Muslim Basketball

Sheikh Jarrah took their second win in week 3 as they rolled over Nazareth in the last couple of minutes. The score doesn't exactly reflect performance on this one but, here's the fact. Without the talent of David Barber, Sheikh Jarrah has looked great through 3 weeks. A week 1 loss to Lod has been their only downfall, and honestly, half of their guys were jet-lagged from Umrah so, I'm giving them a pass. Monim Khan continues his career year with a 19-point performance and Abdul W. brought down a whopping 15 rebounds. I think this team is a bit underrated right now, but for me, they sit atop this week's Power Rankings.

Literally like watching the week 2 game all over again. Lod jumped out early and looked confident as per usual against Ramallah, scoring 30 in the first half, a little Deja Vu hit though when they only scored 21 in the second. Theres obviously a pace issue with this team, they start better than anyone else, but, they end up in these tight situations where they go down at the last minute. They'll have to learn to keep a lead, especially with all this talent on the roster, they shouldn't be losing games like this. Everyone was kinda of meh this game, no one stood out. They've got a ways to go as far as game-planning. I think they're better than this, but, they've got a matchup against Nazareth in week 4 with 2 key players out. Could see a big slide from them if they lose there. 

Ramallah continues to prove people wrong as they climb to 3 this week with a big win over Lod. Let me remind you that power rankings are a projection of future success, not standings. But I can honestly see them hovering around this 3-2 spot all season if they keep this up. They are what we thought they'd be, scrappy, smart, and grittier than sandpaper. They gutted this one out, a huge performance from POTW Drew M. who dropped 21 points and brought down 12 rebounds, his first huge performance of the season. One thing is for sure, having the minds of Farhad and AR on the team is doing wonders for this roster. Their strategy was strong, they closed out on shooters, they kept it close when they needed to, and they exploded at the end. Props to this team for an exciting performance in week 3. 

Watching Nazareth is like watching Lightning McQueen in Cars 3. They're there the whole game, and then all a sudden, they're down 15 with 3 minutes to go. Admittedly they only had 6 this week but the pace in the second half is still unacceptable. They got a good performance out of team captain Anwar A. who had 17 points and 11 rebounds. Rotations or stamina I really don't know but, something has to change because it's night and day between the first 10 minutes and the last 10.

I know everyone will continue giving me flack for this one but I don't really care. Tell me what Deir Yassin has proven? And it's not even their fault, this week they got a forfeit win. Last week they beat Ramallah without Drew and AR, and in week 1, they weren't able to really show much in a loss to Lod, although I recognize their guys were not at 100%. I don't think this team is bad, in fact, I think they're good, but I need to see something first. In week 4 they face the #1 team in Sheikh Jarrah, so, let's see it boys, come out and get a W so I can finally give you guys some real props. Besides that, congrats on 2-1 through 3 weeks. 

ring ring ring ring ring ring ring ring banana phoooooooone. where ya at youth team? Slept right through week 3 matchup literally. Besides the weak performances through 2 weeks, this one was just embarrassing. Missing Ayan Khan in week 4 will make that game even harder. Gotta admit, I was NOT expecting a 0-3 start for the youth team.