Muslim Basketball

And still undefeated and still #1. Replacing with Wajdi with Farhad has been a seamless transition for this team, and they just keep winning. Omar Hussein with great performance, going 10-17 overall and leading all scorers with 28 points. His counterpart Omar Qasem added 12 and the aforementioned Farhad had 13 of his own. They have taken down some of the league’s best and there is no reason to think they can be stopped now.  

Coach Phil Towfeek Jackson was at again, as the league’s favorite coach may need to get a real coaching gig in the near future. Big Moose was up to his usual shenanigans with 22 and 13. Shafic had 10,8 and 5 and although he wasn’t all that efficient, controlled the pace of the game and did a great job getting his guys involved. Idris and Zubair hit 3 and 2 3’s, respectively, and if they can continue to shoot efficiently and confidently this team will remain among the top contenders.

Another week, another win for this squad as the dynamic duo Singer and Mahrooz both go off for a 20 piece. This team had a great defensive showing as they slowed down Zain to 8 points and neutralized the Suba cast. Looks like Ammar and Kareem served their guy’s cookies before the game because the team combined for 12 steals. This team is starting to get the rest they deserve after weeks of doubt and quite honestly, now that we are at the midway point, why not them?

Losers of two in a row after a quick 3-0 start, Amman has some issues to address. For starters. Shiesty, Jojo and Fursan took 47 of the team’s 66 shots, and teams are beginning to double Capone every chance they get. I would like to see Amir Abbassi more involved as they young buck can certainly shoot the basketball and put some pressure on opposing defenses. Another player that needs to be more involved is Omar Khalaf. The dude is a man amongst boys and needs to assert his dominance, whether that is defensively or on the boards.

After the first half this game was a blow out! Omar Mana continues his MVP dominance with 12 points and 26 rebounds. Just imagine if he could make half his FT’s as 4-11 did not haunt them this game but come playoff time, the hack-a-shaq may come into play. Moe Rayyan led all scorers with 24 points, but it did take 23 shots to do so. I hate to reiterate myself over and over but this team will only go so far if Raza doesn’t return to form. It didn’t matter this game but when the games are tight, Raza needs to be the engine that drives this team. 

Talk about a rebound win. After another brutal loss, team captain Lil O rallied the troops and reminded them that he was the triple champ, and to get on his back. Well, not only did they ball out but so did the aforementioned young Abbassi leader. Lil O and Hassan combined to score 46 points which was actually more than the entire Istanbul squad. If this team gets back to their winning ways, Lil O should receive more MVP consideration. 

Two trades, two wins a row, and suddenly this squad is an offensive force. Mahdi is no longer the defacto #1 and Affan has shown he can shoot the heck out of the basketball in consecutive weeks. Very efficient game out of Ismael G, as he went 7-13 for 19 points. Ryan and Yahya played hard nose defense and quietly, Hasnan is making a late push for GM of the year. 

Tough game and tough loss. 34.5% from the field as a team, top dog Shahzaib with an uncharacteristic 3-14 night, and Ahmad Chaabane struggled to get it going. Nice game from Muhanad Deeb as he continues to make a nice contribution with his new squad, but they need to find a way to have a full squad in attendance in order to remain afloat. Never easy to play without subs, no matter how good your players are. I do expect a 30 burger from Shahzaib next week, you heard it here first.

1)      For starters, they were without star guard Billal Abbassi, but this team has been heading in the wrong direction for the past two weeks. Down big early, it was nice to see them have some fight in them in the second half, but it was just a matter of too little too late. Mo Masri and Amir C did provide the team with scoring but without a supporting cast, hard to go 2 v 5. Second-chance opportunities are what killed this team, as they were outrebounded 50-28. This team has been very inconsistent and not quite sure what to make of them thus far.

They were without superstar guard Ali Hassan, and they fought hard til the very end. Rookie Ali Suiafan with a stellar night, leading the way with 27 points and 13 rebounds on 12-21 from the field. Unfortunately, only one other player for Tehran was in double figures and they had no answer for the depth of Kashgar. I don’t think this team will be down once Ali returns, plus we need more Farzad in the meantime. 

Not the best of showing from this squad, as this was the first time they have had a full team with the new recruits. Aadil was the lone ranger in double-figures, and it wasn’t his best showing of the season. With the return of Splash, he is going to need to figure out how to get Jawad and Sohaib involved while asserting himself at the same time. We have seen flashes of stellar play in the past, but he is known to be awfully inconsistent. Not to mention 3-17 from deep is tough to overcome.

Dead last in almost every major statistical category and after a multitude of transactions, this team is still the bottom dweller of the league. Aside from Amir, no one from Suba played well and they need to get more out of Mohammed and Malik Zubi. Captain Zain brought in more shooting, yet the struggles continue for this squad, and they need to figure things out quick.