BYU Big Aly Khalifa Joins the Cards

Mark BlankenbakerMay 29, 2024

The University of Louisville men’s basketball program and head coach Pat Kelsey announced Wednesday the addition of transfer Aly Khalifa to the 2024-25 roster.

The 6-foot-11 center (pronounced AH-lee kuh-LEAF-uh) joins the Cardinals after playing last season at BYU, and two seasons at Charlotte before that. He intends to redshirt next season coming off a knee injury.

“Aly is one of the best passing big men in all of basketball,” said Kelsey. “His assist to turnover ratio is astonishingly positive. He plays the game with a level of intelligence and creativity that is rare to see. He’s a high IQ player that has been well coached throughout his basketball career. Aly’s unselfishness and passion for helping others extends off the court as well. He has a fantastic heart and a great way about him.”

Khalifa started in 26 of 29 games he appeared in for BYU last season, averaging 5.7 points, 4.0 assists and 3.7 rebounds per game as the Cougars won 23 games and advanced to the NCAA Tournament. He shot 31.5% from 3-point range with 29 makes.

With 115 assists against just 32 turnovers, he ranked first in the Big 12 and sixth in the nation (tops among centers) in assist-to-turnover ratio. He also set a new BYU single-season record for assist-to-turnover ratio in a single season (3.6-to-1).

Khalifa had a season-high 21 points with seven rebounds against No. 25 Texas Tech as a junior, and also compiled a game of 14 points, seven boards and seven assists in a victory over No. 11 Baylor.

Before arriving at BYU, Khalifa spent his first two seasons at Charlotte. As a sophomore, he started all 34 games for the 49ers, averaging 11.1 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.7 assists.

Across his three-year career, Khalifa has 315 assists and just 142 turnovers. He’s a 35% 3-point career shooter (97 of 275).

Khalifa was the 2022 Conference USA Freshman of the Year after averaging 7.6 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.5 assists as a rookie.

The Alexandria, Egypt, native played his prep ball at the NBA Global Academy in Canberra, Australia. He averaged 12.7 points and 8.0 rebounds per game while representing Egypt at the 2018 FIBA U17 World Cup.