The head coach of the Sharjah basketball team, Abdelhamid Ibrahim, revealed three reasons for the team's early exit from the West Asia Super League after losing to Kuwaiti team Al-Kuwait (86-111) in the final group stage match. Sharjah finished fourth with eight points, tied with Qatari side Al-Arabi, but the latter secured third place due to a better point difference in direct encounters, guaranteeing a spot in the playoff round. Abdelhamid told "Al-Ittihad": "Our team achieved two wins against four defeats in a very strong group that included experienced teams with huge budgets and professional local players. In contrast, our national players are not full-time and are classified as amateurs." He explained that their first participation was a rich experience that confirmed the high level of competition in the West Asia Super League, requiring not only high-quality players but also the ability to compete with teams that have accumulated experience from continuous participation and have invested in building strong teams with large budgets. These teams were able to overcome the tournament's rule of allowing only three foreign players through quality signings, giving them an advantage on the court, in addition to having dedicated and disciplined national players. Abdelhamid also pointed out that despite Sharjah winning the local league last season, it is considered a "weak league" by global standards, as it does not exceed 30 matches per team, which limits players' ability to gain the necessary technical momentum. The injury to Sharjah's point guard, De Marco Dickerson, was a key factor in their exit. He described the lack of full-time players as the biggest obstacle hindering the development of team sports in the country. The third lesson was the mental development of the players, who realized the importance of maintaining high focus and understanding the difference in level between local, Gulf, and Arab competitions and the West Asia Super League, which features fully professional teams.
