PROVO, Utah – BYU men’s basketball head coach Mark Pope officially announced the signing of Aly Khalifa on Monday afternoon.
Khalifa, a 6-foot-11 center, becomes the first member of BYU’s 2023 signing class after appearing in 65 games during his career at Charlotte. During his time in the Queen City, he averaged 9.8 points and 5.3 rebounds per game, while shooting 49.6 percent from the field, 37.2 percent from three and 73.4 percent from the free throw line.
As a sophomore in 2022-23, he averaged 11.7 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game. He shot 51.1 percent from the floor, 38.1 percent from three and 74.4 percent from the charity stripe. He scored in double figures 20 times, including five games with 20 or more points. He also had three double-doubles for a 49ers squad that went 22-14 and won the CBI title over Eastern Kentucky.
The native of Alexandria, Egypt was named the C-USA Freshman of the Year in 2021-22 after averaging 7.6 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game. He also shot 47.1 percent from the field, 35.1 percent from beyond the arc and 72.5 percent from the charity stripe. After redshirting the 2020-21 season, Khalifa scored in double figures nine times, including a season-high 20 in a win over Marshall going 8-of-8 from the field and 4-of-4 from 3-point range.
Before his collegiate career, Khalifa spent time with the NBA Global Academy, helping his team win back-to-back Academy Games titles in 2018 and 2019. In February of 2019, he participated in Basketball Without Borders Global Camp in Charlotte during NBA All-Star weekend.
He also has international experience, having starred for the Egyptian national team at the 2018 FIBA U17 World Cup, averaging 12.7 points and eight rebounds per game. He recorded a 16-point, 13-rebound double-double against Canada in the group stage.