Rugby New York have re-signed versatile three-quarter Ishmail Shabazz for the 2023 Major League Rugby season. Originally from Portland, Oregon, the 25-year-old spent recent months playing for NYAC in the American Rugby Premiership.
Shabazz returned stateside from a two-year stint in New Zealand to join New York ahead of the 2022 campaign. He made his professional debut in March against the Free Jacks, and would make two further appearances with back-to-back starts against New England and NOLA.
While both of his starts were on the wing, Shabazz featured primarily as a center with NYAC. He joins Jason Emery, Quinn Ngawati, Ed Fidow, Andrew Coe, Troy Lockyear, and John Powers as returning backline players confirmed by the defending champs to date.