The international basketball trainer of the youth team Al-Ahli from the UAE, Valid Zrida, expressed confidence about the level of physical fitness of his players, despite the wide victory over the Omani club Al-Bashair with a score of 85-65 in the first match of group A in the third stage of the "Super West Asia" championship in the Persian Gulf region. "We secured victory in our opening, but we do have some issues with physical conditioning, and we hope to correct this before the next games," Zrida said.
Professional American player Sir Dominick, named the best player of the match, stated: "We have a good team, and I am confident in our abilities, but we do have some mistakes in concentration that need to be corrected, and we need to continue improving, working together as a team."
Under the leadership of Al-Ahli, the team secured the leading position in group A with 2 points, tied with Kuwait, which defeated the Bahraini Al-Ahli with a score of 88-77. In the match against the Omani team, Al-Ahli showcased their skills, which earned them a position that qualified them for the second place in June in the Asian Champions League. Their collective shooting percentage surpassed 52%, resulting in 28 assists, as well as successful defense and 14 blocks.
Al-Ahli exited the first quarter with a score of 25-13. Al-Bashir outplayed them in the second quarter with a score of 19-17, but Al-Ahli regained control in the second half, firmly taking the last two quarters (16-10 and 25-23). In the brilliant match against the Omani team, young star player Hamid Abdellatif stood out (19 points, including 9 from three-pointers), while American Dominick scored 18 points, with 11 rebounds and 5 assists.
Al-Ahli will head to Bahrain, Manama, on November 6, to face the Al-Ahli team. After that, they will compete against Kuwait on December 2 on their home court, completing the first round.
