From earning a medal on the pitch for the George Brown Huskies to coaching in the biggest NCAA tournament, Dalmar Ali’s journey is unlike any other.
Ali is currently an assistant coach with the Long Island University Sharks men’s basketball team. This season, he helped make history as LIU captured its conference championship and secured a spot in the NCAA Tournament, marking the program’s first appearance in the Shark era. The Sharks enter March Madness as a No. 16 seed and will face No. 1 Arizona Wildcats on Friday, March 20.
Ali’s path to March Madness began at George Brown. After leaving Toronto Metropolitan University in 2016, he was searching for direction when Huskies men’s soccer head coach Johnny Williams stepped in.
“I’m forever grateful,” Ali said. “My time at George Brown is what molded me into who I am today. Big shout‑out to Johnny Williams, he’s been my mentor from the very beginning. He brought me in with open arms when he didn’t have to.”
Between September 2016 and March 2019, as a student-athlete he was part of two provincial indoor soccer championships, including earning a silver medal in one, and captured a bronze medal in outdoor soccer. It was during this time that his passion for coaching began to take shape thanks to coach Williams.
“I saw the passion Johnny had, and it rubbed off on me. We still talk today, we speak every other week. He helped me through college and showed me what it means to be a good coach and a good leader. He also gave me the opportunity to continue playing on the team, which allowed me to experience what winning felt like. I was able to bring those lessons with me and use them to inspire my players today and help me get to where I am now. While I was at George Brown, another opportunity came up, this time to coach the men’s basketball team.”
Ali’s first basketball coaching opportunity came during the summer of 2018, when he helped recruit players for the George Brown men’s basketball team. That effort earned him a spot on the bench as an assistant coach. The Huskies finished the season second in the East Division with a 17–3 record, officially launching Ali’s coaching career.
From there, his rise was rapid. Between 2019 and 2025, after furthering his George Brown studies and graduating from Laurentian University, Ali served as an assistant coach with the Toronto Basketball Academy before going south to Tallahassee Community College of the NJCAA, where the team went 19–3 and won a Panhandle Championship, following which he was appointed graduate assistant with Florida State University men’s basketball program under Hall of Fame coach Leonard Hamilton where he also earned his Master of Sports Administration. He was appointed Director of Basketball Operations with LIU in 2023-24 before being promoted to his current position of assistant coach. Earlier this year he was also named head coach of the Somali’s National Men’s Basketball Team.
Ali credits his time as a student‑athlete at George Brown for teaching him the most important lesson of all, patience.
“Just being able to listen and be a sponge because when I was younger, I tried to do things too quickly and didn’t always understand how procedures and things worked,” he said. “I’m forever grateful to Mark Couch (George Brown Varsity Coordinator), Melanie Gerin‑Lajoie (George Brown Manager of Athletics & Recreation), and Johnny. I wasn’t the easiest to deal with, but they bared with me and helped me grow. I learned a lot about patience and personal growth in that program, lessons I still use today. Every time I talk to my players, young individuals, I know they need guidance and support. Those individuals took their time with me, helped shape who I am today, and I’m forever grateful for that.”
This season with the LIU Sharks has been one for the record books. After winning just three games in his first year, the team surged to 24 wins and a conference championship. It’s a group the coach knows is special, and he has enjoyed every minute of the ride.
“We’ve done a lot of great things here. We’re going to the NCAA Tournament and won our conference tournament,” Ali said. “It’s huge to be able to put your hands on something and watch it grow. Everyone told me it was a rough program, but I came from Florida State and George Brown, where I saw what it takes to win. Being able to help with this turnaround has been like no other.”
As March Madness approaches this week, Ali is eager to step onto the court under the bright lights, in front of a sold‑out stadium, and on national TV across North America.
“It’s different feeling than being a player, but it’s once in a lifetime experience that I can’t express,” he said. We want to really continue our story and can’t wait to compete. I love this team and they deserve this opportunity.”
The No. 16 LIU Sharks take on the No. 1 Arizona Wildcats on Friday, March 20th at 1:35pm.
