BASKETBALL – Bahrain have been slotted in a tough preliminary round group for the boys’ 3x3 basketball tournament at the third Asian Youth Games in the kingdom, but their head coach says they are ready for the challenge.
Bahrain is set to host the mega event this October 22 to 31 under the royal patronage of His Majesty King Hamad, with 3x3 basketball being one of 26 sports.
The Bahrainis are amongst a field of 22 squads who are set to play in the boys’ competition, scheduled for October 23 to 27.
They have been slotted in Pool B along with China, India, Kyrgyzstan, and Indonesia.
Seven of the kingdom’s rising stars are currently part of the national team’s training roster, including twin towers Somto Patrick Onoduenyi and Hassan Abdulkadir, Divine Tochukwu Abochi, Ali Hussain Mahdi, Yousif Yaqoob Meshaei, Hussain Fuad Ghuloom, and Sergej Scekic.
The team will be cut down to four for the Asian Youth Games.
“We have been practising for the past three weeks as our players – who are more used to the five-on-five game – just recently finished playing in their Asian, Arab, and Gulf championships,” Bahrain coach Murtadha Mohammed told the GDN.
“They were champions of the Arab and Gulf tournaments, so we chose our best guys – tall and strong players – and we’ve started to get them ready for the 3x3 game.
“There is a big difference from playing five-on-five, and now they are understanding this. We recently played some tune-up games with our senior and under-21 3x3 teams, and our boys did well. Inshaallah, they will be ready for the Asian Youth Games.”
Mohammed has been training Bahrain’s squad alongside Serbian coach Bogdan Dragovic, and they are expecting a tough campaign ahead.
“The most important lesson our players are learning is that they have to be strong as not every foul they get in five-on-five will be there for the 3x3 game,” Mohammed added.
“The skills and shooting aspects are also different, and they have to be mentally ready as well.
“Every single possession will count and you need to do something, otherwise you will find yourself behind by maybe five or six points, and that will be a very difficult position.
“The Asian Youth Games are being held in our country, so we want to represent Bahrain in the best way we can.”
Mohammed has also been coaching Bahrain’s Seef squad on the Fiba 3x3 World Tour – the premier street basketball series under the International Basketball Federation (Fiba).
Pool A in the boys’ 3x3 tournament at the Asian Youth Games features Mongolia, Turkmenistan, Chinese Taipei, Jordan, and the UAE.
Pool C is composed of Qatar, Thailand, Uzbekistan, the Maldives, Palestine, and Cambodia, while Pool D comprises Saudi Arabia, Kazakhstan, Iran, Sri Lanka, Yemen, and Bangladesh.
Games in the preliminaries will be played from October 23 to 26. Following a single round-robin, the top two teams from each pool move on to the knockouts, which will be held on October 27.
The semis and final will take place the same day.
The 3x3 games are to be played at the Bahrain Basketball Association Arena in Um Al Hassam.
The third Asian Youth Games are set to feature more than 4,300 athletes representing 45 National Olympic Committees.
The mega event acts as a qualifier for the Youth Olympic Games 2026, set to be held in Dakar, Senegal.
Aside from 3x3 basketball, the 25 other sports are athletics (track and field and cross country), badminton, volleyball (indoor and beach, road cycling, equestrian (endurance and showjumping), futsal, golf, handball, Muay, jiu-jitsu, judo, kabaddi, mixed martial arts, table tennis, E-sports, taekwondo, wrestling (indoor and beach) boxing, triathlon, weightlifting, teqball, swimming, camel racing, Pencak Silat, and Kurash.
The Games’ official opening ceremony will take place on October 22 at Exhibition World Bahrain.
The inauguration will be held indoors for the first time, diverging from the traditional outdoor settings of previous editions of the Games, which were held in Singapore in 2009 and China in 2013.
Seven sports will commence prior to the inauguration.
These include boys’ futsal, handball, and volleyball, starting on October 19, followed by girls’ futsal, kabaddi, teqball, and beach volleyball, all beginning on October 21.
The final day of the Games on October 31 will only feature men’s and women’s swimming events and their awards presentation, alongside the official closing ceremony.
patrick@gdnmedia.bh
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