The north corner of four-lane Lexington Avenue and East 96th Street backs against a wrought-iron fence that rises from a brick wall and encompasses a city block. Inside, sidewalks surround thick trees rising from landscaped squares. A seating area for picnics surrounds a flagpole. In the southwest corner of the park, an all-weather synthetic green basketball court worn from battle lies adjacent to East 95th.
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Although the official name of this basketball haven nestled in East Harlem, New York, is Samuel Seabury Playground, Ismael Massoud refers to it as "Lexington Park." It was his unofficial childhood home.
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Massoud & his brother at Samuel Seabury Playground
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"That's where I grew up," Massoud says. "I didn't really know anything about college basketball. To me, the NBA and all that stuff was going to the parks and hooping with the people in my neighborhood. That's where my game grew and where I put in the most work. Every day I'd be there from sunup to sundown. I'd be hooping all day."
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When he was 10 or 11, Ismael, nicknamed "Ish," decided to put down his skateboard and pick up a basketball to join the hoopsters at the park. Hany, his father, told him, "If you're going to play, you have to take this seriously," and he taught his son the game. The summer of Ish's sixth-grade year, his father told his son to stop playing basketball games. He instructed his son to spend his days shooting form shots.
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"I wasn't allowed to leave the paint," Massoud says. "It was just form shots after form shots. Without my dad, I definitely wouldn't have the jump shot that I have today."
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The jumpshot has paid off handsomely for Massoud, a sophomore forward who transferred to Kansas State and will have three seasons of eligibility remaining after playing two seasons at Wake Forest (2019-21).
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The 6-foot-9, 210-pound Massoud brings length and the shooting touch of a guard to the court. He's virtually un-blockable when he sets and shoots the mid-range jumper, and he is a sharp-shooter from virtually anywhere around the 3-point arc. Massoud offers versatility to be the trailer and spot up for a 3 on a fast break, and he can body himself into the lane and flip in a left-hander while drawing contact. He can pump fake the 3, drive to the hoop, and hit it high off the glass over multiple defenders.
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He can also attack the rim and finish a teammate's missed shot, and on the next possession spin from either the left or right side of the lane, extend high and deliver the ball to the hoop over outstretched hands.
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"He can really shoot the ball, and his high release gives him an advantage, and he gets the ball off quickly," K-State head coach Bruce Weber says. "He's very mature. He loves to learn, which is fun as a coach."
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Massoud was a four-star recruit, the No. 2-rated recruit in New York, and was regarded as one of the top 120 players and top 30 small forwards in the nation by ESPN after averaging 18.3 points, 6 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.3 steals at The MacDuffie School in Granby, Massachusetts.
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"He is a combination forward with a good understanding of the game," former Wake Forest head coach Danny Manning said. "He can put it down on the floor and is extremely versatile."
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Massoud comes from an athletic family. While his father taught him to shoot the ball, his mother, Alicia Rodriguez-Barrera, played basketball at Houston and was a starter for the Cougars in 1996-97 and 1997-98. His brother, Sofian, is a 6-foot-1, 185-pound redshirt freshman quarterback at Houston.
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"We would always compete," Ish says of Sofian. "When we were younger, we'd always be like, 'I'm a better athlete than you.' He always thought football was harder, but I'll cook him in basketball. He knows it's not even a question."
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Massoud played in 53 games with eight starts at Wake Forest while amassing 331 points, 138 rebounds and 69 3-pointers. He was one of just three players to see action in all 22 games last season while averaging 8.3 points, 3.4 rebounds per game and ranked second on the team with 36 3-pointers.
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He had a team high-tying 17 points, 8 rebounds and 1 block in a 79-68 loss to No. 21 Duke on January 9, 2021.
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"Massoud is such a tough matchup because he's such a good 3-point shooter," Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski said.
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In a 76-75 upset victory over Pittsburgh on January 23, 2021, Massoud exploded for a career-high 31 points on 10 of 14 shooting from the floor, including 8 of 10 3-pointers. He scored 12 of his team's first 16 points and drained his first four 3-point attempts. He tied his previous career-high of 17 points just 16 minutes into the game.
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"Massoud was incredible," Pittsburgh head coach Jeff Capel said. "He played and we couldn't find him, he hit big-time shots. He way by far the best player on the court. He made us pay every time."
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His 31 points tied for the most by any ACC player in a conference game last season and his 3-point percentage was the highest in a game in school history. Only two players in Wake Forest history made more 3-pointers in a game — Craig Dawson (11) against Clemson on February 13, 2002, and Randolph Childress (9) against North Carolina on March 12, 1995.
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"Ish came with his best Steph Curry imitation," Wake Forest head coach Steve Forbes said. "It was great to see Ish do that. He played with a lot of confidence. He got loose out there on the perimeter and got it going. Once you get it going, just keep feeding him, and let him keep shooting it."
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Massoud brings a reputation to Manhattan. His versatility could be key once opposing Big 12 Conference coaches watch him in action.
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A young Ismael Massoud with the late Kobe Bryant
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"I'm someone who's known for hitting 3s, but my offensive game is more versatile," he says. "I have to be able to show off that side of my game because people on the scouting report are going to be flying at me, and I have to be able to get to my spots, whether it's making the extra pass, or seeing the posts. My mid-range is something that should be my bread and butter."
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Going from playing under Manning to Forbes to Weber takes some adjustment. Massoud worked throughout the summer to build chemistry with the K-State coaching staff and his new teammates.
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"Coming from a different program and having two different head coaches in my first two years in college, there was definitely going to be a learning curve," Massoud says. "I consider myself someone who's able to pick up things pretty quickly and I have teammates who were here last year. The coaching staff did a great job in the summer in bringing me along, whether it was watching film or teaching me defense or how our offense works. I'm pretty up-to-speed on everything right now."
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Massoud is also reunited with point guard Markquis Nowell, who transferred from Arkansas-Little Rock to K-State over the offseason. At times, Massoud and Nowell were teammates, or they competed against each other, in games at Rucker Park and Dyckman in New York City. Now they are roommates in the Little Apple.
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"I'm happy," Nowell said. "I have my brother here with me, another New York native, and he wants to win just as bad as me. Just having him alongside me, there's nothing more I can really ask for."
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Senior guard Mike McGuirl, sophomore guard Nijel Pack, fifth-year senior transfer guard Mark Smith and Nowell have made the transition smooth for Massoud, while 7-foot Davion Bradford and 6-foot-10 Kaosi Ezeagu give him options inside as well.
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"We have a great system in place where I can get easy looks and the guards make it super easy for me," Massoud says. "I don't even have to think about trying to create for myself unless it's the end of the shot clock or something like that. At the same time, I make their job super easy because of my shooting ability. When I'm setting the screen for them, defenders have to decide if they're going to switch, they're going to stay with the guard, or if they're going to come at me, and if they do, we have bigs down low like Davion and Kaosi that can score. It just makes everyone's job easier and it's just super smooth."
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Massoud with Cole Anthony, who currently plays for the Orlando Magic
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Massoud will get his first chance to officially show off his skills when the Wildcats play their lone exhibition game against Pittsburg State on November 4 at Bramlage Coliseum. So far, Massoud seems to be adapting well to Manhattan life.
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"There's nothing like New York City, but I love Manhattan, Kansas, in the sense that it's a smaller city where you have campus, the facilities, Aggieville, and a lot of food places," he says. "I'm pretty simple. I just need a place to sleep, a place to hoop, and a place to eat. I have all three here so I couldn't be happier."
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Weber appreciates Massoud's attitude along with his jumpshot. Those two assets could serve him well as a Wildcat.
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"He comes to work every day with a smile on his face, and he's happy to be here," Weber says. "That's been a real positive. We're working with him on rebounding and some post-up moves, and he's in the gym all the time. His dedication toward getting better is amazing."
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It's a trait that he learned long ago from his father on the basketball court that was once his childhood home.
