Omar Samhan Hosts 300 at Saint Mary's College

Omar Samhan, the crowd-pleasing, sound bite-spouting former Saint Mary’s College basketball star who charmed the press and pleased the fans during the Gaels’ 2010 march to the Sweet Sixteen, took over McKeon Pavilion again Saturday.

And he was in Lithuania at the time.

With free Omar Bobbleheads by the dozens, a half court ceremony featuring his mother, Marianne Black-Samhan, and 300 San Francisco area youths attending the game against Loyola-Marymount on his dime, Saturday’s game felt like old times.

Under the guidance of Chris Major, SMC alumna (’83) and President of the Hayward Youth Academy (HYA), Omar’s “O-Zone” guests, all 5-9th grade students, spent the day on campus.

They had a tour, heard keynote speaker Dr. Mario Rivas, Merritt College Professor of Psychology, deliver a message on Inspiring Wonder in Education, and cheered wildly as two youth teams played basketball at half-time during the Gael’s West Coast Conference Division I game.

If the chance to work the same boards as Mickey McConnell wasn’t enough of a thrill, the visitors also became part of a dynasty.

Each year, HYA pairs the school’s top basketball athletes with kids who might not otherwise include college in their dreams for the future. Changing that dynamic is the primary purpose of the event at SMC.

Tanya Madsen, a seventh grade teacher at Hamilton Middle School in Novato, brought 170 students.

“The guest speaker told them we are all born unique, but we die as copies. He told them that if they have determination and focus, even if they have fear, they can discover who they are inside and achieve,” she said, summarizing Rivas’ message.

Every student who heard Rivas’ speak had the same answer about college:

“Yes, I’m going. I want to be a doctor,” said Luz Cifuentes, age 12.

“I was thinking UCLA, but I might go here (SMC) because it has sports and literature,” 12-year-old Marcell Corbin hollered above the roaring crowd.

“If I really try, I can get in,” Jake Johnson, 13, said, adding that he lived nearby and was religious, so SMC met his criteria.

Malik Coleman, giving his age as “13 and a half,” said playing on the court was “perfect.” He plans to study science, languages, and probably French, because he already knows Spanish.

Brandon McGhee, 12, said graduating from college was important to him, and to his friends.

“It proves we’re smart and that we have a mindset of going somewhere,” he said.

Samhan, playing professional basketball far away in Lithuania, is living proof of HYA’s powerful impact and the difference a college education can have on a young athlete’s life.

“He’s perfect,” his mother said. “He’s traveling, he’s trimmed down even more than when he was here, and he’s playing a physical, fast-paced game.”

In other words, like the kids at McKeon Pavilion, he’s going somewhere.

The Halftime Youth game ended St. Leo Lions 14, Catholic Community of Pleasanton, 2. The Gaels beat Loyola-Marymount 79-70.

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