Muslim Basketball

In this tight Game of the Week matchup, Jerusalem had all of their stars available and controlled the game from start to finish against Islamabad. Ismail Shah led the way with 22 points, making everything look effortless whether he was creating for teammates or finishing at the rim. Now averaging 20 PPG, Ismail has emerged as Jerusalem's go-to scorer and has firmly entered the MVP conversation, ranking near the top of several statistical categories. With weapons like Big Moose, Ehsan Popal, and Abdullah Dayja alongside him, Jerusalem has no shortage of firepower. Although the final score was close, they consistently answered every Islamabad run by knocking down threes and turning defensive stops into easy transition points. After a slow start to the season, Jerusalem is beginning to look like the contender many expected.

Another dominant win for Jerusalem, a team that has become very familiar with blowout victories. The star duo of Musa "Big Moose" Yanes and Ismail Shah once again put on a show, finishing with 26 points and 11 rebounds, and 33 points and 10 rebounds, respectively. Both players are recognized stars across Central and North divisions and continue to remind opponents why they're among the league's most dangerous scorers. Their combination of skill, basketball IQ, and ability to take over games is tough to match. What makes Jerusalem even more dangerous, though, is the consistency of its supporting cast. Everyone contributed, the energy never dropped, and even with a 30-point lead, Jerusalem continued to play hard on both ends of the floor. That's the mindset of a championship contender.

Two early losses for Jerusalem? That’s probably not what anyone expected as we approach the halfway point of the season. If there’s one issue holding them back right now, it’s their three-point shooting, which has been far more of a problem than in previous seasons. Ehsan Popal is one of the key players who needs to find his rhythm again, and once he does, this team could start looking a lot more like the squad everyone has come to respect and fear. Jerusalem was also without Big Moose in this matchup, but given their depth, it was still surprising to see them playing from behind for most of the game. The talent is there—it’s just a matter of getting it going like before. 

Jerusalem looked like they completely shook off their Week 1 loss, getting right back to business with a dominant blowout win over Cairo. This was an offensive masterclass from start to finish as they shot 52% from the field and had everyone involved — every single player scored. The star power of the Shah brothers, Big Moose, and Ehsan Popal is already tough enough to handle, but the depth around them makes this team scary. Adding reigning champion Mohammad Bashir gives them another level in transition, while NoLimitHam and Outman Dajya continue to stretch the floor and knock down shots from deep. What’s even crazier is Abuallah Dajya had a relatively quiet game, which feels more like an outlier than anything else. If this team is rolling while one of their key guys is still finding rhythm, the rest of the league should be worried.

Big Moose and company had a huge Week 1 test against Gaza but couldn’t quite get it done. A brutal shooting outing from three — just 13% — completely changed the game. Still, it was great seeing Abdullah (formerly Sheff Doola) back in action replacing Todd. He picked right back up where he left off two seasons ago with crafty finishes and aggressive drives to the rim. Nobody should panic about Jerusalem. This is still a squad that’s made consecutive championship appearances, and they’ll be right there again.