On how he's enjoyed being in the States for an entire year

It's definitely been a little bit challenging for sure. When you think about it, it's already been a year. A whole season. It's crazy to think about. It's kind of new for me. I learned a lot this year. Basketball-wise, outside of basketball, learning new things and being able to get stuff and be like a sponge every day. Learn from coaches. It's definitely been a little bit challenging but it's also been nice.

On what he likes about the United States

I would say people are obsessed with sports here. Any sport. Football, basketball, hockey, lacrosse, water polo. You can say America is the place where the dreams can come true. You can certainly see at Michigan, too, I watched a volleyball game. We're competitive in that. You watch lacrosse, they're like top five in the country. Baseball. Just seeing that and being in a place where it's great, it's something I truly appreciate. Back in Lebanon, we have basketball teams, we have soccer teams, but you don't see universities that have all teams combined that are great at everything. That's been a little bit surprising for me.

On a sport he didn't know much about and found himself enjoying

I would say football. I never watched football games growing up. I've only watched the Super Bowl once. Just being here, seeing the atmosphere, being in the Big House is certainly something I found very nice. I know the fans are crazy too. The atmosphere is something I respect and I respect the people here.

On something that Lebanon has that he didn't find in the United States

I think I miss the food back home for sure but I think I found new places, new things that I like. Just transitioning, I think it's part of growing up, too. You're not going to always have the food you're going to like or anything so just need to transition and find new things. I definitely found new things in Ann Arbor.

On how tough it is to be away from family and friends

It's hard but I've kind of grown used to it. When you're out of the country for five years, you kind of become numb to missing your family and your friends. I think it's part of the job. Part of something that is a challenge for me. People have it harder. You see people being in places way, way, way worse than I am. I'm blessed to be here. If it means missing my friends or family, that's OK. It's part of life. I'm kind of used to it. Showing their support, I think through messages and WhatsApp messages. It's definitely hard keeping up with all the news back home but it's always nice to get some messages from fans, family or friends.

On how the Michigan basketball family has helped as a support system

When you leave your country, you leave your family, you need a support system and I think I found it here. The fans are nice, the coaches are nice, the players are very welcoming. They're like a family. We always have family slogans around. It's not just the word, it's an action, too. It's always family.

On how he's adapted

I think I've improved tremendously in all aspects. When I see myself a year ago from where I am right now, I've made a lot of tremendous strides. Basketball-wise, mentally0wise, being more strong, more confident and just being able to do more on the court. When I first came, I think I was a little bit weak, just strength-wise. I think I had a lot of pounds to gain and a lot of strength. Just being more strong. Working with Sandman helped a lot because I missed the summer, unfortunately, so I wasn't strong enough, I think, coming into the season. As the season went through, I became more strong and put on way more pounds.

On the playing time he received helped him set a foundation

It's definitely hard when you're not playing, I think it's hard for every player that's not playing. Just being able to watch the guys, learn, even when I'm not playing. It's easy to be down and sad that you're not playing. I didn't do that this year. That's certainly something I wanted nothing part of. Even when I'm not playing, I am not the type of guy to be down and not support the guys. Not playing for sure, that made me learn a lot. That's the first time I am in a situation like that. There's a lot of great guys around me. Just learning and being able to learn from coaches. I underestimate our coaches, I think. We have great coaches that are experienced. Being able to learn from them every day and being in the same atmosphere as them is certainly something I took pride in. Just learning from them. Also, like you said, I played some games. When I played those games, I saw things where I need to improve for next year. I know next year, I want to help the team as much as possible. That's one goal for me. I don't want to stop here. That's not my goal. I want to keep pushing and help this team win and help this program win.

On areas of improvement in his game

I think when I talked with Coach Howard in our exit meeting, we just talked about how I can improve. One thing that came up was being able to handle the ball and be more of a pick-and-roll player. That's certainly something that I am working on every day. Defensively, being more of a defensive player, too. That's certainly something that I need to improve. If I prove that, this team will win a lot.

On how much helping the team win helps everything else fall into place

I think helping the team win comes in different types of aspects. Helping the team win doesn't only mean scoring the ball or rebounding the ball. I think it's way more than that. Just being a good teammate. Come in here every day, no matter what, no matter what you're experiencing back home or your family or something, just being here, being a positive player and not being negative. I think that impacts the game, that impacts our winning, too. If you have bad energy around you or if you have negative energy around you. Helping the team win comes in different aspects. What I try to do is be positive every day, put the work in. Whether I play or not, I think that's secondary. That's not up to me. What I can control is my emotions, my energy and the work I put in and the support I give for my teammates.

On what it's like to play in front of fans in Ann Arbor

Unfortunately, I didn't score in Crisler this year. I was disappointed in that. It'll come for sure. I only scored on the road. I couldn't experience scoring here. Playing here in front of these fans is something nice. We have fans that are really diehard fans. I don't think you see that in other programs. Every win counts, every loss counts, every action counts. I think that's nice, just being in an atmosphere that embraces the team. Embraces the culture and just wants us to win. I think that's something amazing. You see other programs, they don't have the support system. When it's good, I think next year will be great and I think the fans will love us.

On how much missing the tournament motivates the team

Looking back to it, I've always watched the NCAA Tournament whether I've been in Lebanon or France. It's something I always did brackets even though I didn't know the college teams. I think that's the thing for all basketball players, I think it's the greatest sporting event of the year. Playing int he NCAA Tournament is crazy and I would've hoped to make it this year. The goal next year for me and the guys next year is to make it. Not just to make it, to compete and to win. I think competing in it isn't enough. I think that's part of our culture. I remember when I was in France, I was watching this same team, this same program in 2021 when they had Franz, I was rooting for them because I was a Franz fan growing up. I watched that UCLA game, it was a late game for me but I stayed awake. It was a tough one for me sure. Looking back to it and I am here right now is something crazy. Being able to change this program and our drought of not winning is something me and the guys take incredible pride in. That's our goal next year.

On what he plans to do as he heads home

I'm going to Lebanon for two weeks. It's going to be a short stay. I would've liked for it to be longer but I have a job to improve. That's why I'm coming back early and coming back to improve. I'm coming back first of May to Dallas and I am going to Dallas to improve. Put the work in because it's going to be a long season next year so I better be ready. Team's better be ready for me.

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