BASKETBALL – Bahrain’s senior men’s basketball national team have stepped up their preparations for the fourth GCC Games in Doha, Qatar, taking place May 11 to 22.
The kingdom’s squad have welcomed to their practice sessions newly signed big man Eric Rashard Buckner, who will be joining them in the regional tournament.
Buckner is preparing with the team under the supervision of Greek head coach Georgios Vovoras, and is taking to the hardwood at the Bahrain Basketball Association (BBA) Arena in Um Al Hassam Sports Complex alongside teammates Ahmed Salman, Ahmed Alderazi, Mohammed Buallay, Ali Jaber, Ahmed Bindayneh, Mahmood Abbas Isa, Mohammed Juma’a, Ali Hussain, Emran Ashkanani, Nader Ali, Hassan Ghareeb, Mohammed Ghazi, Mohammed Sami, Nader Shaker, and Hassan Fahad.
A number of BBA officials have attended the Bahrainis’ training session and followed their work from the sidelines.
Basketball is one of the 19 sports that will be a part of the programme at this year’s GCC Games.
The others are 3x3 basketball, athletics, volleyball, handball, table tennis, squash, padel, fencing, boxing, taekwondo, karate, swimming, billiards, snooker, shooting, archery, equestrian, and bowling.
Bahrain get their medal bid underway in the men’s basketball tournament against Saudi Arabia on May 15.
They then take on the UAE the following evening, before completing the preliminaries against Qatar on May 17.
The outcomes of those fixtures will determine the seeding for the semi-finals, to be held on May 19, where the top seeds will play the fourth and the second seeds will take on the third.
The winners will move on to the gold medal clash, while the losers will face off for bronze, both happening the next day.
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