The UAE national basketball team is gearing up for its second match in the Dubai International Basketball Championship at the Rashid bin Hamdan Hall in Al-Nasr Club. Scheduled for tomorrow, the team will face off against the Al-Ahly Tripoli squad on the third day of the tournament.
In Friday’s opening match, the UAE team suffered a setback, losing 66-82 to the Philippine powerhouse “Strong Group.” Meanwhile, the Al-Nasr team secured a victory against the Lebanese Al-Hikma team with a final score of 79-73.
Tomorrow’s lineup includes three additional exciting matches: Salé of Morocco versus Ahly Benghazi of Libya, Homementmen of Lebanon against Strong Group of the Philippines, and Beirut of Lebanon taking on Al Wahda of Syria.
Reflecting on the tournament, Major General Ismail Al Gergawi, President of the Emirati and Arab Basketball Federations, emphasized that the primary focus is on preparing and gaining valuable experience for the players, especially with the diverse mix of participating teams. Al Gergawi downplayed the importance of individual results, citing the upcoming Asian qualifiers for the Asian Cup in February as the main goal.
“We do not pay much attention to the results in this tournament, especially as we are on the cusp of an Asian tournament, which is the Asian qualifiers for the Asian Cup, which will start next February,” said Al Gergawi. He acknowledged the presence of professionals in the Philippine team, including former players from the American Professional League.
Commending Al-Nasr’s victory, Al Gergawi highlighted its significance for Emirati basketball, providing technical benefits to the players. The organizing committee of the tournament’s 33rd edition also honored veteran players and stars of the golden generation of Emirati basketball at the opening ceremony. Notable figures on the list of honorees included Hamdan Saeed, Obaid Muftah, Ahmed Saleh, Muhammad Abdul Hamid Ibrahim, Abdul Hakim Abdul Rahman Al-Shalabi, Hisham Salem, Salem Mubarak, Ayoub Abbas, Ibrahim Khalfan, Khayyam Abdul Aziz, Zayed Khwaidem, Qasim Muhammad, Adel Saqr, and Khaled Al-Hinai.
