Muslim Basketball

My brotha charkass, at what point do you feel bad for your defenders? The leading scorer of the league dropping another 25 to breeze through another team. Moe masri with a quiet game which doesn’t happen often on this team, and mustafa abbassi with 16. I don’t like putting this team this low, but I do think they’re a little too reliant on these three, once one of them has a quiet game it becomes a lot harder to win. However, I’m willing to bet on charkass and masri to stay consistent in what they do come playoffs.

"Biggz” is making sure it’s clear he’s still in the discussion for best “player coach” this season. Sure they were playing half of the Ali-squared duo but a win is a win. Amir C takes the leader rankings for most PPG after this game scoring 26 although not as efficiently as we’re used to seeing him perform. Great to see Mo Masri back in his grove scoring 24 of his own including 6 from deep on 50% longe range shooting. I would like to see one more player with double digits scoring for them to be a serious contender in the play offs with Biggz out.

Amir C’s comments of “Medina will get right” were bold at the time, but perhaps the walking bucket knew something we didn’t. Winners of two in a row, this team is clicking on all cylinders at the right time. Mo Masri led all scorers with 26 points and the aforementioned Amir scored 23 on 7-11. They had Big O replace Mustafa and it served them quite well as they longtime MB vet had 12 points and 9 rebounds. Has Biggz been attending the injured players school of coaching? 

“Medina will get right” – Amir Charrkas….. And that they did. 52 points in the second half is quite the accomplishment. Scoring 29 points on 8-15 from the field with 9 rebounds and 6 assists gets you in the conversation for POTW. MB vet Mustafa Abbassi added 25 of his own and Mo Masri had 17 points on 4-11 from the field. They nearly quadrupled Suba’s free throw total and that proved to be the deciding factor. Medina got right. 

Man, oh man are they missing a bigg(z) presence right about now. Billal not being able to play is going to hurt this squad as he is the engine of their offense as well as their best on ball defender. Still, they did keep it close despite a 40-piece Chicken McNuggets performance from Shafic. Amir C continues to play stellar basketball going 8-18 with 25 points, as did Mo Masri and guest Mustafa Abbassi. I certainly think they have the firepower to match any team, but their only issue is their lack of size downlow as well as a true ball handler that can help facilitate the offense.

1)      For starters, they were without star guard Billal Abbassi, but this team has been heading in the wrong direction for the past two weeks. Down big early, it was nice to see them have some fight in them in the second half, but it was just a matter of too little too late. Mo Masri and Amir C did provide the team with scoring but without a supporting cast, hard to go 2 v 5. Second-chance opportunities are what killed this team, as they were outrebounded 50-28. This team has been very inconsistent and not quite sure what to make of them thus far.

Medina went from a defensive juggernaut to a 24-hour fitness team in a matter of weeks. With additions like Moe Masri and Amir C. I don’t expect this team to shoot 3-16 from deep ever again. In their defense, Timbuktu got solid contributions from everyone on the roster and make it difficult for Medina to matchup defensively. Can’t question Billal’s approach to making these moves as it is still early but we can certainly revisit it down the stretch. 

Uncharacteristic performance from former MVP Biggz Abbassi, but very characteristic from GM Billal picking up fan favorite, triple XL Amir C who very characteristically put all the scoring on his back and kept Medina in it to the end. Medina did enough defensively limiting ROTY frontrunner Mahrooz, and forcing an inefficient night from Omar Singer. More than anything though, Medina’s tendency to will themselves to fight got them this W, and will be the reason for many more. Biggz lived up to the name, coming up big in the clutch, scoring the tying bucket to get Medina into OT, and the final bucket of the game to put Kabul away. I <

Small hiccup but one bright spot is that Billal looks to be in peak form. 16.5 points through the first two weeks is stellar and he has to continue that play to have this team contend. Expect more efficient nights from Jawad and Ryan, and this team should have no issue with the top guns.

The best defensive team in the league and man did they make Kashgar work for every basket. But let’s start with some offense. Jawad Tamimi returned to MB and dropped a 20 piece on 8-14 shooting, Biggz had 18 of his own and locked down showcase stud Mahdy. Early favorite for DPOY Himey had 5 blocks, while guarding Kashgar’s rookie Ismael and making his night difficult as well. I don’t think they will allow 50 points all season.

At first glance, this is the best defensive team in the league. Billal, Yahya and Jawad are some of the bests on ball defenders at the guard position. Commissioner Himey was top 5 in the league in blocks last season and Ahmad Sehwail is a solid option at the five. Newcomer Rayan Albana will be relied on heavily has he is primed to start for this squad and provide some scoring alongside their 1-2 punch of Biggz and J-Bird.