Disclaimer: This is one person's opinion, done by a volunteer who has no partnership with the Muslim Basketball Organization. Here are your Wednesday Predictions for Week 2.
Tripoli vs. Lagos – Fresh off a title, the champs came into the season with aspirations of a repeat and perhaps a perfect season. Granada simply had other ideas. Very uncharacteristic shooting day from the Great Mujtaba, but not having his partner in crime could be the reason behind it. I say uncharacteristic but 8/20 is still 40% and that’s a career day for the majority of the league. Jean showed out scoring a career high 28 points on 75% from the field. WOW! He may be the most skilled big man in the league and the most under the radar. Lagos scored 32 points and won their first game of the season…… Not sure how often that will happen but a win is a win nonetheless. Hosam Karmis and Kyseem will have their hands full this week and newcomer Yazzed Saleh will be asked upon to contribute throughout the season. Tripoli improves to 1-1.
Mecca vs. Palermo – Mecca needs a leader, someone they can depend on down the stretch. An individual that can take the pressure off others and restore its infamous name. Whoops, sorry I was referring to the Saudi government not the MB squad….. Actually, they both could use some help. Palermo is a bunch of young pups looking to make a name for themselves and just wanting to hoop. I do think Marwan can be a consistent 15 ppg scorer and hopefully Coach Zidat can unlock Shahzaib’s potential. Palermo wins but it’s a close one.
Bukhara vs. Damascus – Don’t let their bald heads and dad bods fool you, these old timers can still hoop! Welcome back Mustafa, Big O missed you so much he even came out of retirement to team up with you. K-ROD had a very nice first game, just don’t see him getting 15 shots a game when Fayoumi gets back. On the other side, here is some advice for Damascus. Give OQ the ball let him do his thing and everything will figure itself out. The kid is a smart basketball player. He is creative when the ball is in his hands. He can shoot, post up and drive right past his defender. Moayad and Omar H will only benefit from feeding OQ. Experience and basketball IQ take down speed and youth.
Mombasa vs. Jakarta – Pete Brown’s return was delayed but the aforementioned star is reportedly eyeing week 2 to make his season debut. Two star studded lineups going at it. There’s an intriguing matchup at every position but I think the key here will be shooting. Does Masir outshoot Ed or vice versa? The team that shoots better behind the arc will come out on top in this one. I like Jakarta because their bigs can shoot.
Sarajevo vs. Riyadh – Aymen threw up the deuces and brought in his own guys. Riyadh might want to bring in some new guys after scoring 23 points as a team. Let me say that again. A team totaled 23 points. 40 minute game, 23 points, almost 2 minutes per 1 point. 11 players scored 23 or more points week 1. Back to Sarajevo. Aymen runs and runs and runs and runs. Sarajevo 48- Riyadh 35.
Granada vs. Medina – GAME OF THE WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK. Sir Ammar Mustafa of House Granada takes on Sir Himey of House Medina. Will DeJesus play?!?!?! What’s a Lovejoy?!?!? Will Bendary assert himself in this game?!?!? Can Jawad outplay Singer or Najib?!?!? Find out next time on DragonBall Z!
Lahore vs. Beirut – Omar MONSTAR Mana, fresh off his audition for Space Jam 2, looks to build off his 24 and 15 performance. But Mingo and boys might not be the team to mess with at the moment. Not only are they coming off a season opening loss, but they are getting disrespected in the forums. Ahmad Saleh and Nick is a nice matchup. Two guys who are very dependent on their jumpshot but that alone could lead their respected squads to a victory. Kenny should EAT THIS GAME! I want 15 and 15 from Mingo. Anything short would be a letdown. Beirut wins.
Kazan vs. Suba – Week 1 was an absolute anomaly for Suba as they got ran out of the gym losing by 18 points to Kashgar. Allowing 66 points is not the Suba we’re accustomed to watching. I know this isn’t the same squad, as a few players have departed to their own team. I do believe if Aytac shows up, he’s going to show the league what this team is capable of. Will one player make that big of a difference? I guess we’ll have to wait and see.
Baghdad vs. Amman - This isn’t the same Baghdad team, and this isn’t the same Amman team. Baghdad is going to miss Amir’s scoring all season, and Amman won a game without arguably a top 5 player to ever play Muslim Basketball. Leanord Lee showed up and showed out, and if Farhad plays, this could get ugly FAST. Leanord and Farhad could be a very formidable duo, once they develop some chemistry, anything short of a championship would be a losing season. Amman with Farhad will just be too much for an Amir-less Baghdad squad to handle.
Sana’a vs Cairo – As I learn more about Sana’a, this could be a great game. Could Clayton be the go to scorer for Sana’a? Did Abdul finally find a backcourt running mate he enjoys playing with? All these questions will be answered as the season goes on, and this next week could prove a lot. Abdul might be the best scorer in the league, everyone knows that, but it hasn’t led to as many wins as he had hoped for. If his teammates chip in, this could be a scary team. I have to watch more of Clayton, Chris, Colin, and Co. but Sana’a also seems like it can be scary as well. Give me Cairo because of the one player they have, Abdul.
Kabul vs. Delhi – Ameed made a comeback, and man it was a great one. He racked up 25 points on 53% shooting and grabbed 12 rebounds. Him and Abdelhadi could be the scariest combo in the league, and with Khalil and Diya helping out on the defensive end, this once scary Kabul team, just became scarier. Delhi is young, and a lot of players didn’t show up week one, and a lot of guys are suspended. They have no shot against Kabul. With no Ahmad Abdelghani and no Muhannad Deeb, who will Delhi look to. Can Malik be a true number one option?!?!? We know his brother can, but I don’t see Anas on Delhi’s roster. Hopefully adding Kenny and Turan help this squad out.
Dhaka vs. Kashgar – Kashgar just doesn’t have enough talent to hang with a team like Dhaka. Farzad, Ameer, and chemistry has led this squad to greatness through many seasons. They have a big who knows his role and does his job, they have a shooting guard who can get hot at any second, and they have two point guards who know how to distribute the rock. Outside of Josh, can someone else score?
Timbuktu vs. Islamabad – Even though they lost to Kabul week one, Timbuktu looks to be like a solid team. Chris was great and he looked determined to beat Abdelhadi and Ameed, and even though he came up short, it was not on him. He dropped 27 points and seemed unstoppable. I expected more out of Kareem, I’m sure he picks up the slack. On the otherside, Islamabad did not look good week one. Zain and Waqas each shot 33%, Billal shot 20% and Idris shot 2 for 10 from 3. Omar Abbassi is no scrub ladies and gentlemen. He should be involved in the offense more. I think Islamabad will come out with vengeance, and they had a week off to figure it out. Should be a tight one. Islamabad gets back into the win column.
Tehran vs. Fez – I think Tehran has finally found the scorer they have been searching for! Lets not forget this kid led the league in scoring on multiple occasions. If Anas could stay hot and play like he did last week, Tehran has a good chance of winning this game. Amir looks like he found another great offensive squad, but could be lacking on the defensive end, as they gave up 67 points week 1. Ali Omari and Tehran are a defensive minded team, and so Fez has to be able to match that defensive intensity. Defense travels, offense comes and goes. Give me Tehran in a low-to-mid 40’s game.
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