All Roads Lead to Manila: Gilas Entry #26 – Jordan & Saudi Arabia Team Previews

It is almost August 1 here in Manila, and the 2013 FIBA Asia Men’s Championship Tournament, the first ever held in these parts in four decades, is about to kick off at the ultramodern Mall of Asia Arena and the historic Ninoy Aquino Stadium.

Now that the rosters of the participating teams have finally been revealed and confirmed, I can finally make the customary team-by-team previews of the tournament. This is, of course, something not done in much detail by other media outfits, so I am pretty excited. I plan to go through the groups starting with Group D and ending with Group A. Each post will focus on two teams, with the exception of the Group B preview, which will include all three squads since FIBA Asia wasn’t able to find a well-prepared replacement for the suspended Lebanese (I am still sad I won’t see Fadi El Khatib play).

For this sixth post, I will look at two Group A countries. One is a former Gulf subzone power that is returning to the tournament after 8 years, and the other is a WABA squad depleted of its depth.

Will Jimmy Baxter be a dominant force in FIBA Asia?
(image from Basketball-TPE.org)

I will name a few key players for each team, some points of interest, and the general outlook for its performance. Where possible, I will also specify the team’s international nickname/moniker. Please note that a country’s basketball team usually uses the same moniker as its football team, with a few notable exceptions of course.

Game? Alright. Lezz do dis.

Folks, I present to you Saudi Arabia and Jordan.

SAUDI ARABIA (KSA)

Moniker: Al Sogour Al Akhdar (The Green Falcons)

Qualification: Placed third in the 2012 Gulf Tournament, beating UAE and Oman, but losing to Bahrain and Qatar.

Last FIBA Asia Appearance: 2005 – 2 wins & 6 losses – Beat Kuwait and Malaysia, but lost to South Korea, China, Lebanon, Japan, Iran, and Jordan.

Roster:

Name	Age	Height	Position
Mohammed Al Marwani	24	6’9	C
Mustafa Al Hosawi/Hawsawi	30	6’4	F/C
Jaber Kabe/Al Kaabi	28	6’1	G/F
Fahad Belal	22	6’0	G
Mohammed Al Sager/Al Saqr	28	5’11	G
Mohammed Abu Jabal	27	6’1	G
Marzouq Al Muwallad	31	5’11	G
Ayman Al Muwallad	25	6’3	F
Nassir Abo Jalas	19	6’3	F/G
Mathna Al Marwani	21	6’1	G
Ahmed Al Mukhtar	20	6’4	F/C

Key Player:

1) Mohammed Al Marwani – At just 24 years old and standing 6’9, Al Marwani should be a vital cog in KSA’s hopes. Since he is the only player taller than 6’4, he is, by default, going to be assigned to shadow, at most times, the best big man on the other side. It will be really tough for him, of course, but he should gain tons of experience that will help him develop into a solid big man.

Point of Interest:

1) Small and Terrible – Saudi Arabia is one of the smallest teams in the tournament, and, unfortunately, they have been grouped with three pretty tall and talented teams in Group A. They have a few dangerous perimeter players like Jaber Kabe, Fahad Belal, Mohammed Al Sager, and young buck Nassir Abo Jalas, but they won’t be able to operate much with their bigs getting massacred in the paint.

Jaber Kabe should be one of the more exciting
players to watch for Team KSA.
(image Gulf News)

Tournament Outlook:

I highly doubt if the Green Falcons can win even one game in Group A. They will get eliminated and then maybe they can win against Hong Kong and eventually one of the SEABA teams in the consolation rounds.

JORDAN (JOR)

Moniker: Al Nashama (The Brave)

Qualification: Placed third in the 2013 WABA Tournament, beating Iraq, but losing to Lebanon and Iran.

Last FIBA Asia Appearance: 2011 – 5 wins & 4 losses – Beat Syria, Indonesia, UAE, and Iran, but lost to Japan and China (twice). They played the Philippines twice, too, losing the first match and winning the semifinal rematch to advance to the Finals. Despite their record, Al Nashama finished in second place.

Roster:

Name	Age	Height	Position
Mohammed Shaher Hussain	23	6’9	C
Al Jamal Zaghab	25	6’9	C/F
Jimmy Baxter	33	6’4	F
Wesam Al Sous	30	6’3	G
Mahmoud Abdeen	26	6’4	G
Fadel Al Najjar	28	6’4	G
Ahmad Al Dwairi	20	6’11	C
Hani Al Faraj	26	6’5	F
Ahmed Al Hamarsheh	27	6’5	F
Abdallah Abu Quora	29	6’9	F/C
Khaldon Abu Ruqayah	30	6’8	F
Mohammad Hadrab	29	6’8	F

Key Players:

1) Jimmy Baxter – Replacing Rasheim Wright as Jordan’s naturalized reinforcement is swingman Jimmy Baxter. It’s a little tough to assess how effective he will be, since I believe coach Vangelis Aleksandris probably didn’t show Baxter off too much in the 2013 Jones Cup. He averaged just 13.6ppg and 4.3rpg while shooting 39% from the floor. I doubt that’s the best he can give. Expect Baxter to be much more aggressive here in Manila.

2) Wesam Al Sous – Without Sam Daghlas, Rasheim Wright, and Enver Soobzokov, the onuse will be on Wesam to really carry the perimeter game for Jordan. He will be the leader of this team both on and off the court and should also be Al Nashama’s #1 threat from long distance. Though he hasn’t really played much PG in the past, he might be forced to split time at the 1 with Mahmoud Abdeen this time around.

3) Mohammed Shaher Hussain – The young big man showed marked improvement in last year’s Jones Cup, but it seemed like he regressed in the same tournament this year. Again, I feel like coach Aleksandris’s is still keeping his cards close to his chest, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Shaher actually breaks out in this tourney. He has all the tools to do so – good footwork, great finisher around the basket, and a soft touch from midrange.

Mohammed Shaher Hussain shoots over Iraq
in the 2013 WABA tournament.
(image from FIBAAsia.net)

Points of Interest:

1) No more heroes? – With many of its heroes missing the 2013 bus, it seems like prospects look bleak for this WABA squad. Aside from Daghlas, Wright, and Soobzokov, other key players like Zaid Abbas, Islam Abbas, Zaid Al-Khas, and Ayman Idais aren’t on this roster. These were the guys who led Jordan to an unprecedented third place finish in 2009 and to the silver medal in 2011. Without their leadership and example, how will young guys like AJ Zaghab, Shaher Hussain, and Ahmad Al Dwairi cope with the immense pressure?

Tournament Outlook:

I have a feeling coach Aleksandris has something up his sleeve and that he will only reveal his true hand when all the chips are on the line. Despite many of its mainstays skipping Manila, I think Jordan still poses a legitimate threat not just to Gilas but to the other would-be contenders, too. I expect them to have a tough time against the other strong teams in Groups A & B, and, when push comes to shove, I actually project Jordan being the odd man out. We should never completely count out them out, though, since they eliminated Iran and almost pulled the rug from under China in Wuhan two years ago.

#parasabayan