The Rye High School Boys’ Squash Team is off to a promising season with new coach Mohammed Ali at the helm. Ali, who has competed professionally and has worked as a coach and teaching pro for many years, is eager to help the Garnets reach their full potential as the competitive squash season begins this month.

By Georgetta L. Morque

The Rye High School Boys’ Squash Team is off to a promising season with new coach Mohammed Ali at the helm. Ali, who has competed professionally and has worked as a coach and teaching pro for many years, is eager to help the Garnets reach their full potential as the competitive squash season begins this month.

Ali comes to Rye after ten years at the Poly Prep Country Day School in Brooklyn where he was director of squash and ran a successful junior squash academy. He was also a teaching pro at The Creek Club on Long Island and an assistant coach of the U.S. National Junior Squads. On the international squash circuit, Ali has competed in the PSA, Professional Squash Association, and reached a world ranking of 152.

A native of Pakistan, a center for top squash, Ali came to the United States in 2000 to compete in a tournament. After meeting a teacher from Poly Prep, his career fell into place and he never looked back. Ali has a Master’s degree in physical education from Adelphi University and also teaches at PS 192 in the city.

“I’m very excited to be part of the Rye program,” said Ali who has found the team members to be respectful, polite, and very coachable. His intention is to help the players improve and become a strong enough team to make a difference at the U.S. High School Team Squash Championships in Philadelphia in February.

This season, Rye is fielding Varsity A and B teams, and a JV team led by coach Jason Hicks, also a longtime teaching pro and former world-ranked player. Varsity captains are Will Bennett, Chris Julian and Spencer Hunt. There will be an active schedule of matches in the Fairwest Public School Squash Association, which US Squash refers to as the first successful public school squash league in the country. The teams will also compete against private schools in the region.