Westfield State’s Bahu Abdul-Wadud has season cut due to pandemic
Westfield, Mass. (BVM) – – Senior point guard Bahu Abdul-Wadud missed his season this year due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The NCAA canceled all Division III winter sports for this year because of the rise of Covid-19. Juniors and seniors from across the nation that play Division III sports had to miss their seasons this year.
“I was heartbroken,” Abdul-Wadud said. “I had to sit and think if I wanted to come back for grad-school and do another year. As much as I want to play again, I determined returning for another year was not worth it.”
This pandemic has put so many hard obstacles in front of people, especially athletes, who didn’t get to play in their last seasons. Life instantly became different and people all over the world like Bahu Abdul-Wadud had to make big decisions and sacrifices for their life.
“The pandemic has affected me in so many ways,” Abdul-Wadud said. “It has opened up opportunities to work and travel while doing school from home. It has allowed me to discover myself and what I want to do after school. The pandemic also canceled my senior season. It was heartbreaking hearing the news and still hurts to think about.”
Abdul-Wadud is a Springfield native where he attended Monson High School. Playing varsity basketball since his freshman year, he later reached a big milestone for his high school athletic career. Abdul-Wadud reached his 1,000-point his senior year, putting him in a category with the school’s all-time greats.
“Reaching 1,000-points in high school was a very big milestone for me because when you reach an achievement like that you’re considered a straight hooper,” Abdul-Wadud said.
Before picking Westfield State University, Abdul-Wadud had interest from a couple of different schools such as Worcester State, Nichols College and Anna Maria.
For Abdul-Wadud, Westfield State felt like the perfect fit when he was looking at colleges.
“I chose WSU because they were local, very affordable, good education, but mainly because I was recruited by the basketball team,” Abdul-Wadud said. “I also had friends at the school.”
When transitioning from high school basketball to college basketball, it can be tough for athletes because they’re used to being the number one guy in high school.
“High school to college basketball was a much harder transition than I thought it would be,” Abdul-Wadud said. “I dominated at the high school level so I thought I would dominate in college too. Everyone was bigger, faster, and stronger than high school players.”
It’s true when they say not everyone is destined to play sports after high school because the competition in college is much greater than it is in high school. The college experience however, has been something that Abdul-Wadud has always dreamed of.
“It’s what every kid dreams of,” Abdul-Wadud said. “Not many people get to play college sports so being able to play meant a lot. There’s a lot of hardships that come with it but I loved each and every one of them.”
“Playing for [Coach] Sutter meant you never knew what was going to happen,” Abdul-Wadud said. “Some days he’d be serious, other days [he’d be] joking. Some days would be practices full of running, other days would be all shooting. One thing that stayed consistent was he pushed us to play harder and be better than we were the day before.”
When playing sports, most athletes have that one player who they patent their game after and for Abdul-Wadud, it’s a fellow guard.
“I don’t really patent my game after any specific player but if I could model after one guy it would be Kyrie Irving,” Abdul-Wadud said.
Last season the men’s basketball team at Westfield State University won the MASCAC Championship beating Worcester State, 81-77. Recently all the players received their championship rings from the previous season.
“Winning that championship was one of the best feelings,” Abdul-Wadud said. “When we received our rings, it hit me all over again that we did it. All the hard work paid off.”
There’s nothing like having a team that is dedicated and motivated to competing at a high-level day in and day out. Last season, the Owls showed every team in the MASCAC conference that they were the better team and the team not to be reckoned with.
“It’s been a fun three years,” Abdul-Wadud said. “I have made memories and friendships that I will cherish forever. It’s also been a grind. I had to put in a lot of time and effort to be a part of the program.”
Every sport teaches an athlete life lessons to bring with them after their playing days are over and for Abdul-Wadud it was one word: hard work. This upcoming May, Abdul Wadud will be graduating in the Class of 2021 with a Bachelor of Business with a concentration in Accounting. Abdul-Wadud will demonstrate his hard work in his next chapter of life.
