Muslim Basketball

I was very high on Alexandria just last week, but the fatal flaw I pointed out was exposed by Sana’a. Alexandria has no bigs, so when a team with solid bigs play big, they will not be able to defend them. They gave up 44 points to two very solid players who outscored Alexandria by 9 alone. Alexandria has one of the most balanced teams in the league – this works to their advantage when they are able to move the ball around, find open shots, and get transition baskets. Their balance hurts them, though, when they are faced with adversity and need a response. They do not have ‘the guy’ who can takeover a game and just assert his will. Maybe they won’t need it, but they will need to find a way to score when they play other teams who can out physical them. They should get out of the first round, but they’ll be waiting for a rematch with Sana’a.

Did just enough to finish off a pesky Amman team. I was impressed with their ability to play against Omar Mana, they don’t really have a true big, but they were able to put together a team effort to contain him on the offensive glass. The Masri brothers only combined for 15 points, a figure they often score individually. Jeff carried the offensive load for them, adding 12 points on efficient shooting. They have so many weapons on offense, but it will take efforts such as this one to be able to win games against dominant big men. Big matchup against Sana’a to end the regular season, a win should clinch Alexandria the top seed in the tourney.

Some shakeup in this week’s Power Rankings – buckle your seatbelts. We have a new face atop this league. Alexandria’s offense is clicking, they do just enough to defend, and somehow overcome the rebounding battle they seem to lose each week. Make no mistake though, this team can beat anyone in this league. In a showdown that had significantly less offense than I anticipated, Alexandria was able to beat Mombasa in a game that required half court execution. That type of play does not fit the mold of either of those teams, but it should have played into Mombasa’s favor – it did not, and that is because every guy that stepped on the court for Alexandria was relentless in their effort and desire to win. They wanted this, they did not get discouraged when the 3-ball wasn’t falling, instead, they made up for it with defense. Their Achilles heel will be rebounding – but at this point in the season, they have been able to overcome it. Jeff had a soli

They have been the biggest surprise this season thus far. Their ability to shoot the ball and score is unreal. Of the guys that have played in at least five games, they have five guys who are averaging at least 9 points – they are an extremely well rounded offensive attack. If you have four guys scoring 18, 12, 18, and 19, you will lose very few games. They shoot over 43% from the field and roughly 33% from deep, both are league highs. From what I saw in their last game, they have a tendency to try and create shots on their own, not through ball movement. They have two very visible flaws: they do not move the ball around, nor do they rebound well. Both of which have yet to be exploited by their opponents, simply because Alexandria just outshoots them. They may be a weak defensive team, but they force turnovers and make you pay in transition. They also end the season with three very good teams, so they’ll have a chance to cement themselves as potentially the top team goin

Tough to get on a team for losing to Dhaka. They put up a very solid fight after going down in the first half. The Masri brother’s need to bring some more consistency for Alexandria to be considered a contender, but getting solid contributions from role players is also a major key for success in this league. Timely 19 point game for Hasan, who gave Alexandria a shot. Unfortunately, some major rainstorms along the Mediterranean cooled off their hot shooting. They really need to find a way to improve their rebounding – they average the second least rebounds and have been outrebounded in all 6 games they’ve played. This can and will be their Achilles heel if they do not tighten up on the glass.

Impressive win for this bunch – they’ve found ways to win by just outshooting their opponents, they’ve found ways to win by playing defense. Three ball wasn’t falling and they got outrebounded significantly, but they found a way to score enough points to complement some solid defense. In a matchup of 1 loss teams, Alexandria takes on Dhaka in a game that could have playoff ranking implications. Head over to court B at 9:00 to watch what should be a shootout. Both teams can put up points – they both average over 50 points and rank in the top 3 in points per game.

They beat a bad team who was missing arguably their best player…BUT they beat them by 38 points. The whole squad was cooking (peep the hyperlinked gif). I’m not going to mention names because that will be disrespectful for the overall game this team just had. They attempted 22 from deep, knocking down half of them, they shot over 50% overall from the field, AND they had 23 steals. I know Fez isn’t a great team but this was eye opening. We knew when the Masri brothers get hot, they get hot, but there is a wildfire in Egypt’s most beautiful city. Istanbul may need to toss them into the Mediterranean Sea next Sunday to cool ‘em off a bit.

Could potentially be undefeated if it wasn’t for a double OT loss against Mecca in week 2. They’ve solidified themselves as a team that needs to be taken seriously. No, they aren’t a championship contender right now, the Masri brothers are somewhat erratic, but they find ways to compete, whether it’s by playing defense or making big time shots. Held Lahore to 38% shooting and 42 points – impressive.

Very tough game against a team who can play outside and inside with the best of them. Mahdi Masri had a terrific game and got some help from his teammates, but Alexandria struggled to find a basket in the second OT. They also struggled to move the ball a bit, assisting on none of their field goals. Hitting a couple more 3s or free throws may have led to a different outcome, but bottom line was that they struggled to defend Anas Zubi without fouling. They are a slightly above average team who can be more than that, they’ll have a chance to prove that against Lahore next week.

Sneaked out of a close game with a win. Not much was clicking offensively, they struggled from 3, but a solid performance from their captain got the job done. A team that often relies on their offense to win games, but were able to overcome poor shooting with exceptional defense. They will need to maintain that defensive intensity to have a chance against Mecca next week and they will also need to hit some more shots.

 Last season, when the whole squad showed up, Alexandria was able to put up points. The finished 6th in PPG and if the Masri brothers continue light it up from deep, they can challenge many teams in this league. Defense may be a weakness, but they added some new faces – we’ll see how that pans out.