EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. – SIUE men's basketball Head Coach Brian Barone has announced the addition of freshman forward Belal Sohaib Mabrouk (Cairo, Egypt).

"Belal is an outstanding young basketball talent who brings a combination of size, versatility, and IQ to our program," Barone said. "His ability to play multiple positions is extremely valuable for us. He has the skill to impact the game in a variety of ways, whether he is defending different positions, rebounding or using his length and timing to block shots."

Mabrouk comes to SIUE from Egyptian club Al Ahly Sporting Club, one of Africa's most successful basketball organizations, where he helped lead multiple championship-winning teams at the U16, U18, and U20 levels while earning several MVP honors.

"I chose to come (to SIUE) because I knew that the coaching staff and players will be like a second family along with the opportunity to do big things."

Internationally, Belal represented Egypt at the FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup in Turkey (2024) and helped lead Egypt to the Arab U18 Championship title. He was selected to the prestigious Basketball Without Borders (BWB) Africa Camp in 2025, where he earned All-Star honors. Belal is the captain of the U18 Egyptian National team that will compete in the FIBA Africa U18 this August in the Ivory Coast. 

"Belal is now part of our 'Find a Way' family, and that means a great deal to us," Barone added. "Our culture is built around people who are willing to work, compete, sacrifice and find solutions every single day; and Belal comes to us having that reputation."