Former Vaughn Basketball Player Jihad Ceaser Tries Out For ABA Team

On Sunday, June 22, Jihad Ceaser '14 (Hempstead, NY) tried out for the Brooklyn SkyRockets of the American Basketball Association (ABA). The 6'2 combo guard was a three year captain of the Vaughn College Warriors (2009-2012) and is the school's all-time leading scorer. Ceaser played in two exhibition scrimmages during the tryout. In the first game, he finished with 17 points on eight of nine shooting, almost finishing perfect from the field. The coaching staff and owner of the Brooklyn SkyRockets took notice of Ceaser's offensive performance, but they were more impressed with his athleticism and ability to rebound and defend. Ceaser had another solid performance in the second exhibition scrimmage, finishing the tryout with two wins and no losses. After the evaluation period, he received a personal invitation to attend the second round of tryouts for the Brooklyn SkyRockets. Of the many basketball players that showed up to try out, Ceaser was one of the few that were selected to play at Stuy Dome in Brooklyn, New York on Saturday, June 28.

On Tuesday, June 24 Ceaser received a call from the head coach of the Brooklyn SkyRockets, coach Thomas, expressing his interest in signing him to the team. During the conversation they talked about possible contract opportunities for Ceaser and informed him about preseason training starting in September.

"I'm very excited about the opportunity the SkyRockets are presenting to me," said Ceaser. "This could be a great place to start my career, and to further build on the skills I developed as a student athlete at Vaughn."