By Matt Skoufalos
Since entering the medical imaging leadership field five years ago, Omar Arafat, radiology manager at University Hospitals Parma Medical Center in Parma, Ohio has dedicated himself to motivating people and managing problems.
“I love numbers; love data, like analyzing things, and trying to predict the uncertain,” Arafat said. “I think a little bit of that goes hand in hand with just trying to run a department efficiently.”
If the Middleburg Heights native enjoys anything as much as numbers and data, it’s basketball. Since childhood, he’s played the sport; contributed to teams all throughout middle and high school. As an adult, however, Arafat helps coach up the next generation of prospects, and focuses them on building healthy habits.
What began as pitching in with youth teams run by some friends – a few drills here and there, helping with youth development camps in the summer – evolved into a passion for learning and teaching. Arafat said the enjoyment he derives from being around the game is a balm to soothe the feelings of missing the days when he could play it competitively.
“I miss that time of my life where you could just get up and start playing,” he said. “I grew up as a two-guard, but my growth spurt hit at a certain point in middle school, and just stopped. [Coaches] had me at center; I wanted to shoot threes.”
“They were trying to force me to the post in sixth grade just because of my height,” Arafat said. “It balanced out in high school because I didn’t grow any more,” he chuckled.
The closeness he’d shared with a teammate led to an invitation to return to a former program to help develop the next generation of players. Although he was closer in age to the players at the time, Arafat thrived in open gyms and pick-up games, doing whatever he could to keep it fun and stay loose. He enjoys seeing the kids he’s shepherded through those same programs growing and maturing into players who not only enjoy the game, but understand how to play it tactically and with skill.
“We’ll try to focus on the fundamentals,” Arafat said. “We start with ball handling. I don’t care what position you are, or how tall you are. Everyone should have ball-handling skills; everyone should be able to shoot. Otherwise, your game’s going to be exposed when you get to a higher level.”
“If you’re not in love with doing the fundamentals, you’re not going to get very far,” he said. “You start with basic dribbling and shooting drills; making sure everyone is comfortable being flexible and fluid in those positions. It brings out the best in the kids, as well.”
Arafat also has had the opportunity to observe middle-schoolers’ development as they press on with the game in high school. The biggest predictors of success? Love the game the right way, and find your passion for self-improvement.
“I love finding kids who have that passion,” he said. “The only thing really stopping you from getting to the [collegiate] D-II or D-I level is yourself. If you put the work in, you’re going to get there. There are a lot of kids who don’t have that patience.”
“There’s a nice parallel there when you’re discussing futures,” Arafat continued. “If you’re not passionate about your work, or you’re not confident in yourself, there’s a lot of things that you learn from trying to be a better basketball player. It’s about trying to be a better person. After a season, it’s incredible to see how far these kids have come. It’s eventually how you get more people interested in playing.”
The love of the sport, as well as being strategic, comes from his favorite athlete of all-time: the late, great, Kobe Bryant; a phenom from Lower Merion High School, Pennsylvania. And Arafat’s contemporary, LeBron James, who also entered the NBA right out of St. Vincent-St. Mary High School in nearby Akron, Ohio, was a local as well as national source of interest.
“It’s been nuts watching the trajectory of LeBron’s career,” Arafat said. “He was three years older than me, so I grew up as a freshman watching him as a senior [appear] in the paper every day. I remember reading the Cleveland Plain Dealer every morning, checking all the scores for basketball, and seeing the high school stats for LeBron.”
As far as coaching/mentoring goes, Arafat’s style icon is the inimitable Phil Jackson, by many regards the most successful NBA coach ever. Jackson won two titles with the New York Knicks as a player in the 1970s, and 11 more as the coach of the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers. Jackson’s coaching style was influenced by everything from Eastern philosophy to the triangle offense; Arafat works most to model his calm demeanor.
“I think leading by example is the most important thing,” Arafat said. “I won’t ask somebody to do anything I wouldn’t do. I’m going to run some of these drills with you; if you see me beating you, we’re going to run a couple more. You’ve got to show them this is how you should be able to compete.”
“I try to take that Zen approach: if you don’t want to get better, that’s fine, I’ll find something else to do,” he said. “There’s no screaming and no hollering. If you don’t want to be there, I don’t force anyone to be there.”
These are lessons he takes with him into his management role at work, as well. When Arafat needs to motivate staff, he knows that force won’t win the day.
“If you do not want to be here, it will be evident, and we’re going to have to find a resolution to that,” he said. “You’re going to end up walking yourself out, or you’re going to improve. One way or another, it will come to a head and get resolved the natural way.”
Off The Clock Nomination
