I’m a Fighter

Logan Hamama’s rise at Michigan-Dearborn

By Steve Stein

Never doubt Logan Hamama. Ever.

When he was a student-athlete at Birmingham Brother Rice High School, his work ethic, drive and determination earned the former part-time player the starting point guard job on the star-studded boys basketball team when he was a senior.

Hamama was a freshman point guard this past season on the University of Michigan-Dearborn men’s basketball team.

New Michigan-Dearborn coach Mo Bazzi gave serious consideration to having Hamama red-shirt. That means Hamama would sit out the season, but still be able to practice with the team and not lose a year of eligibility.

Hamama wasn’t going to allow that. No way.

“I’m a fighter,” he said.

He said he went to Michigan-Dearborn because he saw that as a place where he could play as a freshman, and he was going to play.

The 6-footer, who says proudly that he’s following God’s plans for him, put in the work during the off-season.

Then, given a chance to show what he could do in Michigan-Dearborn’s second game of the season, he played 20 minutes against Indiana University-Kokomo on Nov. 1 and made an impact.

Hamama’s nine points, five assists and two steals off the bench helped the Wolverines win 92-83 and gave Bazzi his first victory as the team’s coach.

By the time Michigan-Dearborn entered play in the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC), Hamama was in the starting lineup.

“Logan is one of the hardest working players I’ve seen in a long time,” Bazzi said. “I’ve had to kick him out of the gym a few times and tell him to go home and relax. Or ice his knees or something.

“I see him as our starting point guard the next three years. By the end of this season, he’d become a coach on the court. Logan and I have had some great conversations. He takes being a basketball player very seriously.”

Hamama played in 27 of Michigan-Dearborn’s 28 games this season and started 15 of them, all in the WHAC.

He averaged 7.1 points per game, shot nearly 40% from the field and 72% on free throws, and he had 78 assists and 27 steals. He played about 20 minutes a game. Not bad stats for a freshman who almost didn’t play this season.

Best of all, Hamama’s most productive games were Michigan-Dearborn’s final two games of the season.

Hamama scored a season-high 25 points on 9-of-17 shooting, was 5-of-6 at the free throw line, and he had five rebounds in a 119-92 loss Feb. 18 to conference champion Madonna University. He played a season-high 35 minutes.

Three nights later, he had 11 points, a season-high nine rebounds, five assists and four steals in 34 minutes in an 88-83 win over Northwestern Ohio.

Those numbers didn’t seem possible earlier that week.

Fighting injuries and with Michigan-Dearborn limping toward the end of the tough season — the Wolverines finished 7-21 overall and 6-16 in the WHAC — Hamama went through a vigorous early morning workout led by Brother Rice assistant coach Josh Baker a few days before those games.

Baker, a four-time state champion coach at Southfield Christian High School and former University of Alabama assistant coach, also gave Hamama some sage advice: go play the best basketball you’ve ever played in the next two games. That would be great for him and the team.

That’s exactly what happened.

Hamama saw a lot of positives for himself during the season. He gave himself an A-minus/B-plus grade.

He gained 15 pounds of muscle. On the court, he said, he was happy with how he attacked the basket and got going on transition.

He said he needs to improve his decision-making on when he needs to be aggressive offensively, and his 3-point shooting. He shot 23.5% from distance.

Bazzi said Hamama did well on defense, with his hustle leading to multiple steals and deflections in passing lanes.

Hamama demonstrated his loyalty to the Michigan-Dearborn men’s basketball program when he signed as planned April 12, 2025, one day after the previous Wolverines coach was fired.

He said he was happy when Bazzi was promoted to coach June 4, 2025. Bazzi had spent the previous two seasons as the team’s associate coach.

Bazzi has an impressive basketball resume. He was a three-time All-State player in high school at Star International Academy in Dearborn Heights, and he played professionally for three seasons in Lebanon.

Hamama said the Michigan-Dearborn team has a bright future with Bazzi in charge and he’s looking forward to continuing his academic journey at the school while switching his major from marketing to general business. He has a 3.5 grade-point average.

When his playing days are over, Hamama said, he wants to open a workout facility or gym that focuses on young athletes.