Bahrain make basketball history

TDT | Manama    

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Bahrain’s spectacular rise in international basketball continues. The Kingdom’s senior men’s national team made history once again last night, securing their first-ever berth in the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournaments, where they will be going up against some of the game’s global juggernauts for a place in the Paris Olympics in 2024.

The Bahrainis punched their tickets after securing their fourth successive victory in the Asian pre-qualifiers yesterday in Damascus, Syria, hammering Indonesia 95-72 at Al Fayhaa Stadium.

The result was enough to ensure the nationals their historic spot in the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournaments, which are to be held in July of next year.

It was the Bahrainis’ fourth lopsided victory of continental pre-qualification, and they still have one game to play today against India, scheduled for a 3pm tip-off, Bahrain time.

Regardless of today’s outcome, Bahrain will finish in first place on the Asian pre-qualifiers’ table. They head into the last day of action at the Syrian capital as the only undefeated team remaining in the competition.

The nationals shrugged off a slow start against the Indonesians and used a game-changing 18-0 run to end the first half and take full control of the contest.

They led by as many as 31 points the rest of the way, making for another big win in the pre-qualifiers.

They had previously beaten Saudi Arabia by 15, 89-74, before dominating Kazakhstan by 37, 104-67.

They then, dismantled hosts Syria by 31, 91-60, ahead of last night’s 23-point triumph.

Big man Wayne Chism led five Bahrain players in double figures, scoring 20 points while grabbing 11 rebounds and registering five steals.

Sharp-shooting guard Mustafa Hussain chipped in with 18 markers, while versatile forward Muzamil Ameer had 17 points and 10 boards.

Wings Ali Hussain and Maitham Jameel contributed 13 and 12 points, respectively, for Bahrain, who are coached by Spaniard Ricard Casas.

The nationals quickly went ahead 6-0 after tip-off and were up 23-16 at the end of the first quarter.

Indonesia were briefly up 31-27 with five minutes to go in the second, but Bahrain dominated from there. A Chism slam dunk sparked a resounding 18-0 run that gave the nationals a commanding 45-31 lead at the break, and their opponents never recovered.

The Bahrainis enjoyed a 72-48 cushion after the third, and powered on to the final buzzer for their historic victory. Widyanta Putra Teja led the Indonesians with 15 points in the loss, while Muhammad Reza Guntara added 14.

The nationals rose to the top of the Asian pre-qualifiers’ standings with the win and will be out of reach after tonight’s final contests.

In the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournaments, the Bahrainis will be one of 24 leading national teams from around the world.

This field will be divided into four tournaments of six nations each, with each tournament being hosted by one of the participating federations.

Bahrain will learn of their group in due course.The winners of each event will qualify for the Paris Olympics, where they will join host nation France, and seven others who will book their berths through this year’s FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023.