BASKETBALL – Bahrain are ready to go all out and give their maximum effort in their quest to secure their first-ever Gulf senior men’s basketball title.
This was stressed last night by national team head coach Jad El Hajj and talented floor general Ahmed Salman as the kingdom gets set to host the Gulf Basketball Association (GBA) Championship for National Teams 2024, tipping off tomorrow at Khalifa Sports City Arena in Isa Town.
“It’s a dream for all the players, all the staff, and all the Bahrain people,” El Hajj told the GDN last night about the potential of Bahrain winning a maiden GBA championship on home soil. “We’re going to do our best to make it happen.”
The Bahrainis are one of four men’s squads taking part in this year’s competition, which is being held for the 17th time. The three others have all claimed the title multiple times in the past, including six-time champions Qatar, four-time winners Saudi Arabia, and three-time titlists Kuwait, who share the same number of championships with the UAE, who are not taking part this year.
The competition therefore has added significance for the home side.
“This tournament means a lot to us, as a country,” Salman told the GDN. “It is not recognised by FIBA, so it doesn’t qualify you to anything bigger than this. But to us, and to all the Gulf people, it’s a big deal, and of course, it would mean a lot to have this in our bag.”
The nationals have been looking forward to the championship for the past several months, keeping one eye on the GBA prize even when preparing for their historic debut in a FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament (OQT) held in early July. There, they faced global basketball powerhouses Italy and Puerto Rico in two eye-opening games, and will now be hoping to take the invaluable lessons they learned and apply them against more familiar opposition.
“We took the Olympic qualifiers as preparation for this tournament,” El Hajj said. “It was my first time with this national team; I didn’t know the players well then and they didn’t know my philosophy.
“We played two big games, and now it’s a completely different level from when we played Italy and Puerto Rico. In the Gulf area, all teams are similar, and everyone has their pluses and minuses.”
The nationals conducted a nearly two-week training camp in Serbia last month as part of the lead-up to the GBA championship. Salman says that their time in Belgrade was beneficial. “We had a good camp; I feel it was a really tough one, which is good,” he said. “We played good friendly games, and I think we’re ready to go.”
The camp also provided a good opportunity for the team to further build their teamwork, especially with the addition of new naturalised big man – six-foot, nine-inch Clifton Alexander – who El Hajj says will provide a much-needed interior presence for Bahrain.
“He is a big player, and this is what we missed lately,” he said. “We needed a big guy who can play inside and be really dominant.”
Bahrain’s final roster for the GBA competition has yet to be announced, but the team that took part in their Belgrade practices included Salman, Alexander, Maitham Jameel, Ali Aqeel, Ali Jaber, Ali Hussain, Ali Shukrallah, Mohammed Buallay, Mohammed Ameer, Mustafa Hussain, Subah Hussain, Muzamil Ameer, and Sadeq Shukrallah. One player is expected to be the last cut to make a roster of 12.
The GBA championship is taking place under the patronage of Supreme Council for Youth and Sport first deputy chairman, General Sports Authority chairman, and Bahrain Olympic Committee president Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa.
Bahrain open their campaign tomorrow night against Qatar at 8pm, while Saudi and Kuwait face off in a 5pm game.
patrick@gdnmedia.bh
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