Akbar Waheed joined the Georgetown University men’s basketball staff as an assistant coach in May 2016.
Waheed has been a part of Head Coach Patrick Ewing’s staff since his inaugural season and helped the program hit significant early milestones. In each of the last two seasons, the Hoyas have picked up major awards from the BIG EAST Conference, most recently with Jagan Mosely a recipient of the league’s Sportsmanship Award in 2020. With a berth to the 2019 National Invitation Tournament, the Hoyas saw a return to the postseason for the first time since the 2014-15 season. In three years as a member of Ewing's staff, Waheedhas helped the Hoyas to five wins over opponents ranked in the Associated Press Top 25, including a trio during the 2019-20 campaign.
Waheed came to the Hilltop after spending the 2015-16 season as an assistant coach at Hofstra University. The Pride finished the 2015-16 season with a 24-10 record and an appearance in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT).
Waheed, who spent the 2014-15 season as a scout with the Oklahoma City Thunder of the National Basketball Association, has more than 15 years of NCAA Division I coaching experience, with stops at Niagara and Boston College, in addition to Hofstra.
In his career as an assistant coach, Waheed has been part of five postseason teams, including two squads that advanced to the NCAA Tournament. Prior to spending the 2014-15 season with the Thunder, Waheed worked at Boston College from 2010 to 2014.
Waheed spent 11 years as an assistant to Joe Mihalich at Niagara University, where the Purple Eagles averaged nearly 19 wins per season and earned four postseason tournament berths. During his time at Niagara, the Purple Eagles posted a 206-135 record, earned an NCAA Tournament win, a pair of NCAA Tournament berths, two Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Championships, two trips to the NIT and two MAAC regular season titles. He was a part of four 20-win seasons in Buffalo.
A skilled recruiter and strong developer of talent, Waheed helped recruit and develop a multitude of players that have gone on to the professional ranks, most recently Olivier Hanlan (Utah Jazz) and Reggie Jackson (Oklahoma City Thunder).
Waheed graduated from Niagara in 1999 with a degree in communications. He earned his master’s degree in school counseling from Niagara in 2007. Waheed was a standout at Gonzaga College High School, helping the team reach a national rank as high as No. 6 in the country when he was a junior.
Waheed and his wife, Nicole, have three children, daughter Infiniti, and sons, Akbar III and Jahlil.
