Welcome back to week 4 of the season as we welcome in the year 2025. Hope everyone had a restful break and is ready to get back into the full swing of things as we now begin the second half of our shortened regular season. A lot has happened in the first 3 weeks but there is still a lot to be decided as we get deeper into the season. Now that 2025 has begun, we have seen two new years of our brothers and sisters being tested in ways humans have never experienced before. Every moment for them is uncertain, and they live life on the edge, not knowing when their next meal will be. Allah says in Surat al Ankabut, "Do people think once they say, "We believe," that they will be left without being put to the test? We certainly tested those before them. And in this way Allah will clearly distinguish between those who are truthful and those who are liars." Life is full of tests, and this should do nothing to our Iman but increase it when we go through tests or see our brothers and sisters being tested. Allah tests all of us differently and although we cannot fathom the atrocities being committed, we must trust that Allah is the best of planners and to Allah we will all return.

Now on to this week,


Areeha - Yazur:

First game of the week features Mahrooz, Singer and Co. against the squad from JC. Ehsan has been playing consistently which gives Areeha a third scoring option and they also have Sal on the boards and anchoring the paint. This core gives them a complete one, with shooting, iso scoring, playmaking and rebounding. The key for this team will be the depth of the squad and if others can step up when one of the 3 main scorers are off or being focused on. With Yazur, they just have to keep building an identity and find what works for them on the offensive end. It seems like their issue is simply putting the ball in the basket. I feel that it has to be a collective effort with a lot of ball movement and screens due to their lack of a consistent scorer that can create buckets for himself and others throughout the length of the game. Their squad is talented from top to bottom so if a few guys can take it up a notch, they have the size and athleticism to hang with the rest of the teams. I think this game will be a good test of how Yazur can do offensively against an above average defense but one that's still finding it's footing. I think they will look to push the break and if they can get enough easy buckets that way, it should set them up to stay at least arms distance away. For me, the X-factors of this game are Rooz and Singer. As simple as it seems, if these two dictate the flow and make sure they are not complacent, I don't see how Areeha loses.

Areeha by 9


Haifa - Jerusalem:


Jerusalem had a big win in Week 3 thanks to another creative defensive game plan. They never fail to surprise us with finding ways to make great players have off games. Now, Kai still didn't have an off game but Jerusalem was able to get a double-digit win, so they did something right. I'm not sure they will be able to use the same game plan on Abdelhadi this week and Haifa is much more familiar with the style that Jerusalem wants to play. For Jerusalem, it seems that Omar and Ali are fit to carry the load offensively and having Brandon as a designated screener really changes how this team looks compared to last season. Their offense is revamped and it looks more of what they thought it would be so nice work by the person putting the team together. Haifa is great. There isn't much else really needed to be said. Abdelhadi is such an amazing player because he can impact the stat sheet but he also does things that rally his team or makes plays that don't end up on the stat sheet but are huge for the outcome. He doesn't force his hand and complements Anas and Elijah really well. This team is 2 points away from being undefeated and their right there near the top in power rankings. Hustle guys, scorers, star players that hustle, built chemistry are all qualities of this team which gives them the ability to go up big, come back from big deficits and close out games in a composed manner. The ball is in Jerusalem's court to bring the fight for 40 minutes and even if they do, I'd still bet Haifa here. But, Jerusalem just proved me wrong last week....

Haifa by 6


Ramla - Lod:

Lod comes off of a week where they were missing some key pieces. Ramla survived a mini comeback from Yaffa in week 3 and dropped them to 0-3 on the season. Lod could be 2-1 and Ramla could be 3-0 and this game is big for both teams as records could even out or separate. Now, the playstyles of these two teams are polar opposites as Lod will look to light it up from 3 and play 5 out while Ramla is more focused on playing a methodical game and squeezing clock out while making demoralizing baskets through outworking the defense. The energy of Ramla is what gives this team their identity and I think Lod is still searching for some of that from their role players. The high-powered offense of Lod is still missing a key piece in the other Amir which definitely will change things for them, but this team has one glaring issue and that is their interior defense and presence. They do not have a big on their team while the other team has 2 true bigs and guys that can only make things happen with physicality. I think that's the difference here. For me, the more physically imposing team is usually the team that will wear the other team down and make them dread working for every possession. I see this going a similar way..... unless it starts raining from 3.

Ramla by 7


Jenin - Sabra:

Next up we have two 2-1 teams and two well-regarded teams. This game will definitely be fun to watch and I think will be very competitive. The game plan in this one will be Jared or Idris on Kai with Zain playing in help and being assigned to the weakest defender. An exciting matchup for me are the two tenacious guards, Adam and Hashem. Both are smaller guys but are really quick on their feet so it will be interesting to see if Adam can get the best of Hashem or if Hashem can cause him to be inefficient. The teams are close in size but you could give the edge to Sabra. Overall, I think there needs to be a bit more creativity in Sabra's offense and there has to be more of an effort of getting Kai a good shot in the easiest way possible as the game progresses. With the focus on him extensively, other players have to do their part. Last week, players not named Kai shot 6-40 from the field. I don't care who that last player is, if teams see that the rest of the guys are this unreliable, we may start seeing a healthy dose of second and third defenders coming Kai's way. Other guys must step up. On Jenin's side, its a much more balanced attack, with Sohaib, Adam, Zain leading the way and Jared, Musa, and Idris providing the support. Although Kai is the best player on the court in this game, I'm gonna go with the team that I feel is playing a better brand of basketball, even though they also came off of a tough, uncharacteristic loss last week.

Jenin by 3


Qibya - Beit Jala:

Surprise Surprise. Beit Jala is 3-0 and got a big win against a proven squad which cements them as contenders thus far. Qibya also got a big win in week 3 and the revamped squad with Omar Hussein now looks better than years past. Both of these teams are built similarly and are tight-knit squads. For Qibya, Omar and Nader lead the way with Abdul Kareem and Ali providing support offensively. On the other side, Shahzaib and Aadil are doing most of the heavy lifting on offense which is nice because Khattak and Affan are also capable of handling the ball and making plays, giving them a little bit more variation in their offensive scheme. Both teams have big men as anchors. For me this comes down to who is the more proven bunch and I see Shahzaib as being a more efficient and high-volume scorer while Aadil is capable of having an impact in more ways than Nader. That is where this game will be decided. With Nader guarding Shahzaib for 40 minutes, it will be a tough ask for him to be called upon consistently offensively which will put a lot of responsibility on Omar Hussein, who has a history of being streaky. Now, if Shahzaib and Aadil are inefficient and not aggressive, I think Qibya can sneak away with an upset but we haven't seen that so far and I don't see it happening this week either.

Beit Jala by 7


Al-Bireh - Gaza:

Although Al-Bireh has a win on their record, they have not had a lead as the final buzzer has sounded this season, which means they are still finding themselves and looking to prove they are with the elite teams this season. What better way to do it than against the arguable #1 team and #1 player and arguably the most dominant duo in the league this season with Farhad as the close second option. This will be a tough test for Al-Bireh, specifically their newcomer Nick who will have to deal with Michael K on both sides of the floor. Num Num will probably guard Farhad and I can see him doing a great job but he will have his hands full. That really puts the spotlight on the guards of Al-Bireh. They have to step it up defensively and make the job easier for the frontcourt teammates. Offensively, I think there needs to be more off-ball action and I think Shafic should assume ball-handling responsibilities, while Towfeek plays a slashing role as a smaller 3 and Anas is the off-ball 2 guard. Num Num and Anas could be very effective in their off-ball action and you can throw Nick in there as well. I just think to have a chance, their offense has to be less one dimensional and all 5 guys have to be touching the ball and creating for eachother. With Gaza, the formula is proven and tested. This team weekly will look at the matchup and say if we do the little things correctly, there is no way we lose and its a fair argument when the scoring is so consistent from the top 2-3 guys. They know they will get 60 or close to it from those 3, making life easier for the role players and relieving the pressure off the team as a whole. Al-Bireh will have to be locked in and in-tune for 40 minutes to secure this one, even if they take a big lead as they did in Week 1. Dark horse game of the week here.

Gaza by 5


Isdud - Nablus:

Extremely unexpected that Isdud is 0-3 coming out of the break and they will come into this one with the fire lit, or at least I hope so. Nablus survived a nail-biter which shows that this team has character and can close it out and is also much needed experience for them in late-game situations. I'll be honest, I still haven't seen Luis in the gym with all my games at 7:30 so i don't really know what they are working with in the big man, but his frame alone combined with Deeb's tenacity will definitely be on the mind of Isdud defensively, as they lack a true presence down low. So far for Isdud, it's been all Ali and Andrew and while they have been able to produce fairly efficiently, the total scoring output hasn't been enough. Even if they combine for 45 points and let's say on 40 shots, that will require the rest of the team to have somewhere around 20-25 points for them to win games consistently. Easy answer is Humza and Sal but both guys need someone else to create for them typically and are not always the most aggressive in seeking the ball or the basket. Now, this could be less of an issue if they were able to be stout defensively but that hasn't been seen yet and I can't see them finishing in the top-5 defensively on the year. For Nablus, Adeeb has to be better and he's the guy that will take them further than previous years. Hamza, Splash and Deeb are proven players and they always compete so if they can have support with Luis down low and consistent scoring from Adeeb, they are in good hands moving forward. This game will be chippy but I think this will be a game that will have Ali Hassan written all over it.

Isdud by 2


Bethlehem - Yaffa:

Well, well, well. Ironically, the game of the week is the only game that features an undefeated team facing a winless team. Now, no one predicted the reigning champs to drop the first 3 on the season and they were all toss-ups that ended in exhilarating fashion. However, a win is a win and a loss is a loss and this Yaffa squad now is 0-3 for the first time maybe ever. They have never been in this position before and the pressure could cause some friction internally, but this will be the truest test of their grit and heart. Going 0-4 would be a big blow and certainly put a taint on their season, like the Cincinnati Bengals just had to deal with recently. On the other side, there's Bethlehem. The addition of Jojo has catapulted this team to first place with 3 impressive wins to open the season. That called for a boys trip as spirits are high coming out of the break. This team has a cohesive starting 5 that contains players who assume their role to their best ability. The stars are on the same page and have a lot of history together and Jojo's unselfishness has allowed the team to blossom entirely. Now, we haven't seen them in a test down the stretch so far, while Yaffa has had a few that they have ended up on the wrong side of. We know what this game means to both sides and we know how badly Bethlehem wants to stay undefeated. Yaffa needs a win and they'd love to be the team that brings Bethlehem down to earth. I gave up the disguise in the beginning of the season for situatons just like this. You guys know who I am now, and you know who I'm predicting when Yaffa is the discussion. I'm picking my squad and you can argue with a wall.

Yaffa by 5


As always, this ain't Lavar Ball, this ain't Lonzo Ball, this is the Crystal Ball.

Edited by user Tuesday, January 7, 2025 2:36:56 PM(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified