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Players to watch at the first Asian Qualifiers window

Details: 16 Nov 2017; Written by Qatar Basketball Federation; Hits: 3343

MANILA (Enzo Flojo's Asia on My Mind) - The FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 Asian Qualifiers begin next week, and it will be a grand platform for the region's brightest stars to make a lot of noise.

In this week's column, I will look at one key player for each team and see how significant he will be in shaping the fortunes of his country at the first Asian Qualifiers window.

Mitch Creek (Australia)

Creek is not a traditional big name for the Boomers, but his performance at the recent FIBA Asia Cup 2017 made a helluva lot of heads turn. The 1.98m wingman scored double-digits in every game, spearheading the Aussies to a tournament sweep and to the top place on the podium. There is no doubt he will remain as one of Australia's leaders at the Asian Qualifiers, and he may have a bone to pick as well after missing out on the All-Star Five at the Asia Cup.

Ding Yanyuhang (China)

The Asian Qualifiers next week will test just how well China's framework of having two national teams will work, and at the forefront will be Ding, an explosive guard who was named CBA Most Valuable Player in the 2016-2017 season. He was not around for China at the Asia Cup, but he will be the main driving force for Team Dragon as they take on Hong Kong and bitter rivals Korea.

Quincy Davis (Chinese Taipei)

Another guy who missed the Asia Cup was Davis, the 2.03m naturalized center of Chinese Taipei. He was sidelined by an injury a few months back, but he is reportedly healthy enough to anchor the Taipei quintet's cause next week. Surrounding him will be a bevy of the country's rising stars who are expected to fill the void left by the likes of Lin Chih-Chieh and Chen Shih-Chieh. Still, much of Taipei's chances are hinged on how dominant Davis will be in the middle.

Duncan Reid (Hong Kong)

Speaking of men in the middle, Hong Kong will have their own key center in Duncan Reid, who is currently seeing action in the CBA for the Zhejiang Golden Bulls. The 2.05m big man was solid for Hong Kong with 11.7 points, 8.7 rebounds and 3.3 assists per contest, and for sure they are hoping he can be at least as effective when they face the mighty Chinese and Tall Blacks at the Asian Qualifiers. The worrisome fact right now, however, is that he has yet to join even one of the national team's practices.

Vishesh Bhriguvanshi (India)

A knee injury severely limited the star Indian guard at the Asia Cup, where he played just one game. He has been the Young Cagers' most consistent performer for the past handful of years, and with the inclusion of do-it-all forward Amjyot Singh in doubt, there will be even more pressure on Bhriguvanshi to carry the load for India. If his recovery is on track and he can muster his old effectiveness, then we should not be shocked if he puts up big numbers next week.

Mohammad Jamshidi (Iran)

Everyone associates Iran with the gigantic Hamed Haddadi, but one guy nobody can look past is Jamshidi, who joined Haddadi in the Asia Cup 2017 All-Star Five. The 1.98m wingman was absolutely brilliant for Team Melli at the continental tournament, averaging 16.0 points, 4.8 assists and 1.5 steals per game. He will surely be their best perimeter option when they take on Iraq and Qatar, and his production should be a barometer of how well they will do.

Demario Mayfield (Iraq)

One of the players who will definitely be tasked to stop Jamshidi is Iraq's naturalized player Demario Mayfield. The 1.96m swingman was supposed to debut for the Iraqis at the Asia Cup, but veteran Kevin Galloway took his place. This time around, however, it looks like the 26-year-old will get his chance to play at the highest level of Asian hoops. He starred for local club team Al Nift Baghdad in the 2016-2017 season of Iraq's pro circuit, notching 29.2 points, 8.4 rebounds and 7.9 assists per game, so he may just leave a profound impact at next week's games.

Yuki Togashi (JPN)

Togashi only started to play at the FIBA Asia level this year, but he has left quite the impression. He wowed the crowds at the Asia Cup with his quickness and shooting, and both should be among his main weapons when the Akatsuki Five tussle with the Philippines and Australia at the first window. His expected matchups with the likes of Jayson Castro, Terrence Romeo and Jason Cadee can easily turn into track meets and shoot-outs, and those should be very fun to watch.

Mahmoud Abdeen (Jordan)

Abdeen is the next in a long line of star guards for Jordan. Following the likes of Sam Daghlas, Rasheim Wright and Wesam Al Sous is no mean feat, and that is exactly what Abdeen is expected to do when Al Nashama take on West Asia rivals Syria and Lebanon. Abdeen gave a very good account of himself at the Asia Cup this year, leading Jordan in scoring and waxing hot from long range, but he will need to pull out something extra if they are to sweep both their assignments at the first window.

Anatoliy Kolesnikov (Kazakhstan)

The 2.00m Kolesnikov was the second-best scorer for Kazakhstan at the FIBA Asia Cup 2015, and his return to the national team for the Asian Qualifiers is both urgent and much awaited. His size and skill-set make him a potential matchup nightmare for opposing teams, and it will be interesting to see what kind of impact he will make when the Kazakhs face off with the Qataris and Iraqis. They should come out with at least one win after the first window, but a lot of it will depend on how well Kolesnikov plays.

Oh SeKeun (Korea)

After missing out on the 2013 and 2015 editions of the FIBA Asia Cup, the 2.00m forward-center reminded everyone of his potency in Beirut this past August, leading Korea with 16.0 points per game to go along with 5.7 rebounds and 1.6 steals per contest. With star center Kim JongKyu reportedly hampered by injury, the onus will be on SeKeun to continue being the national team's main man on both ends of the floor. He will be tested, though, by the deep frontlines of both New Zealand and China.

Ali Haidar (Lebanon)

The 2.01m big man has made a big impact for Lebanon ever since debuting for Cedars in the 2015 FIBA Asia Cup. He was both an offensive spark and a defensive dynamo for the national team in their impressive showing at the Asia Cup this year, and there is no doubt that he remains one of their vital cogs heading into their important fixtures against India and Jordan next week. Haidar's rebounding, shot-blocking and inside scoring will be crucial as the Lebanese shoot for a 2-0 slate after the first window.

Shea Ili (New Zealand)

The 25-year-old Tall Black playmaker doesn't make many headlines unlike some of the bigger names in Asia, but what he lacks in hype, he more than makes up for in production. The 1.83m floor general was New Zealand's leading scorer at the Asia Cup in Beirut this past August, and he should still be among their best weapons in the Asian Qualifiers, where they will collide with dangerous Korea and upstarts Hong Kong. Ili has the talent to dominate in both contests, and if he plays true to form, then the Tall Blacks should be in great shape to bring in two Ws.

June Mar Fajardo (Philippines)

The 2.05m Fajardo is perhaps the most decorated player who will see action at the Asian Qualifiers next week, having won four straight PBA Most Valuable Player plums from 2014 to 2017, but the Cebu-born center has yet to make a splash in the international scene. He is set to do that when Gilas Pilipinas play Japan and Chinese Taipei next week, though he will have to be in nothing less than his most stellar form against marquee frontcourt players like Kosuke Takeuchi, Quincy Davis and Tseng Wen-Ting.

Abdulrahman Saad (Qatar)

Do not be fooled by Saad's youth. Despite being just 21 years of age, the 1.85m guard has already become Qatar's brightest star. He led the national team with 20.0 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.0 steals per game at the Asia Cup, and he has been among the most exciting young players in the continent since exploding onto the scene in the FIBA U18 Asia Championship 2014. Nobody should be surprised if he unloads on both Kazakhstan and Iran when Al Annabi go up against them next week.

Tarek Al-Jabi (SYR)

Micheal Madanly has long been the face of Syrian basketball, but 27-year-old Al-Jabi may just take that mantle sooner rather than later. The 1.84m guard was Syria's second-best scorer at the Asia Cup 2017, dropping 17.8 points per game while shooting a scorching 60.0% from the field. He will most certainly be a marked man at Syria's Asian Qualifiers games against Jordan and India next week, but if he can find a way to be productive again, then they have a shot at notching a win or two.

Enzo Flojo

FIBA

FIBA's columnists write on a wide range of topics relating to basketball that are of interest to them. The opinions they express are their own and in no way reflect those of FIBA.

FIBA takes no responsibility and gives no guarantees, warranties or representations, implied or otherwise, for the content or accuracy of the content and opinion expressed in the above article.

FIBA World Cup: New Qatar coach eyes success in qualifiers

Details: 31 Oct 2017; Written by Qatar Basketball Federation; Hits: 3156

DOHA: Qatar will be aiming to go step-by-step in their qualifying campaign of the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup, new coach Tim Lewis has hinted.

The Qatar Basketball Federation (QBF) has roped in the 50-year-old Briton who met with QBF President Ahmad Al Muftah and the Chairman of the National Teams Committee Abdul Rahman Al Hitmi on Sunday.

“We have the World Cup qualifying rounds coming up. Our goal is to be as competitive as possible,” Lewis said in an interview released by QBF through social media platform.

“We have Iran, Iraq and Kazakhstan in our group. We hope to be one of the top three teams that go through to the next round,” the former Philippines coach added in the interview.

Qatar, who are in Group D of the Asian Zone qualifying teams will launch their campaign with a game against Kazakhstan on November 24 in Doha. The other two teams are Iran and Iraq.

“I am looking forward to my time here. People have been extremely welcoming. I am looking forward to help grow Qatar basketball,” Lewis said.

“I just landed I have come to see the facilities at the federation. Surprisingly it is comparable to an NBA facility. It is a great venue to bring in the guys to practice. I am here to help move the program forward,” he added.

The 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup qualification - Asia Zone - process will determine the 6 teams from FIBA Asia and/or FIBA Oceania that will participate at the 2019 FIBA World Cup.

Qatar won the men’s 3x3 basketball gold medal at the Ashgabat 2017

Details: 25 Sep 2017; Written by Qatar Basketball Federation; Hits: 2776

September 25, 2017 - Pre-tournament favourites Qatar won the men’s 3x3 basketball gold medal in comfortable fashion at the Ashgabat 2017 5th Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games yesterday.

Qatar beat Iraq 22-12 in the 3x3 basketball final, after they downed Mongolia 15-14 in a nail-biting semi-final at the 3x3 Basketball Arena.
Tanguy Ngombo hit the winning basket at the buzzer to edge out Mongolia for a spot in the finale, before Erfan Saeed, the only survivor from the Qatari team that was crowned FIBA 3x3 World Championships winners in 2014, led his side to a 22-12 win in the final
Qatar won all six of their games in the tournament.

Saeed, 33, netted 11 points including three consecutive two pointers and the final basket which ended the game and clinched the gold medal for Qatar.
“We came here to win it all and we succeeded in our mission. We all are very happy to come back with the gold medal,” Saeed said after the win.
“I am the captain of this team and have lots of experience. Today I decided to shoot from outside rather than go inside, in order to avoid their big guy. It worked, I think,” he added. “I kept the best of myself for the end. Although we had to play two tough games in an evening we didn’t feel pressure and proved our confidence.”

Qatar Basketball Federation Signs MoU with Hamad Bin Khalifa University

Details: 17 Sep 2017; Written by Qatar Basketball Federation; Hits: 2522

Qatar Basketball Federation’s (QBF) Secretary General, Mr. Ali Al Malki and Hamad Bin Khalifa University’s (HBKU) Vice President of Student Affairs, Ms. Maryam Al Mannai signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) today to enable both parties to collaborate more closely on student basketball development and activities.
The signing ceremony was witnessed by senior officials from QBF and HBKU on Sunday, September 17, at the HBKU Student Center in Education City.

The MoU is the first of its kind collaboration between the two parties. It forms an agreement that will extend over the years to come and will provide a pathway for the development of basketball participation and competitions for university students in Qatar, through mutual efforts. The agreement also marks the inaugural Qatar Universities Basketball Cup (QUBC), starting October 1, which will be co-organized by QBF and HBKU, a member of Qatar Foundation.

The milestone agreement will see the Federation and the University supporting greater involvement from university students, where QBF and HBKU will share resources to promote and facilitate the sport by coaching, hosting and officiating basketball activities.
Speaking about the partnership, Al Malki said, “This agreement is an integral part of QBF’s new strategic plan and demonstrates both parties’ commitment to further develop and enhance our sport.”

He added, “Our cooperation is an important step forward because we now have a structured plan with HBKU and Ms. Al-Mannai has been great in her approach to further promote our interaction and achieve our common goals through joint competitions, workshops, and activities”.
In addition to sharing basketball management responsibilities and technical expertise, the QBF will work closely with HBKU on planning, promoting, organizing and hosting competitions. The cooperation also includes professional basketball training, technical workshops, work experience and the dissemination of these activities through media publications, workshops and conferences.

Al Malki highlighted, “The agreement is open to all levels of entry and ensures that a player, coach, official or referee from university teams can proceed and develop skills that can lead to elite level participation.”

Al Malki continued, “QBF’s collaboration will extend across many educational institutions covering both codes of basketball the 5x5 and the new Olympic sport of 3x3. With more Doha basketball competitions such opportunities for participants to our game are encouraged and strongly supported.”

“In addition, the Federation has also agreed to short-term placement of university students to provide them an insight into the basketball industry. Students are placed with QBF staff primarily to observe and learn. However, if they have acquired skills such as photography or video recording/editing they may be permitted to use these skills at the Qatar Universities Basketball Cup and or other major basketball events” Al Malki concluded. Ms. Maryam Al-Mannai, vice president of student affairs at HBKU, commented on the occasion of the MoU by saying: “At HBKU, we believe that learning goes beyond the classroom and research labs.

Our new collaboration with the Qatar Basketball Federation embodies our values of reaching out to the larger community and fostering holistic development and leadership. Al-Mannai said: “By taking the initiative and by playing an important role in hosting the inaugural Qatar Universities Basketball Cup, we continue to showcase our commitment to serving the community with diligent fervor. Along with the QBF, and together with our partners in Qatar Foundation, as well as universities across Qatar, we are looking forward to promoting and advocating sportsmanship.” “As Qatar Foundation’s homegrown university, we are proud to take the lead on a national competition like this, and play our part in promoting a deeper sense of community across the society,” Al-Mannai added.

QATAR NATIONAL BASKETBALL TEAM TO PLAY IN ATLAS CHALLENGE - CHINA

Details: 18 Jul 2017; Written by Qatar Basketball Federation; Hits: 4855

DOHA, QATAR: The Qatar national basketball team has departed to the ancient city of Suzhou China after been invited by the Chinese Basketball Association to attend the third Atlas Basketball Challenge to be played 18 – 23 July 2017.

The final 14-member roster for the Qatar national team was named last Thursday night after two weeks of intense training. Qatar Basketball General Secretary Ali Malki said “Our team is much younger than usual therefore it’s important to expose our players to global meets. Though this tournament does not affect rankings it does provide a platform for international competition and at the completion we can assess our level”.

Malki continued “We thank the Chinese Basketball Association for their invitation and we are excited about participating with the likes Europe, China and USA”.
Discussing the draw Malki said, “It is a terrible draw but it’s not important. We are not concentrating on that rather it’s a chance for our capped players to develop collectively, find rhythm and cohesion that will ultimately lead to a winning formula before the FWC2019 qualifiers”.

National Head Coach Qusay Khalaf is pleased with his team’s selection and concurs with Malki saying “We have chosen the best players based on performance to travel to China. The Atlas challenge is a good stepping stone and warm up for the FIBA Asia Cup in Lebanon next month and the WC qualifiers in November”.

“Although the competition is in its infancy it provides a high level of playing standards. My team is very youthful but they have great spirit and I like that in them. They will be exposed to NBA athletes from the best in the world including USA, Australia, China and Europe and hopefully the boys can bring home much experience” Khalaf said.

Qatar has drawn group B of the challenge along with Australia, Lithuania and USA. While FWC2019 host China is in group A alongside Belarus, Ukraine and Iran.
The July championship comprises of eight teams –played over 6 days – at shared venues the Suzhou Sports Center and the Dushu Lake Arena. Qatar will meet Lithuania in their first match (18) followed by USA (19) and Australia (on 20).

Ahmad Al Darwish, Nasser Al Rayes, Mohammed Youssuf, Mohamed Erfan Saeed, Mansour Elhadary, Abdulraham Al Muftah, Mohamed Abdelazziz, Abdullah Matalkeh, Mohammed Hassan Mohammed, Abdulrahman Abdelhaleem, Abdulrahman Saad, Sammy Monroe, Omar Salem, Raslan Al Abdulla, Head coach Qusay Hatem Khalaf and Assistant Coach Yasser Abdelwahab, team manager Khalid Sulaiman.