BASKETBALL – BAHRAIN’S senior men’s basketball national team held their first practice session under newly signed Greek-Slovenian head coach Slobodan Subotic.
The Bahrainis trained at Bahrain Basketball Association (BBA) Arena in Um Al Hassam Sports Complex, with a majority of the BBA’s 18 call-ups reporting for duty.
The nationals are gearing up for a series of major competitions in the coming months – the first of which is the opening round of pre-qualifiers for the Fiba Asia Cup 2029, to be held in Dubai, the UAE, from August 24 to September 1.
Bahrain are also scheduled to compete in the men’s basketball tournament at the 20th Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, from September 19 to October 4; and then, if qualified, the second round of Fiba Asia Cup 2029 pre-qualifiers, slated for November 23 to December 1 at a yet-to-be-determined host venue.
Subotic was introduced to the team during practice by BBA vice-president Nader Al Awadhi in the presence of other BBA officials. Al Awadhi spoke with Subotic’s coaching and administrative staff as well as the players, and emphasised the importance of the upcoming phase.
Subotic, who has taken over for Greek tactician Georgios Vovoras, also addressed his squad and outlined his plans for their training programme, adding that he aims to reach peak readiness right before the start of the opening round of Fiba Asia Cup 2029 pre-qualification.
Bahrain’s current 18-man roster is their preliminary squad for training. It is expected to be trimmed to a final list for official play.
The team includes Mustafa Hussain, Muzamil Ameer Hamoda, Ahmed Salman, Mohammed Buallay, Ahmed Bindayneh, Mohammed Juma’a, Ali Jaber, Mahmood Abbas Isa, Ali Hussain, Ahmed Alderazi, Emran Ashkanani, Abdulqader Thani, Hamad Faisal, Mohammed Ghazi, Ali Mohsen, Hassan Fahad, Nader Shaker, and the returning JaKarr Sampson.
In the upcoming first round of pre-qualifiers for the Fiba Asia Cup 2029, the Bahrainis are part of an 18-nation field that has been divided into four groups.
The nationals are in Group A alongside Oman, Nepal, Kuwait, and their division hosts the UAE. They begin their qualification campaign in Dubai on August 27 against their Omani counterparts, and then take on the Emiratis the following day. A rest day for all teams will be held on August 29, after which the Bahrainis will face Nepal on August 30. They conclude this round against Kuwait on August 31.
Group B is to be held in Almaty, Kazakhstan, and it features Palestine, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Kyrgyzstan, and the host Kazakhs. Group C, set for Seremban, Malaysia, includes Indonesia, Hong Kong, Singapore, and the host Malaysians; while Group D, to be held in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, features Thailand, Vietnam, Fiji, and the host Mongolians.
The top three from each group will move on to the second round of pre-qualifiers, to be played at the end of the year.
Their Dubai foray will be the first action for the kingdom’s senior men’s national team in 2026. They were previously set to compete in the fourth GCC Games last May, but the men’s basketball tournament was eventually cancelled.
patrick@gdnmedia.bh
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