New Jersey (North): Lahore (D2)

Power Ranking Trend

Power Ranking By Week
WEEK RECORD RANK COMMENTS
Week 9 8-1 3

2ND highest score team, bottom half  in defense. Defense wins championships. Easy round 1 matchup.
Week 8 7-1 3

Shafic with a 30 piece! They have 3 legit guards, shooters and a skyscraper. They have a slim chance of capturing the top seed, but they should be fine where they are.
Week 7 6-1 3

They took care of business as expected and their guards continue to shine in their fast-paced offense. 
Week 6 5-1 3

Lahore is a team made for track meets. Moayad and Shafic live in transition, Ahmad hitting 3 out 4 from trifecta and Mana adding 16 points to go alongside 10 boards is icing on the cake. What worries me is defensively they can’t stop a nose bleed, but I guess they’ll just rely on outscoring their opponents. 
Week 5 4-1 6

 

First L of the season and perhaps their only L if they play the way they have been playing for the remainder of the season. I think having Mana would have helped them dearly in this one. They need their big man back if they want to compete. 
Week 4 4-0 1

Anytime you’re undefeated 4 games into a season you must be doing something right. Grant it, they didn’t have the most difficult opponent week 4, but a win is a win. Huge first half lead got erased and rather than winning by 20 plus they only won by 8. That point differential might play it’s role in seeding come playoff time.
Week 3 3-0 2

The remaining unbeaten isn’t Mombasa, Bukhara nor the 3-time champs Dhaka. To the surprise of most, it’s Lahore! Before we discuss what is ahead, let me just note that they have 4 guys averaging 10 ppg plus, AND ALL 4 ARE SHOOTING BETTER THAN 48% FROM THE FIELD. These boys are scoring and they are efficient at doing so. Now, about their schedule. Next 3 games are all against competitive ball clubs, win 2 out of those 3 and this team is the real deal.

 
Week 2 2-0 3

Grabbed 40 rebounds as a team WITHOUT Omar Mana! Not to mention they beat a Mombasa team that had Raza.
Week 1 1-0 6

Anytime 4 out of your 6 players score in double figures that usually amounts to a W. 21 and 23 from Moayad and Shafic, respectively. Mana with a career low 15 rebounds but added 14 points, so we’ll forgive him for the subpar night on the glass. I love the addition of Elias. Very underrated player, with a high basketball IQ. Not to mention all this came without the effort of their top shooter Ahmad Saleh. We’ve been speaking glowingly of this young bunch for several seasons, I think they are ready to be contenders.