Muslim Basketball

One of those head scratching seasons that could’ve have swung both very well and very poorly, but ended up middle of the pack. Three loses in very competitive games, but also won a couple close ones. They could’ve ended with a single loss or at .500, so it’s hard to really grasp what they accomplished on the year. Also, they are very well rounded, but I am not too sure what they do exceptionally well - solid offense, very solid defense, pretty good 3 point shooting - when the moment comes though, what will win them games against a top team?

Should have won this game, but not enough poise to get it done. Two technical fouls created two separate 5 point possessions for Tehran, handing them all the momentum. They need to be more composed because they will not get all the calls and they will be involved in close games - this attitude will make it very difficult to move on when it matters most.

Ahmed bros combined for 42, Omar Singer ‘held’ Abdul to 28, take away the three Hail Mary 3s he hit late in the game and you have a very pedestrian game from the leagues leading scorer. Omar Qasem struggled a bit, but it didn’t effect the group. Very strong start to the second half blew it open for them. They’ve shown some terrific stretched over the season, but they haven’t been able to sustain that high level for a string of games. They’re talented, but somewhat inconsistent. If they get a great game from one of the top 6 teams, I don’t believe they will match that level of play - they have the talent to do it, but have not shown it yet.

Tremendous energy to start the game, coming off of what now appears to be a loss to a bad Delhi team. Omar Singer lead the charge early, forcing turnovers and hitting a couple 3s. Omar Qasem was draped over Ed for the first twenty minutes. As a team, they were tenacious on the offensive glass - Waqas was the beneficiary of this effort. After a terrific first half, Fez brought it a little harder and Ed was in full let-it-fly mode, preventing his team from getting blown out of the gym. Need to see Granada push down on the throats of week teams a little bit harder - they let Fez gasp for air in the second half.

Couldn’t bring the energy to match that brought by “Splash” and Muhanad in their debut. Little too much isolation ball from a group that should feed off of each other’s individual scoring ability. Also, @Omar Qasem, don’t shoot under 30% then try to drop the mic in a sound off of another squad who has been absolutely ROLLING. Sit down. Be humble.

Took a punch early in the game, but the return of Omar Singer seemed to be an extremely positive one. Defensively, the whole team gets after it. They were missing one of their Big 4, Waqas, but it really was not an issue. This is going to be a tough group to defend, and even a tougher group to score against. They have length and athleticism in the front line, and they have speed and quickness in the backcourt. Granada shut down a great offensive play in Hosam Karkis, and limited Damascus' 3 point shooting. Then, when the opportunity presented itself, they went on a run to take the lead, then capped it off with some very impressive transition offense to blow it open. I wouldn't put them at the level of the top 4 just yet, but they have the pieces to be a force late in the season.

Just like the DNC, the Bern was not felt. Big time shot from Waqas followed by an even bigger time move to draw the foul by Qasem, who then knocked down the second free throw to win it. Big time.

They’ve come out asleep for the first two weeks of the season now, but they’ve overcome cold starts to fight back and easily take a game, then almost take a game if it wasn’t for livestock that escaped from the farm before Eid (Mujtaba, Goat. Lol). 43 from Qasem and Anwar, while making Mujtaba work very hard. Going to keep a close eye on this group – they’ve shown some promise, but there’s a little bit more work to be done if they want to enter the ultimate conversation.

43 from the Ahmeds and Qasem was more than enough to breakaway from what seemed to be a pesky Cairo group. Add Omar Singer when he returns and they should have more than enough individual offensive talent to score with anyone. It will come down to how well 3 or 4 ball dominant players will mesh. Also, what will they get from the rest of the group? Ryan showed that he can relieve much of the big-man duty Waqas has normally had to burden – this should be a very encouraging sign for Granda.