Muslim Basketball

This is a team that started a little slow to begin the season but has caught fire. Towfeek and Shafic are a great backcourt and are accustomed to playing with each other. Amir Hassan, Ameer Koyas and Mo Alzubidi can also provide scoring. These 5 players can make an argument for the most well-rounded starting 5 in the league. I think what makes this team hard to predict is figuring out which of the 5 will step up and how big a role each will play in the victory.

New number one but perhaps temporary as we will see what week 9 brings. Towfeek needs to step it up though.

Ohhhh this game was a good one. Double OT and who better than your best player to call “night, night” and go home with a W. Shafic with 22 points 5 rebounds 3 assist and 4 steals. Koyas and Towfeek each added 13 of their own. Suban’Allah how playing team basketball results in a win.

Contender!

There was a point in this game where Al-Bireh was up by a healthy margin and were playing good basketball. Then suddenly, the ball movement stopped, shots weren’t falling, and Al-Quds capitalized. The backcourt was stemmed and as a result the team struggled. I know we have mentioned the collection of talent on this team, but it really starts with Towfeek and Shafic. I don’t want to see their forwards bring up the ball nor do I want to see 1 on 4 fast breaks. Shafic and Towfeek need to be the primary ball handlers and create for their teammates.

Talk about a beating! All five starters were in double digits and they won by 30 points. They held the formidable Gaza squad to a season low 41 points and made it difficult for their stars to get going. We have yet to see a real efficient game from rookie Mohammed Alzubidi, but with 4 other capable scorers in the lineup, we may not need to. Shafic should be the favorite for player of the week after posting 19 points 5 rebounds, 9  assists and 6 steals.

“When I come back like Jordan, wearin’ the 4 5. It ain’t play to games with you, It’s to aim at you”. Was that Michael Jeffrey Jordan last night or Coach Feek??? Towfeek had his best game thus far going 8-16 from the field. But Coach Feek wasn’t alone, Shafic had 17, Amir Hassan had 17 and Koyas had 13. Quiet game from the rookie but they got the much needed win.

Sometimes the toughest games are the sweetest and Al-Bireh played one heck of a game. Rookie Mohammed Alzubidi led the way with 21 points and 12 rebounds, Amir Hassan had 12 and 10 on a very efficient night and rookie Muhammad Elhindi hit 4 threes. Still waiting for the Towfeek and Shafic glow up game but it will come. 5 starters in double figures and they displayed great team chemistry. They could have easily lost this game, especially with all the momentum going Yaffa’s way.

Rumor has it that Towfeek is looking for his quarter zip and heading back to his coaching gig. All jokes aside, the much-anticipated return did have flashes. Rookie Mohammed Alzubidi led Al-Bireh with 18 points although not the most efficient. Amir Hassan and Koyas each had 11 and Shafic had an extremely uncharacteristic game. This team may have the most skilled starting lineup and I don’t expect them to be 0-2 this time next week.

I want to take this time to highlight the extraordinary coaching career of Towfeek Hamza. He led his team to two playoff appearances and a championship. But ultimately, Towfeek is a far better hooper than coach and that is saying a lot! Joining him in the backcourt is none other than MB champ Shafic, who is one of the more talented guards across the league. Amir Hassan & Koyas are no slouches as they both have shown they can score 20 points on any given night and rumor has it that Mohammed Alzubidi is the second coming of Joel Embid. I expect this team to be very good.