Muslim Basketball

We have a new top dog! Amman does not have the easiest schedule so I don’t see them going undefeated, but nobody wants to play this team right now. Between Farhad, Lee, and Ryan, they are a very tough team to defend. It looks like Farhad hasn’t lost a step.

85 points. Sheesh. Mo with 31-8-4-3-2, Ameed with 23-6-6-1. They might be the best 1-2 punch in the league. They did give up 48 points in the second half though. I am sure it was a fast paced game, but they can’t let that happen again.

 The matchup against Tripoli would normally be one we look forward to, but Tripoli did not have Muj, and more importantly, they played with 4 guys for 30 of the 40 mins. That isn’t Mombasa’s fault, and they took advantage of the situation. Pete was Pete. Raza was Raza. Sadat didn’t just pass this game, he got in on the scoring as well.

Islamabad just has Kazan’s number. I heard they were up 17 points with 10 minutes left in the game, and ended up losing by 3. A 20 point swing in 10 minutes is insane. Kazan is still great, but with an upcoming game against Mombasa, have we seen the end of them being a top 5 team?

Dhaka has yet to face any real competition, so it is hard to move them from their spot. That will change next week. It looks like all of their main guys had a great game. When they are all clicking like that, there is nobody that can beat them.

Sarajevo is quietly becoming a top team in MB. Their upcoming schedule is pretty easy. I don’t see them losing more than 2 games in the regular season. The scoring can come from anywhere with this team. I don’t think Aymen will be returning to Suba anytime soon.

Will they ever have more than 5 players?! If they had a full team they maybe could’ve made the big game against Amman more competitive. Moose and team did all they could. If Tripoli has their full squad, they aren’t the next team you want to play after a loss.

When Anas, Jon, and JVS are all present, Granada will be great. They have yet to have that. Anas is one of the best finishers at the rim, and he proved it this game. As stated previously, he needs to be considered in the MVP race.

Huge win for a team that shouldn’t be 1-2. This team can go against anybody in the league, and they beat Kazan with Zain being shut down. Omar shot great, and Fursan hit big shots at big moments. Don’t let the record fool you, this team can ball.

Would’ve liked to see them beat a low ranked Kashgar team by a little more than 8, but a win is a win. Did I mention they have a 6’8” guy? He doesn’t list it and he puts that he is a PF, but believe me, we see you.

They battled against a very good Kabul team. Great offensive showing, with Anas and Mo dropping 31 and 26 respectively. In this league, if you let up 86 points, there is a 90% chance you aren’t going to win the game. Kudos to Tehran either way for keeping up, especially with only 5 players.

It sucks I can’t move Jakarta up more, especially after beating a good Sana’a team. Ed and Joe lit it up from all over. Next week they play a lowly Riyadh team, so I don’t see them moving too much after that game either. Don’t sleep on this team. The addition of Kenny is very significant, although the box score may not necessarily show it.

Came up short against an underrated Jakarta squad. Clayton and Colin combined for 47. I said I would be sold if they beat Jakarta. They didn’t. Still waiting for that convincing win against a top team.

When players don’t show up, you shoot yourself in the foot. They played 30 mins of this game with 4 players, and none of the 4 were Muj. Jean is having a great start to the season, but he cannot do it by himself. Muj needs to be there for his team.

Close win for the Yanes. They were missing their lead scorer and still managed to take care of business against a competitive Lahore team. The great shooting from the charity stripe is what determined this one. Timbuktu shot 10-12 from the line. That is huge.

You are never going to win a game with 14 turnovers. They had 4 guys in double digits, but they just have to do a better job taking care of the ball. Will Dais had a great game with 16 and 9 shooting 7-11 from the field. Nick with the usual 3 ball, this time shooting it much more efficiently. He attempted two non-3-point shots, making both. If he becomes more two-dimensional, it will only make his 3 ball even better. Look for Mingo and fam to bounce back against Lagos next week.

Aytac was able to do it by himself against Delhi, but how far is one man going to take you? I guess we will find out.

Way to have a game Mr. Hassan. What was Tehran doing last season? Ali Hassan has went from averaging 9 points, 3.2 boards, 1.8 assists, and 1 steal per game with Tehran to averaging 21.3 points, 4.7 boards, 2.3 assists, and 1.33 steals per game with Mecca. That is a huge turnaround.

Big drop. I think AMP is missing Yaqob and Bilal more than Aytac is missing Aymen. You can never rule a team with one of the most prolific scorers MB has ever seen out, but the way they are trending it is not looking good.

This is the Moayad we saw on Lahore last season. Finishing at the rack. They still have a lot to prove if they want to move up in the rankings. Beating Lagos isn’t going to do it. A hot Islamabad is coming to town next week. Win that game and they will finally see the increase they want so badly.

Barely beating Riyadh isn’t what Baghdad should be happy about, but maybe this win can help them get the motivation to start a streak. Oh, and Tim Brown had a monster game. Couldn’t end this without mentioning that.

They have to string together some tough wins before they start plummeting down the rankings.

Nobody with double digit shot attempts. The unselfish play is great, but sometimes you need your go-to scorers to be selfish to win.

This is the Kyseem we all know. Someone who is going to light it up from all over the floor and still lose because he has nobody else helping him. Get. This. Man. Some. Help.

Tough start for Amir and team. 3 quick Ls. Next week is the game I am sure he had circled on his calendar though. Baghdad.

They held their own against a dominant Dhaka squad. With their schedule, they might be my favorite to go winless this season. A 2 win season should be celebrated.

Nobody could stop Tac. We are still waiting to see what Delhi has cooking. I do think they have the talent to steal a win or two.

I said that Palermo was my favorite to go winless this season. I take it back.