Abdul-Malik Abu's Ramadan schedule proves there really is no time to sleep

If you missed it earlier this week, the N&O published a great profile on Abdul-Malik Abu, who somehow manages to meet his obligations as a college basketball player while fasting for Ramadan. It's a fascinating read about a kid who essentially has to sacrifice sleep for calories, and during the day watch his friends eat:

"Our nutritionist is always ready to feed us," he said." I've got to kind of watch everyone eat. After class or workouts, everyone is like ‘You want to go get food?' I kind of drift of into the shadows until the sun goes down, and then I'm ready to eat. The hardest part is not being around (the team) as much (because) I'm not eating meals."

Abu recounts his time in high school, when he'd play multiple AAU games in a day during Ramadan, with no food or water. That he was able to do that at all, much less do it and maintain a high profile as a basketball recruit, is incredible.

At NC State he's being asked to replenish 4000 calories every night and drink nearly a gallon and a half of fluids. He makes no excuses whatever about how difficult that is while he's fasting, which is a testament to his commitment. Forgetting about the caloric intake for a second, the thought of consuming that much liquid makes me feel ill. I can't imagine compressing it into a few hours in the middle of the night.