Muslim Basketball

A dominant performance, even when missing Parker, is a welcome one. This team entirely shut down Iyaad, which no one else managed to do this season. Gagan had 35 points, capping off a historical regular season, where he averaged 32ppg. Popal looks like he found his groove again, which is what this team needed. Jamil looks good, having 13 points, but I’m guessing he won’t be eligible for playoffs, since he only has 2 games played. This is truly a team to watch in the post season.  

Going up 4v5 for seven minutes against a larger Rafah team and still ending up tied by the time Parker entered the game, not to mention he also fouled out, and then clawing back and pushing this game to OT? Gagan had 35 while Parker had 18. This team has been struggling with attendance all season. I have no doubt in my mind they could’ve won if they had a bench. 

Even with only five players starting, then four with Parker fouling out with 10 mins to go, they found a way to hold onto the win. We thought Yazur would show its famous full-court press, but they simply couldn’t hold Gagan defensively. He finished with 32 points on 13-19 shooting. He’s the MVP front runner in my book, easy. Mohammad Popal had a nice comeback game for himself, netting 16 points. This is a brand new squad with Parker—they’re spreading their opponents too thin.

Every week Gagan puts on a show—he had 31 points on 11-15 shooting. He’s having an MVP level year, and if he can continue performances like this against the rest of the schedule, it’s his. Jamil also had his debut, dropping 15 points. And if I’m doing my math right, the no name on Qibya had 14. The rest of their schedule is all within the top 4, so they can really make some noise. 

I don’t know the name of the player they added, but I know they dropped Kasey, and that may have been the right move. Gagan had a revival from the week prior, having 37 points on 54% shooting on the day. The supporting cast did their best to, well, support. I can say they have the hardest schedule remaining, and everyone is going to need to come at the top of their game week in and week out if they want to move up. 

A rough game after a spectacular showing in Week 1. Gagan finished with 18 points and 8 rebounds while Bilal Mughal added on 17 points on 6-12 shooting. Not a bad day, kid. Muhammad Popal was nowhere to be found in a game they needed him, so let’s hope he locks in. He’s considered one of the best shooters in MB, and he needs to show it. Kasey looks like he also improved this season. I’m excited to see how this team will *hopefully* look in the coming weeks. 

Tied going into the half made us believe that maybe Qibya was overhyped in the preseason. The second half threw those thoughts out the window. Gagan locked in; scoring a week high 36 points on 68% shooting. An absolutely insane stat line which he has opportunities to recreate week in and week out. Complimenting him was Bilal Mughal having 12 points, going 100% from the field. I can see them running into issues when they verse teams with legit bigs. Their rebound game has a chance to be their downfall. 

Mohamed Popal left the family and brought his own squad this season. If the rumors are true, Gagan has a chance to take the league by storm. We’ll have a better idea when the season begins.