Muslim Basketball

This one almost got out of hand for Lod. A strong first half where they scored 41, ignited by rookie Ethan L.'s 19 points, came to a screeching halt in the second half. They were outscored by 11 points in the second half, and they just looked confused and panicked for about a 15-minute stretch. They let go of a nearly 20-point lead at one point letting Sheikh Jarrah take the lead. However, late in the game they came together and put 2 strong possessions in to take back the lead and secure the victory. I think this team has been the strongest team out the gate and the stats back that up. 1st in PPG, 1st in RPG and 2nd in FG% through 2 weeks. Key contributions from Ethan L. and Uthmaan M..

Shiekh Jarrah took their first loss in week 1 to #1 seeded Lod. It's hard to drop them any lower after their performance though. Clearly the issue through 2 weeks has been Abdul-Wahdud's commitment. When he's there, this team is firing on all cylinders and don't forget, they're still missing key big man David B.. They got down early in this one, but in the second half, with help from Abdul, they actually took the lead for a little. Unfortunately, they ended up losing by 3, but, they showed some great resilience and mental fortitude in the comeback. I still think this is a great team with a ton of potential, their performance this week keeps them at 2. Key contributions from Abdul-Wahdud and Andy C..

Waqas carried, what else can I really say here? 20 points, 4 rebounds, 4 steals, and 4 assists on 76% from the field!!! He'll of course get the POTW nod after that performance. Nazareth was locked in today, missing key pieces in Ahmed N and Amr G, they found a way to take over the game fairly early and kept the wheels turning throughout. Still waiting for a big explosion from team captain Anwar, who went for another 13 in this week's victory. I have a feeling these guys are on the cusp of a winning streak. Key contributions from the Ahmad brothers as per usual, but Matt, Yusuf, Sumair, and Junaid really made a difference combining for 31 points. 

Alright here's where it might get a bit controversial. Ramallah ain't moving this week, I just can't justify it. No Abdul-Rahman, no Drew M., and no Omayr. I just can't say that after this weeks performance these guys suck. They took a rough loss this week to Dier Yassin but, I just saw a team that was missing their star players really. Bring Drew and AR into the mix and I think they had a great shot at winning. Big test coming this week with their matchup with Lod, who knows what a win there could do for them on the power rankings? Key contributions from Ismail K. and Saad K. who exploded for 18 this week, after a great POTW performance last week. 

0-2 but there seems to be a light the end of the tunnel for this team. First of all, Hakeem Malik has got to be in the MVP conversation. If this team stopped selling games he'd be #1. He's averaging 20 PPG on 66% from the field and 36% from 3. Tiberias just came out super flat and lethargic this week, but, they showed a bright spot towards the end of this one where they went on a huge run, bringing it back to a 5-point game. Too little too late though as Nazareth was able to secure the victory. It's all about attitude with this team, if they have the right attitude out of the gate, they're more like a 3rd seed than the 6th seed they are now. Only winless team. Key contributions from Hakeem M and Ayan K..

Controversy continues with Dier Yassin at 6 but hear me out here. Faced a Drewlees and ARless Ramallah and I guess they just didn't do anything crazy. They won, that's good, but I'm still wondering how this team will do against the stronger rosters in the league. Next week against Tiberias will be a huge test. If they can pull off the win, I'm willing to shoot them up the rankings a few spots. So let this be a motivator to you Deir Yassin, go get another win. Key contributions from Saad Q and Yasin.