BASKETBALL – Bahrain play a crucial game against defending champions Egypt tonight in the 26th Arab Men’s Basketball Championship, currently being hosted by the kingdom.
The senior men’s basketball national team are set to face a tough test against the African powerhouses, who are one of just two squads who are still undefeated in the prestigious Arab Basketball Confederation (ABC) tournament.
Their clash is scheduled for an 8pm tip-off at Khalifa Sports City Arena in Isa Town.
Also scheduled for today, Algeria, the other unbeaten side, face off with Qatar at 4pm, to be followed by Tunisia and the UAE locking horns at 6pm in another exciting contest.
The Tunisians are currently in first place on the standings after the three gamedays played so far, although they have played one game more than Egypt and Algeria. Yesterday was a rest day, with another scheduled for Thursday.
The Bahrainis, coached by Georgios Vovoras, have just one win in their home campaign to date. They opened with a big victory against Qatar, who are being represented by their B national team, before losing in the last second in a heart-breaker against the UAE. They then battled hard in a tough defeat against Tunisia in their previous outing on Sunday night.
Following tonight’s assignment, the nationals have two days of rest tomorrow and Thursday. They return to the hardwood on Friday against Algeria, and then play their concluding assignment against Kuwait on Saturday, the championship’s last day.
All games are being played at Khalifa Sports City. Entrance for fans is free of charge.
The Bahrainis have 14 players registered for the tournament. They include Mustafa Hussain, Ahmed Salman, JaKarr Sampson, Wayne Chism, Mohammed Ameer, Subah Hussain, Ali Jaber, Mohammed Buallay, Ahmed Bindayneh, Mahmood Abbas, Ali Hussain, and Abdulqader Thani, along with 16-year-old Hassan Abdulkadir and 15-year-old Somto Onoduenyi.
The event is being held under the patronage of Supreme Council for Youth and Sports first deputy chairman, General Sports Authority chairman, and Bahrain Olympic Committee president Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa. It has been organised and run by the ABC in cooperation with the Bahrain Basketball Association.
patrick@gdnmedia.bh
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