The University of Hartford men's basketball team has signed 6-foot-10, 270-pound Hassan Attia (Alexandria, Egypt/Colby Community College) to a National Letter of Intent, head coach John Gallagher announced today. Attia will have two years of eligibility remaining when he joins the Hawks for the 2016-17 season.
 
"Hassan is a space-eater in the truest sense of the word," Gallagher said. "With his ability to block shots and grab rebounds, he will be able to match up with anyone in our league and most of the bigs we face in non-conference action. Our program became better with the signing of Hassan today."
 
As a freshman last season, Attia started in 24 of the 30 games he played.  He averaged 6.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks per contest a season ago, including a 15-point, 12-rebound outing in an 81-65 win over Southwestern College, one of five double-doubles he posted on the year.
 
As a sophomore, Attia is expected to expand his role on the team this year. Attia will serve as a team captain and be a focal point for the Trojans on both the offensive and defensive ends of the floor. He also spent time with the Egyptian National Team in the Under-18 program.
 
Hartford tips off the 2015-16 season on Friday night at Central Connecticut in the final game of the Connecticut 6 Classic tripleheader in New Britain. Tipoff is slated for 8 p.m. in Dietrick Gymnasium.