing Eli. The city has changed a lot since I was eight years old. It's beautiful and the people are great. This is a great city, and all of that made it a really easy sell," said Abdalla.
Playing sports is something that Abdalla grew up with since he was a kid. His dad, Dan Abdalla, played soccer at UNLV - leaving the Rebels as the program leader for most saves in a season (101) and a career (321) - and also coached women's soccer at UNLV and TCU before moving into college athletic administration. His uncle played soccer at UCLA, and his grandfather, Tim Grgurich, played baseball and basketball at Pittsburgh and later coached at Pitt, was an assistant coach in the NBA, and is widely known as a training guru for professional players.
"I come from a coaching family, so it was only right that I go that route and play sports, and I'll probably take on that role as a coach eventually," Abdalla said. "But I'm very fortunate to have that family history, and they have really helped me develop some great habits as a player."
Abdalla played virtually every sport growing up, but really started to stand out on the hardwood. He played his senior year at Trinity Prep, averaging 27.3 points, 6.1 rebounds, 4.0 assists, and 1.2 steals. This was after he starred at Foothill High School, where he was named All-State First Team, tallying 18.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 3.0 steals. He posted 1,289 career points there and over 1,500 career points as a prep, and he chose basketball over the other sports, despite his dad being a longtime soccer coach.
"I played soccer, really, I played every sport, football, soccer, baseball, all the way up until high school. I was a goalie in soccer growing up, but he was fine, never pushing me to play soccer. My sister plays soccer, and she's committed to Kansas, so he has that," said a laughing Abdalla.
One thing he has learned from his dad and his grandfather is that it is all about hard work. The people he has seen succeed all have one thing in common, and that is putting in the time.
"It's just about hard work, just stay in the gym. The top guys he worked with never left the gym, so it was all about hard work and nothing else," added Abdalla.
The rookie has been on campus since the summer, adjusting to collegiate basketball and life on his own. The Titans have been grinding in practice, and he knows that all can pay off with a big year.
"We are a really talented team. We have all the pieces, and it's going to be an exciting year," said Abdalla. "The pace of the game and the physicality are some things I have to get used to. It's a lot faster game and there are a lot more bigger guys, a lot more smarter guys, so it has been a big change and I have to keep working hard every day to keep up with that."
