Scouting Report: Qatar

Moniker: Al Ennabi (The Crimsons)

Qualification: Won the 2012 Gulf Tournament, beating Oman, UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Bahrain.

Last FIBA Asia Appearance: 2011 – 0 wins & 6 losses – Lost to Iran, Taiwan, UAE, India, and Bahrain. Five players from Al Ennabi were deemed ineligible back in 2011 – Targuy Ngombo, Osseynou N’Diaye, Mame Ndour, Mansour El Hadary, and Hassan Mohamed. Of those names, El Hadary and Mohamed have already been reinstated. El Hadary, in fact, has become a permanent fixture on the Qatar NT and will be their starting PG here in Manila.

Roster:

Name, Age, Height, Position

Mohammed Yousef, 31, 6’9″, Center

Yasseen Ismail Musa, 33, 6’9″, Center/Forward

Jarvis Hayes, 32, 6’6″, Forward

Erfan Ali Saeed, 30, 6’7″, Forward

Mansour El Hadary, 23, 5’11″, Guard

Mohammed Abdullah, 31, 6’8″, Center/Forward

Baker Ahmad Mohammed, 27, 6’8″, Forward

Ali Turki Ali, 31, 6’8″, Forward

Saad Abdulrahman, 28, 6’4″, Guard

Khalid Suliman Abdi, 26, 6’6″, Guard/Forward

Daoud Daoud, 31, 6’4″, Guard/Forward

Malek Salem, 27, 6’2″, Guard

 

Key Players:

1. Jarvis Hayes – Like Jordan’s Jimmy Baxter, Hayes will be competing in his first ever FIBA Asia tournament. I expect he will have to go through a longer period of adjustment compared to Baxter, though, since Hayes hasn’t played any top-flight Asian NT of late. Having said that, Hayes possesses a skill-set that is rare in this continent, and I think he can potentially be the best big wing player once the tournament is done.

2. Mansour El Hadary – With Qatar’s basketball bigwigs opting to choose a big wing player like Hayes over quick “imports” like Trey Johnson( suited up for QAT in the 2012 FIBA Asia Cup) and Boney Watson (played for QAT in the 2012 Gulf Tournament), the onus will be on El Hadary to orchestrate the offense. In the 2012 FIBA Asia Cup, El Hadary played three games as Qatar’s main point guard (in the rest of the games he played behind Johnson), averaging 9.7ppg and 1.7apg while shooting 44% from downtown. The highlight of his play was a 21-point outburst against the mighty Iranians. Clearly, this guy can play.

3. Yasseen Ismail Musa – Probably the most iconic player in Qatar’s basketball history, Musa will probably play in his last FIBA Asia tournament here in Manila. The 6’9 stretch forward will be one of the focal points on offense for Al Ennabi, since he can just hurt the opposition from practically any spot on the floor. Hayes might be the new top dog for coach Tom Wisman, but Musa will continue to be the heart and soul of this quintet.

Points of Interest:

1. Getting Better or Worse with age? – Qatar has 7 guys who are 30 or older. That says a lot about the experience and chemistry we can expect from this team, but the flipside is their endurance, especially since this is a 9-games-in-11-days tournament, might no longer be one of their strengths. If coach Wisman can manage to keep his stalwarts healthy, then Qatar should be a dangerous foe in the knockout rounds.

2. Proving a Point – 2011 was a big embarrassment for Qatar. Five of their players were deemed ineligible. They lost two of their games by default and lost another two before the first period even ended. The only game they completed was a 78-94 loss to Taiwan. This time around, Qatar is hoping to prove to the rest of Asia that it is still a force to be reckoned with.

Tournament Outlook: I am picking Qatar ahead of Japan in round 1 and picking them ahead of Jordan in round 2. I think against the Philippines and Taiwa, Qatar will be a slight underdog, but, hey, this is an experienced team that can definitely go deep into the tournament if they peak at the right time and stay healthy. If they manage to avoid China and Iran in the quarterfinals, they might even advance to the semis. – Rappler.com