Slammin' Like An Egyptian; Samhan Courts the Revolution

With charm and wit and a strong inside game Omar Samhan made Moraga love him.

Now, after leaving his beloved Saint Mary's Gaels for a summer as a professional and adjusting to life with a new team in Lithuania, he's leaving Vilnius behind for a swing through Egypt and a chance to play with the Egyptian national team. He has his eye on playing in the All Africa Games - and then maybe the Olympics.

Samhan's father is Egyptian and was in the country when a homegrown political revolution caught fire and began to spread two weeks ago.

"It was a crazy experience," Samhan told Contra Costa Times writer Cam Inman. "My dad is Egyptian and even he said he was terrified."

Still, after a season in Lithuania - where the style of play and locker room banter is worlds apart from Moraga and McKeon - "The Beast," as he is known, appears ready and eager for a move and a chance to play in the land of his ancestors.