Alpha Bangura

{{Infobox basketball biography

| name = Alpha Bangura

| image =

| caption =

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1980|2|4|mf=yes}}

| birth_place = Freetown, Sierra Leone

| nationality = Libyan / Sierra Leonean

| height_ft = 6

| height_in = 4

| weight_lb = 215

| high_school = Eleanor Roosevelt
(Greenbelt, Maryland)

| college =

Monmouth (1998–1999)
St. John's (2000–2002)

| draft_year = 2002

| career_start = 2002

| career_end = 2016

| career_position = Small forward

| career_number =

| years1 = 2002–2003

| team1 = North Charleston Lowgators

| years2 = 2003–2004

| team2 = Charleston Lowgators

| years3 = 2004–2005

| team3 = Sioux Falls Skyforce

| years4 = 2005

| team4 = Guaiqueríes de Margarita

| years5 = 2005

| team5 = Benfica

| years6 = 2005–2006

| team6 = Michigan Mayhem

| years7 = 2006

| team7 = Idaho Stampede

| years8 = 2006

| team8 = Unelco Tenerife

| years9 = 2006–2007

| team9 = Aishin Sea Horses

| years10 = 2007

| team10 = Atléticos de San Germán

| years11 = 2007–2008

| team11 = Aishin Sea Horses

| years12 = 2008

| team12 = Sagesse-Al Hekmeh Beirut

| years13 = 2008

| team13 = Al Qadsia

| years14 = 2008–2009

| team14 = Rio Grande Valley Vipers

| years15 = 2009

| team15 = Bakersfield Jam

| years16 = 2010

| team16 = Sporting Al Riyadi Beirut

| years17 = 2010–2011

| team17 = Anibal Zahle

| years18 = 2011

| team18 = Air21 Express

| years19 = 2015–2016

| team19 = Incheon Electroland Elephants

| highlights =

JBL champion (2008)
NEC Newcomer of the Year (1999)
2x CBA All-Star Game (2005, 2006)

}}

Alpha Mohamed Bangura (born February 4, 1980) is a Libyan-Sierra Leonean former professional basketball player who competed as a member of the Libya national basketball team at the FIBA Africa Championship 2009.[https://web.archive.org/web/20110929102456/http://www.africabasket.com/Libya/basketball.asp?NewsID=168247 Libya basketball team] at africabasket.com[http://libya2009.fiba.com/pages/eng/fe/09/fafcm/player/p/eid/4047/pid/79216/sid/6599/tid/319/profile.html Player Page] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090813184205/http://libya2009.fiba.com/pages/eng/fe/09/fafcm/player/p/eid/4047/pid/79216/sid/6599/tid/319/profile.html |date=2009-08-13 }} at FIBA.com

Amateur career

Bangura is a graduate of Eleanor Roosevelt High School in Greenbelt, Maryland, where he was teammates with fellow professional basketball players Delonte Holland and Eddie Basden.

Alpha Bangura played NCAA basketball at St. John's University for two years after starting his career at Monmouth University, where he averaged 18.9 points per game as a freshman and earned newcomer of the year.{{cite web|url=http://blogs.app.com/hawks/2010/05/28/mu-mens-hoops-transfer-tales/|title=MU men's hoops transfer tales|publisher=|accessdate=14 August 2016}} Bangura moved to St. John's after one season at Monmouth to play for coach Mike Jarvis.{{cite web|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/sports/monmouth-skid-22-article-1.823351|title=MONMOUTH SKID AT 22|publisher=|accessdate=14 August 2016}} In 2002, he left the team for unknown reasons.{{cite web|url=https://apnews.com/07c621998f964e122f92b2f03a3b698b|title=Bangura Won't Play for St. John's|publisher=|accessdate=14 August 2016}}

Professional

Following his college career, Bangura played professional basketball in the United States with the CBA and USBL and overseas in Portugal, Israel, Spain, Japan, Puerto Rico, Lebanon, Kuwait, Venezuela, and in the Philippines for the Air21 Express.[https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/graphic/2009/07/27/GR2009072701787.html Alpha Bangura: Globe Trotter] at washingtonpost.com In 2008–09, Bangura spent most of the year with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers of the D-League, averaging 18.9 points per game over 26 games before being traded to the Bakersfield Jam for the last nine games of the season.{{cite web|url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/nbdl/players/b/bangual01d.html|title=Alpha Bangura D-League Stats – Basketball-Reference.com|publisher=|accessdate=14 August 2016}} In 2010, he signed with Sporting Al Riyadi Beirut playing his first match in the league against runners-up Al Mouttahed Tripoli. He signed for Anibal Zahle in the Lebanese Basketball League for the 2010–11 season.{{cite web|url=https://www.asia-basket.com/Lebanon/basketball.aspx?NewsID=211941|title=Lebanese Basketball, News, Teams, Scores, Stats, Standings, Awards – asia-basket News|publisher=|accessdate=14 August 2016}} He played his first game against his former team Sagesse.{{fact|date=May 2021}}

He was signed by the Air21 Express as their second import for the 2011 PBA Commissioner's Cup. He led the team to the semi-finals while averaging 28 points per game after beating the Alaska Aces, 2–1.{{fact|date=May 2021}}

Bangura was signed to the Washington Wizards in 2004. He has also had stints with the Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Clippers and Orlando Magic.{{fact|date=May 2021}}

International

Bangura was the most consistent member of the Libyan team that finished 11th as the host country in the 2009 FIBA Africa Championship. He averaged 24.4 points per game over six games for the Libyans before his team failed to qualify to the next round.{{cite web|url=http://libya2009.fiba.com/pages/eng/fe/09/fafcm/player/p/eid/4047/pid/79216/sid/6599/tid/319/profile.html|title=Alfath Mohamed Belgasem profile, FIBA Africa Championship for Men 2009 - FIBA.COM|publisher=|accessdate=14 August 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150630235228/http://libya2009.fiba.com/pages/eng/fe/09/fafcm/player/p/eid/4047/pid/79216/sid/6599/tid/319/profile.html|archive-date=30 June 2015|url-status=dead}} Bangura scored a game-high 25 points and grabbed seven rebounds in the opening game against South Africa to send the Libyans into the eighth finals.{{cite web|url=https://archive.fiba.com/pages/eng/fa/game/p/gid/1/grid/A/rid/7098/sid/6599/tid/319/_/2009_FIBA_Africa_Championship_for_Men/statistic.html|title=archive.fiba.com: 2009 FIBA Africa Championship for Men|publisher=|accessdate=14 August 2016}} Bangura again scored a game-high 23 points in a two-point Libyan victory over Egypt in the eighth finals, its only victory in that round.{{cite web|url=https://archive.fiba.com/pages/eng/fa/game/p/gid/4/grid/E/rid/7158/sid/6599/tid/319/_/2009_FIBA_Africa_Championship_for_Men/statistic.html|title=archive.fiba.com: 2009 FIBA Africa Championship for Men|publisher=|accessdate=14 August 2016}}