Muslim Basketball

Talk about a three game stretch, Mombasa, Islamabad, Dhaka and escaping without a  scratch…This team looks poised to make a significant run. Dominant performances against Mombasa (albeit without Raza) and Dhaka, while escaping again Islamabad. Their defense has been absolutely tremendous all season long, holding teams to just 36 points per game and not succumbing more than 46 in any game this season. (Stat guys, check for me if anyone other team hasn’t given up 50+ yet). Offense isn’t the best and their average is a touch skewed by putting up 69+ against 3 bad teams this year, but nevertheless, they have the firepower to pull away in games. The win against Dhaka was extremely impressive because they were able to find a small run to go up by 7 or 8, and with their defense, thats plenty to get the job done. They have one more test before securing the

A very well rounded team that can put up points easily and quickly. They’ve score 60+ in every game except their one loss to, ya you guessed it, Suba. Idris has been unbelievable for them and Zain has been tremendous as well. They can score in so many different ways, this team will be a very tough out against anyone. 

I’ll take a healthy Patrick against the field any day of the week. This guy is the MVP, enough said. He’s racked up 40 assists that have accounted for at least 80 Kazan points, add that to the 229 points he’s scored in 7 games played, and he’s responsible for 44 points per game. Pause. And we talking bout other guys for MVP…

Didn’t like the loss to Mombasa week 5, but they’ve put together a very solid overall season. Abdelhadi definitely deserves the MVP chatter, but in a game where it was up to him to shut down and outplay Pete, it didn’t really happen. I think if he was able to get it done against Mombasa, I would respect his case for MVP much more. 

When the full squad is together and Pete is in it, they’re darn near impossible to beat. Don’t be surprised if this team makes a significant run. Also, don’t be surprised by a major let down. They were in a dog fight with a very shorthanded Granada team (Mombasa was also without Pete), but I wouldn’t be surprised if Granda took that game with both teams at full strength. Obviously we’re talking hypotheticals - what we do know if that this group has the championship experience, has a tremendous big man, and has a significant X factor in Mo Masri who can end lives with his ability to knock down deep jumpers.

Looked incredible to start the season before getting humbled by Jakarta and again by a far more respectable team in Kabul. Overall, body of work makes me fairly confident in the upside of this group. Unbelievable fire power and essentially can wins games behind five guys. Haven’t had the opportunity to see many of their games of late, but I like their offensive balance and how it keeps defenses extremely off balance. I hope they have a full team and show what their made of in their last tune up against Dhaka before games really matter.

I don’t think we can expect the same dominant Dhaka team that we saw a couple seasons ago - the rest of the league has gotten too good for Dhaka to be able to dominant week in and week out. What we should be able to expect though, is finding ways to score, which didn’t mature against Suba. Credit to Suba for a terrific defensive effort, but how about getting Salman the ball down low. Only two attempts from the field (had a couple more that resulted in trips to the line) is unacceptable for one of the best finishing big men in the league. Farzad looked determined to be the one to get them a basket, attempt after attempt it didn’t happen. He needs to understand that somedays it won’t fall - find one of the other professional scorers on your team. Two shots for Ameer is a travesty, he is next to impossible to defend. Also, Ali needs to relax and under

Solid squad, unfortunately they’re a bit inconsistent. Great win against Kazan showed what they could do.

hey’ve caught two losses on two middle of the pack teams’ best days. They got a full strength Cairo team without Mingo and a solid Baghdad team on a day Nick couldn’t get it to go. They’re as good their third best scorer is - Mingo and Nick will get theirs, but this team is truly scary when Hart gets his. When the three of them can get 50+ they are a very tough out.

Extremely impressed with this team. They’re probably the only team to have not lost a game badly. 11 point loss to Kazan is very respectable, and 2 point loss to Kabul also nothing to be ashamed of. They haven’t necessarily beaten bad teams badly, but they did pounce on Istanbul last week. Amir has really been terrific all season long and is very responsible for how well his team has been playing. 

They looked like a power early on, but have since somewhat faded. I still really think that when they have their full team, they can beat almost anyone. Luke is a nightmare down low, when Kenny gets the 3 ball working, forget about it. Add Jaber’s ability to find the right guy and make plays when necessary, you have a very under the radar contender. 

The defending champs look better than they did last year. They might not be able to beat everyone, but if they get a couple favorable matchups, don’t be surprised if Anwar goes on another terrific run. 

Anything is possible with Muj. Not sure if Muj or Khaled will be playoff eligible, but if they are, this is a group that can give top teams some problems.

Took a while to get it going, but they look somewhat formidable. They’ll need 40+ from Frank and Steve to have any chance though. Ed’s gotta stop shooting and get the ball in the hands of players who can actually score ;)

They haven’t had a good season, but I think Anas and OQ are too good to not find a way to get it going. They have a big game following what Anas called the worst game of his career. Look for him to will his team to a victory and hopefully get something clicking before the playoffs start. I wouldn’t be surprised if this group goes on a similar run to Granada last season once they find their groove.

Had very high expectations for this team, but it never materialized. I still haven’t given up on them though. I think they have a handful of very solid young talent that can steal some games. If Mana decides to dominate a game or two, they’ll pull off a couple upsets.

Forget the regular season, if Abdul and Dan show up to playoff games, there will be some very unhappy high seeds. They’re ceiling is sky high, but they haven’t gotten near it too often this year. If they play some consistently good basketball, they have the size and firepower to give a lot of teams trouble.

I wouldn’t be terribly surprised if any of the top 17 teams make a run. This is where I would start getting surprised. Their is a pretty significant talent gap between at this point. Fez has put in some great efforts, but just don’t have enough to win many games.

Very respectable in their effort, but close to no scoring threats hindered their ability to win games this season.

Honestly, I thought they’d be better than they were this season. Splash definitely took a step back in his sophomore season, and even though he’s averaging a double double, Muhanad didn’t impact games the way he really can. Maybe they have it in them to steal a playoff win. I also wouldn’t be surprised if they come in with little energy and get sent home easily.

Colin had a pretty alright season, but besides Mo Mustafa, there wasn’t much else that posed a threat.

We’ve said it all season, it’s tough to believe that this group was very good a couple seasons ago.

Responsible for giving up some handsome point totals.

Eliminated from playoff contention so they were sent to the bottom of the rankings. Not sure what happened, would’ve like to see Kareem and Co in some meaningful basketball. He plays with a chip on his shoulder and is always a fun watch.