TALLAHASSEE – Each time first-year Florida State forward Shahid Muhammad steps onto a basketball court, he has the ability to improve as a basketball player.

Muhammad showed his ability to play defense during the 2025 season as a sophomore at UMass when he totaled 47 blocked shots in just 31 games for a 1.5 blocked shots per game average. His career-high of five blocked shots came against New Hampshire in his first career game at UMass. Muhammad totaled four blocked shots twice and earned three or more blocked shots in eight games as a Minuteman.

He was superb during his one season at the College of Southern Idaho when he established the program record for blocked shots in a season, with 106 in 30 games for a 3.5 blocked shots per game average. He helped lead his team to the NJCAA Division I Regional Finals in his one season as a Golden Eagle in 2024.

But if you ask Muhammad about his shot blocking ability, he’ll tell you there is no secret, no special training, and no reason other than his athletic ability that he is better than many players at executing one of the most exciting defensive plays on a regular basis.

“Blocking shots comes natural to me,” said the Queens, N.Y. native. “The easiest explanation I can give is that the world around me seems to slow down to where I can go up and get the basketball. Timing is certainly the key and my fast twitch muscles help a lot.”

In two seasons at the Division I level (at Seton Hall and UMass), Muhammad has 50 blocked shots in just 31 games. In three collegiate seasons (one at Seton Hall, one at the College of Southern Idaho, and one at UMass) he has 156 blocks in 61 career games – a more than 2.5 blocked shots per game average for his career.

In his one season at Southern Idaho, Muhammad had more blocked shots by himself (106) than his 13 teammates had combined (105).

While he is an top notch shot blocker with the ability to run the floor, there is so much more to Muhammad than just his pure basketball abilities.

When not crashing the glass for rebounds and rejecting shots, Muhammad is an accomplished pencil sketch artist, a yellow belt while competing in youth Jiu-jitsu, a really good ping pong player, and a skilled skateboarder.

And that was all before he grew 11 inches during a four-year span – a growth spurt which allowed him to grow to 6-11. He’s one of three Seminoles on head coach Luke Loucks’ first Florida State roster at 6-10 or taller. Muhammad and sophomore Alier Maluk are 6-11 and Chauncey Wiggins is 6-10.

“I realized I could play basketball and play at an elite level when I began to grow taller,” said Muhammad. “The massive growth spurt gave me the idea to start doing something with the gifts I had been given and to stop wasting the potential I knew I had internally.”

Interestingly, it was during his period of growth that took him from just under six-feet tall to nearly seven feet tall, that he first picked up a basketball in 2018 when he was 17 years old.

 

Muhammad celebrated his 23^rd birthday this past July and begins his Florida State career as the Seminoles’ elder statesman.

‘Sha has some special and unique athletic abilities that we think will be a good fit in our system,” said Loucks, who spent the last nine seasons in the NBA working with perennial All-Stars Kevin Durant, Steph Curry, Draymond Green, and Klay Thompson among others. “Our job is to develop Sha so that he reaches his potential and becomes a productive player within our program. We are really excited about working with him this season.”

Muhammad is no stranger to hard work. He began his affinity with drawing when he was just six years old. He inherited the drawing gene from his father, Clifton, who was an artist in college.

‘I’ve been drawing since I was six,” said Muhammad. “I feel like I’m very good at it. I used to draw a ton of comics.

“The object I have been working mastering most recently is drawing a person’s hand,” said Muhammad. “Hands are surprisingly difficult to draw but I’m close to getting them.”

As the first member of his family to play organized basketball, Muhammad is following in his parents’ footsteps as he pursues his bachelor’s degree from Florida State.

“Education is very important in our family,” said Muhammad. “My mom, Beryl, has a master’s degree in teaching, an associate’s degree in sign language, and a bachelor’s degree in English. My dad has degrees in communication and design.”

Muhammad lists each of the four members of his immediate family – his mom, dad, and older brothers Sharrieff and Rahim, as the people who have influenced him most in his journey and taught him to play attention the ‘little things.’

“Doing the little things are what I love about this program and this coaching staff,” said Muhammad. “The most eye-opening aspect of being at Florida State is how great the program is. There are no shortcuts within this program; it’s just a great overall program.”

There will be no shortcuts for Muhammad and his teammates as Loucks’ first season begins at the Donald L. Tucker Center on November 4.

That won’t be a problem for Muhammad whose career is drawing up to be picture-perfect.