Muslim Basketball

If it wasn’t for a bad loss to Tehran ages ago, Sana’a would be at the top of this list. Looking at the full body of work, Sana’a has beaten some top teams, proving why they are a contender for this year’s championship. They had a very tough second half of the season, having to play Granada, Lahore, Dhaka, Mombasa, and Alexandria, and if it wasn’t for a 1 point loss against Raza and Co., they would’ve been perfect in that stretch. They get Fez in the first round, a team Raied “hoped” he wouldn’t have to face in the playoffs (see Power Rankings Forum).

Besides a solid game from Mo and a nice contribution from Salman, there really wasn’t anyone else that made a strong impact. For some reason, it seems like Raied disappears at times. He needs to be more aggressive since he is the primary ball handler and penetrator on this squad. If he plays behind the three point line, it makes it much more difficult for his teammates to get easy buckets, most of which come off of offensive rebounds and dishes when the defense is forced to help. They have a chance to make a loud statement against the top squad next week.

Had their most potent offensive game of the season against a powerhouse – they’ve earned the respect of this league. Another double-double for Mo Amin, another solid outing for Raied, and Abdul-Rahman continues to be the third guy who does just enough to make it easier for Mo and Raied. They forced Dhaka to turn the ball over 23 times, a whopping number for any team, let alone the defending champs. Sana’a faces another tough challenge, as they take on a Mombasa team looking to bounce back after an emotional loss.

They have been a very inconsistent team all season long, they are even more inconsistent within individual games. At times, they look like they cannot even buy a basket, then at times all you see is Raied spinning and finishing layups or Mo getting an easy basket down low. Sometimes they are offensively challenged, while at other times they are an offensive force. They played a forgettable first half, but picked up their play significantly to take a game from a very good team. They may have been a little fortunate in a situation where it appeared Anwar lost his contact lens, but a win is a win. They earned it, now let’s see if they can play like they did in the second half, for 40 minutes against Dhaka.

A tale of two halves. They started off the game slow, flustered, and startled by Granada’s aggressiveness. They were able to settle down during half time and force a couple turnovers to eliminate the halftime deficit. Their shooting stats were not impressive, but if we could see just the second half stats, they would be eye opening. After a quiet half for Raied and Mo, they both became far more aggressive in the second half. Another double double for Mo, but his impact was felt more on the defensive side where he was able to contain Shadi. Their defense will be tested again when they face Lahore, a team that can end a game in the blink of an eye. Sana’a will need to play a full forty minutes if they look to improve to over .500 for the first time since week 1.

They looked exhausted as the game wore on, Raied’s hot start was extinguished, and Mo Amin just did not do enough for his team. If it wasn’t for Raied and Mo’s 22 points, this could’ve been significantly uglier. Their defense looks terrific, but they gave up 38 to a team that ranks in the bottom quarter of the league in offensive production, a team that averages 34 (it was even lower than that before the 38 Jakarta scored this week). On paper, they appear to be a solid team, but it just has not materialized. They beat two bad teams and have a loss to another bad team. They have not been impressive, but they’ll have a chance at redemption when they take on an above average Granada team.

Week after week Mo Amin has a solid game, but it doesn’t really do much for his team. Against Suba, he was the MVP I believe he can be. 20 points on 16 shots and hauled in 17 boards. Raied Saleh made his Sana’a debut, adding a double double to Mo’s. AR also added double digit rebounds, helping his team outrebound Suba by 16. They did not get a 3 pointer to fall, but this team is built to play around the rim with their bigger guards and wings. Raied adds size (look at his gosh darn arms…do you even lift broski?) and aggressiveness to what was a passive offensive attack. They look like they have the weapons, but will it be enough to compete against the better half of this league? They’ll get a chance to display that offensive attack against a gritty Jakarta defense.

Not sure why they struggled. Mo Amin is putting up double doubles, but they just aren’t as dominant and they are on paper. He was a tremendous role/complimentary player in D1, so I would assume he could take over games on this level of play. He could be in the 25-28 point range because the offense should flow through him. Mo would have had 20 had he knocked in all his shots from the charity stipe, but regardless, that still is not his ceiling –  that should be his floor. The team just doesn’t look as good in person as it does on paper. Beyond terrible shooting percentage – shooting less than 10% from 3-point land does not add confidence. Thought that big men would be their weakness, but they got handled by a team with no legitimate big. There was maybe a 10 minute span when Sana’a didn’t give up a single point, yet could not take the game. Maybe they just need some more time, I really do not know. They’ll get a chance to work out the ki

Just could not keep a young big man off the boards and struggled to buy a 3. Tough to win a game when losing the rebounding battle by 12 missing all 8 attempts from deep. Bright spot is another good performance from Mo Amin, who flirted with another double-double. The team as a whole did not shoot too well, only 16-50 (32%) from the field. Their roster is not built to play under the basket, but they will need to make some adjustments if they want to be competitive at the end of the year. All of the top 4 teams have bigs who can dominate a basketball game – that seems to be the one weakness that could plague Sana’a.

They beat a team they’re supposed to beat, but did so emphatically. Newcomer Mohammad Amin poured in 17 and had an impressive double-double. Abdul-Rahman joined the double-double party with 10 and 14 of his own and Raied added a less-than-efficient 12 points. We only saw a glimpse of this team’s full potential on display today, yet they disposed of Fez in less than a half of play. Led by Mo Amin, Sana’a will be a handful for any team to play.

 Picking up one of the best players in D1 should pay dividends for a Sana’a team that hasn’t had much to be excited about. Mo Amin will have the opportunity to put a team of his back and take them as far as he goes. The addition of Raied Saleh will also add a much needed offensive threat. Beyond Mohamed and Raied, Sana’a has a bunch of complementary players who will need to capitalize off of the opportunities created by their teammates to compete with the big boys.