At the age of 15, when Hamad Mousa left his hometown of Doha, Qatar, he was unsure how to navigate an airport. The only certainty was his goal: to play collegiate basketball before eventually reaching the NBA. That leap of faith resulted in Mousa being one of two Qatari players to ever reach NCAA Division I.

Nearly a half-decade after leaving home, Mousa now leads the Big West in scoring as a sophomore at Cal Poly. His path to San Luis Obispo is undoubtedly unique, and began thousands of miles away from the Central Coast.

“When I came to visit [Cal Poly], I just liked pretty much everything,” Mousa said. Credit: Bia Sommers / Mustang News

Basketball in Qatar is growing fast in popularity, but the country of just over three million people doesn’t yield the representation in the U.S. that other overseas nations do — at least not yet. 

For Mousa, the game was embedded in his life from a young age. His father, Yassin Mousa, is considered a basketball legend in Qatar, as he was the first player from the Middle East invited to the 2000 Nike Hoop Summit and helped Qatar capture a FIBA 3×3 world title in 2014.

When he retired from playing in 2016, Yassin became more active in Mousa’s development, serving as a trainer and a resource.

“When you have somebody [like my dad], you just want to follow his footsteps,” Mousa said. “It helps you and motivates you to get better.”

As Mousa continued to grow taller and show promise on the court, he began to attract interest from coaches at the NBA Academy in Australia. Mousa was on the academy’s radar since middle school, but stayed in Qatar until he was 15, before taking the leap to chase his dreams.

“When I left home, I knew it was on from there,” Mousa said. ”I know I’m gonna stay there for another three years, and then I’m gonna have to go to college and hopefully the NBA one day.”

Mousa’s journey to the States

Mousa spent three years in Canberra, Australia, learning English while simultaneously trying to attract the attention of universities.

After putting up impressive numbers in Australia and at various camps, Mousa’s agent connected him with staff at the University of Dayton in Ohio. Trusting in his agent’s connections and intrigued by the opportunity to play high-level Division I basketball, Mousa committed to Dayton in the summer of 2024.

Mousa’s freshman season at Dayton did not go as planned, averaging 1.3 points in a mere 7.6 minutes per game.

Feeling unsatisfied and looking to take on a bigger role, Mousa entered the transfer portal after his freshman year. With Mousa’s recruitment reopened, his agent contacted another coaching connection, this time Cal Poly’s Mike DeGeorge. 

“We felt like he didn’t get an opportunity at Dayton, but his other films showed that he could play on pick-and-rolls, and was a good distributor and could handle it,” DeGeorge said. “We were confident he could be a major contributor for us.”

After conversations with the Cal Poly staff, Mousa traveled to San Luis Obispo to confirm the fit.

“When I came to visit [Cal Poly], I just liked pretty much everything,” Mousa said. “I like how it never gets cold over here, especially. I got traumatized this last year going to Ohio.”

Less than a year after getting to Dayton, Mousa was officially a Mustang.

Arriving at Cal Poly

DeGeorge’s free-flowing, fast-paced system also appealed to Mousa. The Mustangs currently rank second nationally in adjusted tempo on KenPom. The team gets up the court in a hurry and shoots the fifth-most threes in Division I, a perfect fit for Mousa’s propulsive playstyle. 

“I really like how we play our game,” Mousa said. “[Our] style’s really, really quick, and [we] shoot a lot of threes, which I like to do.”

Mousa has played for his national team before, averaging nine points in the 2024 Asia Cup Qualifying Tournament. Credit: Bia Sommers / Mustang News

The six-foot-eight wing has flourished with a change of scenery and has quickly become the number-one option for the Mustangs in his first year at Cal Poly, scoring a conference-best 20.6 points per game. 

Mousa’s impressive sophomore campaign has featured a career-high 34 points against CSUN and zero games in single-digit scoring. He’s done it efficiently, too, shooting almost 40% from three on the second-most attempts in the Big West. The lanky guard-forward’s seven-foot wingspan allows him to shoot over defenders and guard multiple positions on the other end. Mousa’s fit with the Mustang’s system prepares him for the next level as well.

“It really fits my playstyle, how I play, and it’s just fun,” Mousa said. “It’s just quick, and I could almost compare it to an NBA team. That’s how most NBA teams play.”

Beyond leading the conference in scoring and drawing national attention, Mousa’s greatest source of pride is representing his country, as the only current Division I player to do so.

“It means a lot to me,” Mousa said. “Hopefully, my younger brothers are gonna get here too, real soon, and some of my other teammates back home.”

“I really like how we play our game,” Mousa said. Credit: Bia Sommers / Mustang News

Both of Mousa’s brothers play basketball and have represented Qatar internationally in FIBA tournaments. The middle Mousa child, Abdulla, scored 20.8 points per game in the 2024 U18 Asia Cup, ranking second in the tournament.

For Mousa, having his father in his corner is a constant source of guidance and a reminder that he’s not navigating this journey alone. Despite the 11-hour time difference and his demanding job as Qatar’s national team director, Yassin remains the same teacher he was when Mousa was growing up.

“He just watches the game and just calls me, like, two days after, or just tells me what he’s seen and what he sees that I could have done better,” Mousa said. “Not a lot of people have that. Just to talk to a guy who’s been playing basketball for almost 25 years. I’m thankful.”

Seeing family in person hasn’t been something Mousa has been able to do often over the last five years, as he’s been busy chasing a dream. This season, Yassin made the long journey from Doha to San Luis Obispo to watch his son play.

“I was so thankful, you know, and not a lot of [international students] get to see their family,” Mousa said. “It was just good to see him.”

Soon, Mousa has the chance to do what his father did during his playing career: cement himself on the world stage. In 2027, that opportunity will come at home when Qatar hosts the 2027 FIBA World Cup.

Mousa has played for his national team before, averaging nine points in the 2024 Asia Cup Qualifying Tournament. But the World Cup is different – more eyes, more noise, and a chance to show the world who you are.

“I’m just excited, you know, I’m just gonna be really excited playing against all these big teams, and playing in my hometown, in front of my family and friends,” Mousa said. 

What started as an uncertain journey as a 15-year-old has now become clear as day. From Doha to Canberra, Dayton to San Luis Obispo, Mousa’s path is original, still unfolding, and will soon take him back to where it all started.

This story originally appeared in the February printed edition of Mustang News. Check out more stories from the issue here.