SAN JUAN (Puerto Rico) - Calling Bahrain the underdogs of the upcoming Olympic Qualifying Tournament in San Juan, Puerto Rico is probably an understatement.
The Asian representative at the event taking place July 2-7 at Coliseum José Miguel Agrelot has never qualified to a worldwide FIBA event and boasts a total of 3 wins at FIBA Asia Cup competitions since the turn of the century, so they’ll have their work cut out for them.
The Roster
Newly signed and former Lebanon national team head coach Jad El Hajj named a preliminary 15-man squad, spearheaded by combo guard Mustafa Rashed and power forward Dwayne Chism, both of whom shined during last year’s Olympic Pre-Qualifying Tournament in Syria.
Maitham Jameel, Ali Aqeel, Ahmed Salman, Ali Jaber and Ali Shukrallah are some of their other returning players, alongside Sacramento State University forward Muzamil Ameer Hamooda.
Bahrain will share Group B with Italy and Puerto Rico.
The Question
Can they pull a major upset?
Clocking in at No. 67 in the FIBA World Ranking Presented by Nike, this squad isn’t even considered a Top 10 team within their own continent, yet they’re faced with the chance to make history.
Rashed and Hamooda form an intriguing duo that will look to prove themselves at the highest level. They are no strangers to making history, not only after their performance at the OPQT, but also getting their highest finish in a U18 Asia Cup together in 2018 at 7th place.
The Hope
It’s always best to not underestimate a team that has nothing to lose and everything to gain.
While it’s true that Bahrain has never participated in a World Cup or Olympic Games, they also weren’t the favorites to win the 2024 FIBA Men’s Olympic Pre-Qualifying Tournament in Damascus last year.
Arriving with little fanfare, they swept through the event, finishing with a perfect 5-0 record behind the best offense, the best defense and the top point differential at the event.
The Fear
Having made it this far is already an impressive feat, but Bahrain have never faced the quality of opponent they’re about to go up against.
The squad not only lacks experience at this level, but they’re also severely undersized at virtually every position, with Chism far and away as their tallest player.
BAHRAIN IN THE LAST 10 FIBA EVENTS
FIBA