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NBA veteran Jerome Williams aka The Junkyard Dog named him the 'Godfather of Basketball in Bahrain' while others refer to him as coach, mentor and friend.
Driven by hoop dreams of creating a brighter future for basketball in the kingdom, retired athlete and coach, Saeed Al Aradi takes to the courts to enrich local youth with a love for the game where 'amazing truly happens'.
Saaed, 63, has been involved in a number of sports such as football, swimming, table tennis and even track and field. But his true love has always been the game of basketball. He said: "I may not play anymore or coach the Bahrain national team, but I am still involved in the sport and try to be as much as possible.
"I am currently employed in the coaching and development division at the National Stadium in Riffa organising various coaching courses within different sports.
"I also work with the Bahrain Basketball Association for the development of children.
"Summer is one of the busiest seasons for me as I carry out camps and clinics for children. We recently had two prominent ex-NBA players conduct the 'SportsUnited' basketball clinic at the Zain Bahrain stadium in Umm Al Hassam.
"At the moment I am working with Zain telecom to train teens between the ages of 13 and 15 to learn the basics of the game and encourage them to have fun."
Saeed has also been the vice president of the technical committee at the Bahrain Football Association for more than 20 years and still broadcasts basketball games 25 years later.
Versatile and humble, the man of many sports began his love affair with the game back in the 60s playing for the Al Nusoor Club (now Ahli Club) and the national team. He represented the kingdom in 1963 at the Arab Schools Tournament in Kuwait as team captain and guard.
Saeed was also a member of Al Nusoor's football team clinching the first ever cup against Muharraq by scoring the winning goal.
He said: "This is one of my fondest memories because I was honoured by the presence of Prime Minister Shaikh Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa."
However, Saeed was not a player for long. He soon started to coach the Bahrain National School Team, in basketball, and became engrossed in developing youngsters into the dynamos they are today - many of the youth players he coached now represent the senior national team.
As a physical education instructor at the Gulf Polytechnic and a coach of the Bahrain National School Team, Saeed decided that to promote the game in the kingdom he would have to improve and educate himself further for the benefit of the sport.
With the support of Shaikh Ali bin Khalifa Al Khalifa, the Deputy Prime Minister, Saeed was able to accomplish many goals.
He said: "In the 70s and 80s Shaikh Ali was the president of the Bahrain Basketball Association and the one who put the sport on the map in the kingdom.
"He gave his all to build up the game and make it big. In earlier days, basketball was only played in Ramadan and every other month was football season. Shaikh Ali changed that and turned basketball into a popular game which everyone wanted to play."
Retired athlete and coach Saeed Al Aradi decided that to promote the game in the kingdom he would have to improve and educate himself further. To achieve his goal he was supported by Shaikh Ali bin Khalifa Al Khalifa, the Deputy Prime Minister.
Saeed said: "Through Shaikh Ali the foundation for the development of children was formed. He appointed me to handle all basketball affairs and would ask me what I needed to further the sport. I told him I wanted to go to the United States and Europe to take more courses. He said 'done' and I was off there within a week.
"I gained so much from my trip to the US. I visited many universities such as the University of Alabama and met coach Gene Bartow who I learned a lot from. I also met many players such as Shaquille O'Neal at Louisiana State University in 1978 and his coach Dale Brown.
"It was during my visit to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), schools and universities that I realised our basketball teams and our schools had a lot of work ahead of them.
"I then returned to Bahrain with the determination and will to develop the game with the support of Shaikh Ali who had initially been doing so for more than 20 years."
The first basketball festival ever in the Gulf region began shortly after, in 1980, turning many mini-hopefuls into the star players they are today.
Saeed said: "Our current basketball heroes such as Fouad Al Abbasi, head of the Manama Club, Talal Moosa, coach of Al Ahli Club, and Nouh Najaf, captain of the Manama team, began here.
"The micro-programme is for children six to nine and the minis are children aged nine to 12. This is the most critical time to develop the youngsters but you don't stop there.
"I personally love basketball because it has given me everything and it has done the same for my youngsters too. You can learn so much about life and I find that it builds character and discipline.
"I teach my kids how to better organise themselves, what to eat, when to sleep and everything else they require to do well in life.
"I always tell them early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise. Do you know the biggest problem children face in Bahrain is lack of sleep? If you don't sleep then how can you function and educate yourself. Rest is crucial and so is good health and cleanliness.
"I also find inspiration through the great Michael Jordan and always use him as an example. I read his books and play his videos. The children 'ooh' and 'aaah' every time they watch his moves on the court.
"Also I don't criticise my players. I turn everything into a positive and make them think. If you tell a child don't eat this or don't do that he will not be inclined to listen to you. You must feel what you are doing and believe in it or else there is no point."
Saeed encourages his players to have fun and not concentrate too much on winning or losing.
He said: "The facilities now and the sport has been highly developed. Coaches are great and the teachings are excellent but basketball is not what it used to be. The only thing is now they focus too much on the seniors and forget the grassroots.
"Instead of bringing the best coaches for the seniors bring them for the youth. Focus on the children because, if they are brought up right, then you will avoid all the habits you would normally need to fix when they are seniors.
"That is why the Bahrain Basketball Association has now asked me to develop a programme for the grassroots level. For the upcoming season I am planning many festivals for children under 12."
Information on these festivals will be notified at a later date.
