Shooting Stars
Dabish and Sulaka shine on the court and in the classroom
By Steve Stein
Yasmine Dabish and Michael Sulaka will both take the court for their college basketball teams this winter. But they’re more than athletes—they’re standout students with ambitious career goals beyond basketball.
Dabish, a freshman at the University of Michigan-Dearborn and a 2025 graduate of Troy Athens High School, finished high school with a 3.8 GPA. She’s determined to carry that success into college as she pursues her dream of becoming a pediatric surgeon or entering another medical profession.
At Athens, Dabish sang in the choir for four years and also performed for 12 years in English, Chaldean and Arabic choirs at St. Joseph Chaldean Catholic Church in Troy. She was active in the Chaldean American Student Association, National Honor Society and Circle of Friends. On top of that, she babysat, tutored and worked at Café 3:16 in Rochester.
On the court, the 5-foot-8 Dabish was a three-year starter at power forward and center, posting 187 points, 183 rebounds and 48 assists as a senior.
“I didn’t want to stop playing basketball after I left Athens,” she said. “I love the game. I loved the vibe at Michigan-Dearborn. That’s why I decided to go there. I’m fine with whatever God wants for me, but I’m going to put in the work to play college basketball.”
Dabish trained all summer to prepare for her first NAIA season, putting in hours at the gym, playing pickup games and studying basketball film. “I hit the gym a lot and got reps in, and played 3-on-3, 4-on-4 and sometime 5-on-5 basketball if we had enough people,” she said. “I watched a lot of videos, too. Women’s college basketball videos, and videos that break down offenses and defenses.”
She’s especially eager to play for new Michigan-Dearborn coach Becky Sutton, who was hired in May after leading teams to six NCAA Tournament appearances and guiding Lansing Catholic to the 2023 Division 2 state championship.
Her parents are George Dabish and Rhana Shngoo.
Sulaka, a 6-foot-9 forward, enters his redshirt sophomore season at Western Michigan University. The Warren De La Salle graduate was considered one of the top high school frontcourt players in Michigan after averaging 12 points and 12 rebounds per game in 2021, helping the Pilots capture the Division 1 state championship.
At Western, Sulaka has maintained a 3.71 GPA while majoring in finance. His academic success earned him a spot on the Mid-American Conference men’s basketball Academic All-MAC Team last season. He graduated from De La Salle with a 4.005 GPA.
“De La Salle definitely prepared me academically for college,” he said.
Sulaka averaged 2.3 points, 2.0 rebounds and shot 54.8% from the floor in limited action last season as the Broncos finished 12-20. He hopes to play a bigger role this year.
“You have to be ready when your number is called,” he said.
To balance basketball with academics, Sulaka said he tackles assignments early.
“I get my schoolwork done so it’s out of the way, and I can focus on basketball and still have time to relax,” he said.
Western Michigan and Sulaka practiced for eight weeks over the summer to gear up for the season. His parents are Larry and Ann Sulaka of Macomb.