Muslim Basketball

Got a much needed win after two poor offensive showings. Their defense and rebounding will keep them in games, just need a sprinkle of offense here and there to win them. Lil ‘O has shown that he can be an X factor of sorts for this group. He might not yet be the offensive catalyst, but his scoring is much needed. Biggz needs to be a bit bigger and consistently bigger.

Solid defensive effort, but that signature Islamabad offensive movement and continuity has been MIA. I hope they find it soon, or else this slide may continue.

You’d think the second ranked defense would have a higher point differential, but the Islamabad offense has not been what it has been in the past. Unbelievable note: Islamabad has the most assists per game, but are bottom in FG% and bottom 4 in 3P%. They find ways to get very good shots, but they’re not falling at the necessary rate to consistently outscore opponents. I don’t want to go as far as saying that they are too unselfish, but it’s starting to look like that. 36 points on 74 shots is not a normal occurrence.

Showed a lot of poise and grit getting this win over Amman. Played a solid game on both sides of the floor. BIGGZ with a big time performance to get this one for his squad.

I don’t like looking at averages to get the full picture, but two numbers really define this team: top 2 defense, 15th ranked shooting percentage. Their defense is tremendous, but they leave the door open because they cannot close it on the offensive end. Sana’a was just able to sneak by. I’m not really sure what the solution is, or if there is one - they take good shots, but they don’t fall. Billz and Omar are the only guys that can score at will, but sometimes they get cold. Their best bet is to remain patience on offense and continue to get the good looks created by their movement and chemistry.

Omar Abbassi X Omar Abbassi - just when the league thought one was too much to handle, we now have the youngin to deal with. Finally had his breakout game four weeks into his career, but don’t expect this 17 point 10 rebound double double to be his best performance of the year. Big O also has his typical double double to help Islamabad bounce back after last week’s loss. They held a very high-powered offense to just 7 points in the first half. Jon Mingo got his double double, but 14 points on 18 shots summed up the struggles Beirut had against the stout Islamabad D.

First time they’ve looked flat in a while - gotta cut them a little bit of slack. Sometimes they are dominant, sometimes they eek out the close wins, but bottom line is they find ways to win. They have a dog fight with a Beirut team that got its rear end handed to them on a silver platter last week.

Was not the prettiest of wins, but watching this game, I didn’t think Damascus scored 5 let alone 15 in the second half. Smothering defense and manhandling the boards got Islamabad the win. The scoring balance and the fact that it can come from anyone at any times makes this team very difficult to play. Oh, also Big O makes it even more difficult for opponents with his ability to score efficiently and effectively eliminate all second chance opportunities. They have a big time game with Mombasa coming up.

They’re back. Omar Abbassi, Biggz, and Co. are ready for a legitimate championship run. The offense doesn’t always click, but the second chance points and defense put them at the top of the rankings to start the season. They held off a couple Granada runs to start the season off with a W, led by 16 from Fursan and double double machine, Billal - they might have two guys averaging double doubles by the times we’re all said and done.