BAHRAIN will compete in the upcoming Arab Men’s Basketball Championship 2018 with a new-look team.
The Bahrain Basketball Association (BBA), under the leadership of BBA president Shaikh Isa bin Ali bin Khalifa Al Khalifa, named a 12-man line-up that will compete in the highly competitive regional tournament, which is scheduled to take place in Cairo, Egypt from November 7 to 16.
There are six teams so far confirmed for the event, including Bahrain, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Algeria and hosts Egypt. Morocco and Palestine are also expected to join.
The roster consists of a mix of senior team holdovers and rising stars from the under-18 national team. It is also reinforced by naturalised player Wayne Chism, who will be suiting up for Bahrain for the first time.
The mainstays include Ahmed Aziz, Maytham Jameel, Mohammed Kuwayed, Mohammed Ameer, Ahmed Hassan Al Derazi, Ali Shukrallah and Mohammed Buallay. The newcomers are Mustafa Hussain, Mozamel Ameer, Ahmed Khalifa and Sayed Mohammed Hameed.
Excelled
From the fresh young faces, Mustafa and Mozamel have represented the kingdom in the past at the junior level, and they have excelled in their respective competitions.
Chism is also the professional player for national champions Manama Club. At six-feet, nine-inches tall, he will be providing the national team with a strong inside presence that will be much needed against many of their much taller Arab rivals.
They are two of Bahrain’s brightest young players in basketball and they have the potential to be the leaders of the national team in the future. Both are players of Manama Club.
The national team are being coached by veteran Bahraini tactician Salman Ramadhan. They are expected to begin their on-court preparations for the Arab championship this week.
They last competed for Bahrain in the FIBA Asia Cup 2021 Pre-Qualifiers Western Region held in September, when they finished in third place. The Bahrainis also faced Saudi and Palestine in that tournament, but lost to their opponents both times.
Heading into this year’s championship, Bahrain will be looking to improve on their finish from the previous tournament, also held in Cairo in December of 2016. They took home the bronze medals then, and this time will be aiming for a greater result although have a tough task ahead of them.
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