Muslim Basketball

I like this team alot, and it seems like they’re starting to find their groove. Splash with 18, jawad with 13, and Sohaib living up to the hype with 16. It seems like the win was well within reach. Although Addil was quiet this game, I think this is the perfect time for Addil to see how he can get his points without taking away from the other 3. Once the team finds out the formula on how to get everyone involved without taking away from each other they will upset a team in the playoffs.

Now this is the Istanbul team we’ve been waiting to see. 80 points is impressive especially against a team like Lagos. All year long we hear everyone talking about how stacked and talented this team is on paper but they finally showed that on the court. Led by Aadil with killer 28 point 24 rebound game, the whole squad practically scored in double digits. Happy to finally see Splash getting back into double digit scoring as him and Jawad both bring in 16 points a piece. The floor spreads out so well when you have these two guys on the wings ready to light it up. Love seeing Hosam put his macho muscles to work grabbing boards and cleaning up with great second chance baskets.

Hard fought game and one many did not expect them to have within reach. Aadil, Jawad and Hosam all did their thing offensively, accounting for 58 of the team’s 72 points. This team has shown a propensity to score and push the ball in transition, but uncharacteristically they allowed 81 points. I don’t believe they will escape the 11^th seed in the standings and that would set them up with the number two seed come playoff time.

Down 11 at the half, this team showed some fight and found a way to get the win. Aadil Yousef with 23 points and 14 rebounds and carried the load, despite the remainder of the cast struggled. The rest of the team shot 12-41 and to be honest, but this team prides themselves on rebounding the basketball and playing defense all 40 minutes. Solid win against a team that was heading in the right direction. 

Frustrating game for the Istanbul bunch as they couldn’t get much going offensively and had to worry about Mr. Shiesty on the other end. Samih Wadi led Istanbul with 12 points, as Aadil had his worst performance of the season going 3-11 on the night. The team was without Sohaib, who would have acted as their primary ball handler, but this team didn’t look in sync all night. Jawad and Splash need to figure out a way to complement each while keeping the rest of the team engaged. I do believe they can muster up a few more wins down the stretch, but it starts and ends with Aadil.

Not the best of showing from this squad, as this was the first time they have had a full team with the new recruits. Aadil was the lone ranger in double-figures, and it wasn’t his best showing of the season. With the return of Splash, he is going to need to figure out how to get Jawad and Sohaib involved while asserting himself at the same time. We have seen flashes of stellar play in the past, but he is known to be awfully inconsistent. Not to mention 3-17 from deep is tough to overcome.

After a nail-biting victory last game, Captain Mohammed Abdelghani decided to make some moves, despite things moving in a positive direction. Big Bro Aadil was motivated from watching his brother scored 27 and decided to match it himself. The tandem of Aadil and Jawad combined for 42 of the team’s 67 and Sohaib’s production was a nice addition. Again, they struggled from the charity stripe, as they went 2-10 as a team. Going to be difficult to close out games if they cannot make their FT’s.

Riddled with absences, yet they still come out with the win. I think this team may have found something with their new asset in Jawad, who seemingly meshed instantaneously with this team's engine. Together they had 20 and 23, respectively, and on top of that, rookie Medo Zubi and Muhannad Darwish had their own things to say in this one. It’s becoming increasingly obvious that this team has that dog; after being down by  8 in the first half, they got together and exceeded all expectations to move ahead to get their first win. Impressive as they were, they can be even better when we finally see Ahmad Splash and Malik Zubi </

Missing three of their best scorers and it showed. They shot 23% as a team from the field, 13% from the 3 and couldn’t find a rhythm offensively. As porous as their offensive was, defensively they couldn’t stop a nosebleed. May need to figure things out before it's too late. 

No team should ever have 3 assists TOTAL as a team.  Aadil was the only one who showed up to play, as everyone else shot below 50% from the field. From first glance, too many guards and still only one basketball. Coach Abdelghani has quite the assignment heading into week 2. 

Captain Mohammed Abdelghani made some bold selections in this year’s draft and went strictly for offense. Aadil, Amir, Malik and Splash will provide the scoring, while Muhannad Darwish and Samih Wadi will anchor the paint. Another Zubi joins the fold as showcase player Mohammed Zubi looks to make his MB debut. This team can score, but there is only one basketball, and they need to figure that out.