AA everyone, great to be back, and it's quite the honor to be the one to officially kick off this new season. Before we get started, I understand there are going to be a lot of new faces around the league, so 1) these predictions are not meant to be offensive at all, and 2) feel free to reply with your own predictions and/or your thoughts on mine. A little more to that point, I won't be too familiar with all the players, so forgive any negligence to certain key players early on in the season, but just know my predictions are always right :) Now, without further ado, let's get into it.


7:30 PM Slate
Granada (Black) @ Medina (White):
Key players for Granada are obviously first and foremost Ammar Mustafa, and Kareem Elzarka. Next, Granada has Malik Zubi, Moiz Latif, and one of our unofficial former MVPs in Joseph Capone. Medina doesn't really have key players, they seem like a fairly well-rounded team, but one thing's for sure, they're big. They're probably going to dominate any team they go against on the boards, but their size means they lack speed. Granada definitely has speed, and though I know Moiz is a good big, he's definitely going to need help down low. I'm not too familiar with Granada's other bigs, but I think the team's overall speed advantage is enough for me to trust the Granada bigs will do enough.
Granada by 3.

Mecca (Black) @ Riyadh (White):
To be quite honest, there's a lot I don't know about either of these teams, so it'll be tough to predict. Here's what we do know though, Mecca has Yaqob and Ameer, which translates to offensive and defensive power, and yes, in that very specific order. Riyadh is our beloved NHIEC squad, with a few additions. Next, Mecca is going to have a hard time learning to play together. Riyadh has played together for ages. Sorry for the lack of reason, but I think chemistry's going to have to be enough right now.
Riyadh by 6.

Tripoli (Black) @ Kabul (White):
Both these teams seem to be juggernauts. Tripoli has an all-star starting five, and Kabul seems like some form of a dream team from the 80s or whenever it was, you guys get the point. I do admit there are a couple of unknowns on Kabul, but based on profiles and stats, this may be the team to beat this season. Unfortunately for them though, that's not how I operate here; I'll believe it when I see it. What I have seen though, is Tripoli play ball. They're super complete offensively, and not that I doubt their defensive capabilities, I just feel like that if they were to lose in the championship, it would come down to their defense, so let's see what they got on that end in what could be a potential finals matchup. Definitely a close, great game, but I'll go with what I'm familiar with, annnddd what I believe in lol.
Tripoli by 2.

8:30 PM Slate
Mombasa (Black) @ Alexandria (White):
Cool Mombasa's bringing Pete Brown back to the fold, and Alexandria partners back up with our boy Jay Wiggins. Another great matchup, and an interesting one to say the least. Mombasa's going to want to slow the ball down, Alexandria is anything but that. This is that type of matchup where the team that dictates the pace of play wins the game. Mombasa does have a couple of x-factors that can come up big regardless of pace, and Alexandria has the heart to be in every game regardless of pace, but something will have to give. At the end of the day, Mombasa has some more experienced guys, got to put my trust in them to pull it off.
Mombasa by 4.

Damascus (Black) @ Delhi (White):
This one takes me back to the ICPC parking lot, schedule maker knew what he/she was doing here in week one. I get this feeling that Damascus may find it tough to consistently score, and we all know Qasem's going to be player-coach for Damascus, so I'm interested in seeing how he'll implement rookie Omar Sehwail, and newly claimed Omar Hussein to that effort. On the other side of the ball, it finally seems that Delhi decided to switch things up. They should have no issues scoring the ball, and the talent is especially there this time around, combining their old squad with some new additions. I really think this Damascus team could be really good if they play together correctly, but here in week one, it might be a bit tough for them to keep up with Delhi. Btw, all eyes are on Luis Rodriguez, good to have you back brother, and great to have you as part of the community.
Delhi by 10.

Cairo (Black) @ Jeddah (White):
Two essentially new teams, but with some familiar faces. I definitely think Cairo is going to struggle to start the season. A few of their players haven't really played in a league like this before, and though they have a lot of potential, experience of any amount can always be a weapon, and that's a weapon they'll be lacking. I don't doubt their talent, and I've told some people Adil can be a crazy force in this league, but they'll have to play with each other for some time before they really start to get the hang of MB. Jeddah seems to be the other half of what was Delhi, and it seems Jehad's made a name for himself. Plus the addition of a big like Mo Amin, it looks like this team could be really competitive this season. I see that captain Sohaib and co. take care of a mostly young and inexperienced Cairo in week one.
Jeddah by 14.

9:30 PM Slate
Jerusalem (Black) @ Palermo (White):
Our defending champs, vs some sucky team called Palermo. There's been a lot of hype around this Palermo team, and I could definitely see the potential. Newly acquired JoJo, plus Shafic, plus Amir, plus Jason, the sky really is the limit (yes I left you out Towfeek cuz you ain't worthy). Well, they get a great litmus test in week one going against our defending champs. Palermo's going to look to push the pace, and they'll look to find their shooters often and early. Jerusalem is essentially an all-defensive team, they will try to cut all Palermo efforts out early, and I truly trust that they are capable. Both teams will look to play team ball, so it's a matter of who outshines who. My answer to that is, I don't think there'll be anyone to contain Mana, and if we can get a glimpse of former MVP Billal, Jerusalem continues its hot streak.
Jerusalem by 1.

Lahore (Black) @ Islamabad (White):
Islamabad added who? Zain + Hassan + Kareem + Idris, Bomb Squad! Islamabad is extremely complete: great defense, great shooting, they can run, and they've got size. Lahore on the other side has Shahzaib lol. I've heard a lot from Shahzaib about his team, and he really trusts the Yousuf brothers, so should I give them the benefit of the doubt and say they keep it close? Absolutely not LOL. All jokes aside I don't think they're going to have fun against what I can only assume will be one of the best teams in the league, they just don't pose enough of a threat against Islamabad right now. They won't contain Zain, they won't contain Hassan, and Hassan will have free reign to make Shahzaib's job as difficult as it could be. I look forward to seeing Lahore's success in other weeks, but just not in this one.
Islamabad by 16.