Muslim Basketball

A scrappy win from this Tiberias squad. When they were down late, I thought Akka had em. But they didn’t, making Tiberias the first undefeated team in CNJ history. Mahrooz had 22 points and 9 rebounds while Omar had 19 points going 5-7 from 3. You can tell this team is missing Salman and Ameer, who I’m hearing should be back for playoffs. 

They played a 5v4. I don’t have much to say, but Sean had 30 points on 9-12 shooting from 3. He’s heating up just in time for playoffs, and they look like they can win with how their roster is built. 

A dominant performance, even when missing Parker, is a welcome one. This team entirely shut down Iyaad, which no one else managed to do this season. Gagan had 35 points, capping off a historical regular season, where he averaged 32ppg. Popal looks like he found his groove again, which is what this team needed. Jamil looks good, having 13 points, but I’m guessing he won’t be eligible for playoffs, since he only has 2 games played. This is truly a team to watch in the post season.  

A strong win to get them back on track, with Moumtaz leading the way with 11 points and Salihoun having 12 rebounds. I think this win shows me the strengths of this squad. That being that they can outpace anyone on the court. Their press is unmatched and they turn lazy passes into easy points. This is the first time they aren’t a #1 seed, so I’m sure they’ll be giving their bracket problems.

The Abbassi’s stay doing their thing with the power of friendship—Lil man Omar had a crisp 18 while Fursan added 15 and big-man-adjacent Ali Sufian had 14. Himey had 3 blocks, so I gotta give him love for that. Going into the playoffs, the Abbassi’s look to be the same team. Running fast, flying high, and scoring buckets. 

They were the real losers for driving down an hour just to find out their opponents forfeited. 

An abysmal performance by a squad others dubbed the preseason champs. Iyaad had his lowest scoring game of the season at 19 points, still at a really good day. Joe Capone needs to start shooting more. He’s a great player but for some reason, he hesitates when he gets the ball. This team just couldn’t fight their way out of the zone coverage Qibya planned for them, and they failed to adjust when they needed to. 

They had Yazur on the ropes, but with Daishon getting hurt, they couldn’t finish it off. Mo Amin finished with his 4th double-double of the season (15pts, 11reb), while Amre had 12, being 4-7 from 3. Watching this game, the Sakar’s need to learn who should be handling the ball. I think a mix of Daishon being hurt, and the ball being in the wrong hands lost them the game. They’re a good team and I like them, but they make too many mistakes. 

They gave Tiberias a run for their money, and I can imagine with Bruno, this team would look deadlier than they are. Ibraheem had 16 points while Usman, who’s my candidate for MIP, had 10 points. This team was so close, but just couldn’t put it away. They look to give whoever they face trouble in the first round. 

For their first ever MB season, you have to give it to them. Being 3-4 in tough competition is a good foundational record for the future, especially when you have players like Sheff finishing with 18 points. He’s had a good season and I can see him being the x-factor if they’ll win their first playoff game or not. 

I’m going to be honest, 2-5 is impressive from a squad I thought would go 0-7. Omar Khan is the stud of this team, having 27 points while Ryan had a nice 10. I can see them being a problem for who they verse in round one. 

At least the scrim was fun

Hack is a great player—he had 31 points and a lot of them were tough. But it’s obvious at this point that he doesn’t trust his teammates. Taking 29 shots, out of 56 taken the whole game, tells everyone that much. 

A good game from Mahmoud, having 18 points. Its a good day when you win one… and lose one?

This team is the definition of frustrating. They give one of the best teams in the league a scare last week, then can’t compete against a weak Tulkarem squad. The sheer inconsistencies is what loses them games. 

Another 4v5. Shocking.