6 days ago
Sampson's Spark Ignites Bahrain's Arab Championship Opener
TDT | Manama
The 26th Men's Arab Basketball Championship tipped off yesterday at Khalifa Sports City Arena, with hosts Bahrain stepping confidently into the spotlight following Tunisia's last-minute withdrawal as organisers.
Coached by Greek veteran Georgios Vovoras, Bahrain brought back all 12 players who secured bronze at the William Jones Cup just days ago. Among them were Mustafa Hussain, Ahmed Salman, and Wayne Chism, now joined by teenage standouts Hassan Abdulkadir and Somto Onoduenyi—the U16 heroes from Bahrain's recent Gulf title run.
Bahrain controlled the early tempo in their opener, jumping out to a 14-6 lead in the first quarter. Qatar edged the second (18-17), but Bahrain regained control in the third (19-13) before holding off a late push in the fourth (22-24) to close out a 72-61 win. JaKarr Sampson's 26 points and Hussain's 13 rebounds led the way, while Qatar's Djan Janik kept it competitive with 22 points and 11 rebounds in a strong individual performance.'It's very important to get the first win because it gives us the motivation for the rest of the tournament,' said Mustafa Hussain post-match. 'Alhamdulilah for this result. It's a big step in gathering the points we need.'
Ahmed Salman echoed that urgency while already looking ahead to tonight's clash with UAE. 'They're a big team,' he said. 'We've played them three times recently, but always without Qais Al Shabibi, and mashAllah, he is a team on his own. We need to prepare well. This win is only the beginning.'
Algeria and UAE Impress
Elsewhere, Algeria stunned Tunisia 86-81 in the tournament's curtain-raiser. A scorching 30-12 second quarter gave Algeria the cushion they needed, despite a late Tunisian charge. Sedoud Chakib led the way with 21 points, supported by Briki Soufiane (14 pts), while Omar Abada was Tunisia's top scorer with 13.
In the second matchup, UAE beat Kuwait 87-79, led by a standout performance from Qais Al Shabibi who finished with 26 points and 14 assists. Demarco Dickerson added 24. Kuwait's Mohamed Adnan Hasan kept his team close with 23 points, but couldn't prevent defeat.
The format offers no room for error—just a single round-robin league, with the best record crowned champions on August 2. Every game is played at Khalifa Sports City Arena, with free entry making this a true festival of Arab basketball.
Next up today Kuwait face Tunisia at 4PM, Egypt begin their title defence against Qatar at 6PM, and Bahrain return to the court at 8PM in a must-watch clash with the high-flying UAE.
