FIBA Basketball
WASL Power Rankings: Season 1, Volume VIII
BEIRUT (Lebanon) - WASL - West Asia and WASL - Gulf returned to action and the intensity didn't miss a step as the teams continue to push heading into this final stretch.
BEIRUT (Lebanon) - WASL - West Asia and WASL - Gulf returned to action and the intensity didn't miss a step as the teams continue to push heading into this final stretch.
There are only a few game days left and teams are still fine-tuning themselves to be the best version they can to make the Final Phase and to be better than the other teams once they arrive.
We've updated the Power Rankings here after that first week of action. Expect a lot of drama to unfold in the last few weeks of the Group Phase.
Reminder: These are not the official rankings. Power Rankings are just here to reflect on a team's current form and not based entirely on their records in WASL.
Team |
Movement |
|
14 Al Bashaer |
After losing to Al Hilal and with a win by Kazma, Al Bashaer are now out of contention to advance to the Final Phase. They gave it their all and never backed down, but it just wasn't enough this time. | - |
13 Al Nasr Riyadh |
It's a big game up ahead for Al Nasr Riyadh. They might be winless, but Al Sadd, the team above them in the standings and beneath them in this Power Rankings, have only one win and that was a one-point win against Al Nasr. If Al Nasr can win by more than one-point, they can get a hold of that coveted third-place spot with a good chance of holding onto it to the end as well. | - |
12 Al Sadd |
Read above. It's an (almost) must-win situation for Al Sadd. Get another win here and they can finally lock up that spot in the Final Phase. | - |
11 Al Manama |
Al Manama have a shot at handing Kuwait Club their first loss in WASL Gulf, but they aren't heading into the clash in the best of forms. This past week, Al Manama lost a tough game to Al Ahli in the local Bahrain Premier League, 85-82, so they're fans are hoping that will light a fire rather than keep them grounded. | 🔻1️⃣ |
10 Al Naft |
Al Naft lost to AL Riyadi in their WASL West Asia game last week, but you have to give them credit for the fight they put up. Sure, a large part of that fight was because Edgar Sosa dropped a WASL record of 46 points, but the likes of Antwaine Wiggins, Jasim Al-Saadi, and Mohammed Nahi played their parts as well. | 🔺1️⃣ |
9 Shabab Al Ahli - Dubai |
As we keep pointing out in these Power Rankings, it's a steep fall from the top because there are always so many teams playing well throughout the table. Shabab Al Ahli - Dubai's first loss of the WASL season wasn't that bad (and Kazma are looking really good), but the other teams have just done a bit better. They will have to make sure they are better prepared heading into the next big game against Al Hilal and the Final Phase. | 🔻5️⃣ |
8 Orthodox Amman |
The local Jordan Premier League has proceeded to the Second Stage and the teams have been in constant action since. The four teams, including Orthodox Amman, have played 3 games over the past 7 days. Orthodox Amman have won all games so far which should build some momentum going into their game against Beirut Club this week. | - |
7 Beirut Club |
Beirut Club are just lurking around at this point. They've collected two solid wins in the Lebanese Basketball League and just itching to get back in action against Orthodox Amman. | - |
6 Kazma |
You can't be afraid to make changes if you are aiming for the top. Kazma made those hard-to-call switches in player personnel and it immediately bore fruit as Shane Rector and Salah Mejri were spectacular in their debuts. They close the Group Phase with a favorable game against Al Basher and it would seem like they might be a team to avoid facing in the early stages of the Final Phase of WASL Gulf. | 🔺3️⃣ |
5 Al Riyadi |
The first half might not have been what Al Riyadi wanted to see from their team coming out of the break (which is why they are being bumped up by only one spot), but the second half was exactly what they needed. They've been able to show that they can adjust quite well to the situation, which will be important in the Final Phase. Al Riyadi have also been dominant in the Lebanese Basketball League, too, with two wins of at least 35 points while scoring over 100 in both games. | 🔺1️⃣ |
4 Al Hilal |
Al Hilal continue to be solid as always and it should stay this way as long as star center Mohammed Alsuwailem keeps on dominating. Of course, Clint Chapman has played well as has Khalid Abdel Gabar. Now they will just need a strong finish over Shabab Al Ahli - Dubai. | 🔺1️⃣ |
3 Kuwait Club |
If Kuwait Club watched as Shabab Al Ahli - Dubai suffered their first loss of the WASL season last week, they should be alert that it's never smooth sailing in WASL. Even more so as they will go up against Al Manama which might have a few tricks up their sleeves. | - |
2 ZobAhan |
Not exactly the best build-up for ZobAhan coming out of the window break, losing two games in the Iranian Basketball League - one of which was to WASL West Asia rivals Gorgan. | 🔻1️⃣ |
1 Gorgan |
As mentioned above, Gorgan got the win over fellow WASL West Asia club ZobAhan in the local league. Not only that, but they were also able to collect wins over Kalleh and Naft Abadan as well, completing the three-game sweep coming out of the break. They are now on a 15-game win streak with their last loss coming at the hands of... ZobAhan on 8 December, 2022 | 🔺1️⃣ |
*The power rankings are entirely subjective based on recent events/results/announcements and is in no way true, accurate ranking systems. All comments are purely those of the author.
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