MANAMA (Bahrain) - Clint Chapman believes that Manama are 'locked in' more than ever as he expressed optimism with their chances after advancing to the 2024/2025 FIBA WASL-Gulf League Semi-Finals.
I think we're wired in right now. I think we're locked in.
The pan-regional competition's inaugural champions did as much on Monday night by ousting Al Ahli, completing the comeback after being down 0-1 in their best-of-3 Qualification to Semi-Finals series.
"I feel like we're in control," the well-travelled big man said during the postgame presser of the Lions' 75-69 Game 3 win in the all-Bahraini derby that was witnessed by a raucous crowd at the BBA Arena.
Chapman has grown confident with the form Manama have developed since uncharacteristically starting out the season with back-to-back losses, which turned even some of their own fans to skeptics and questioned if they'd be able to make another strong push after impressive campaigns during the last two WASL seasons.
Five months later and the long-time Bahraini powerhouse may have just silenced those critics by securing their third consecutive Gulf League Semi-Finals appearance, becoming the first team to do so.
The WASL veteran is headed for a third successive Semi-Finals in the Sub-Zone League as well. Before last year's run with Kazma, he made his first with Saudi Arabian side Al Hilal in the 2022/2023 inaugurals.
The then-defending Saudi Basketball League champions booked an outright berth to the Semi-Finals by clinching the no. 1 seed in Group A but the break affected their momentum, eventually losing via sweep to, incidentally, Manama, who were coming off a Qualification to Semi-Finals series versus Kazma that went the distance.
And that very experience is what makes Chapman believe that he and Manama have a better chance given their recent series against Al Ahli - plus the fact that they've gotten lots of reps since the Bahraini Premier League opened last December, something that they didn't have when WASL began about two months prior.
"My first season with Hilal, we had the bye, and I think it really put us in a tough position to have that time off," the 35-year-old recalled. "This situation we're in now, is we've been grinding. We haven't had any breaks."
"We played three games out of a three-game series. So, I think we're wired in right now. I think we're locked in. I think we got a chance to get back in the gym and get to work. And I wanna take this team as far as we can go."
Chapman himself showed how far he's willing to take Manama when he starred in their ouster of Al Ahli. There, he finished with 22 points, 10 rebounds, and a WASL career-high 5 blocks as he proved to be the stabilizing presence his team badly needed when they lost Tony Carr to a disqualifying foul during the third quarter.
He was key in the Lions' late-game pullaway, dishing a dime to Subah Azzam before blocking counterpart Elijah Thomas twice in a row on the other end. He then scored off a beautiful spin underneath to give themselves a 70-64 advantage approaching the final minute as the door slowly closed on their domestic rivals.
It was those big blocks on Thomas that earned praise from lead assistant coach Alexandros Lekisvili and the former Texas Longhorn beamed with much pride, too, as he proved that he can also deliver on defense.
"That's very satisfying," he said. "I mean, I've always been known as an offensive player, I know I've done well in blocking shots and protecting the rim, but defense hasn't been my stronghold."
"I knew in this game that Elijah was gonna be a lot of work, and I had to stay out of foul trouble. But in the last five minutes, six minutes of the game, it's winning time," added the 13-year pro from Medford, Oregon, "and I used my experience and was able to make a couple of stops. And we ended up taking care of business."
They did take care of business as the final buzzer sounded, and serving as the icing on the cake for Chapman was the moment he shared with the fans, who showered him with cheers and adoration for a job well done.
"I know they've been frustrated with me a little bit earlier in the season from my inconsistency and that's fair. I'm here to do a job and I appreciate the criticism," said the 2.08 M (6'10") forward, who had a rough start with Manama that saw him post lowly averages of 7.6 points and 6.0 rebounds in their first three games in WASL.
"But, man, it's so much fun when you can go out there and you can see the smiling faces and hear them call your name," Chapman added, visibly elated to have the support of their people. "That's what this is all about."
FIBA