JEDDAH (Saudi Arabia) - As the final seconds waned, Osama Albargawi prostrated near the center court of the Sheikh Saad Alabdullah Sport Hall Complex in an apparent gesture of gratitude to the heavens above.
He did as much before the buzzer sounded and that's because the result had all been settled, in which Ittihad Club conquered Al Qadsia SC in Game 3 of their 2024/2025 FIBA WASL-Gulf League Semi-Finals.
...nobody believed. But now, we have the belief.
Both teams then proceeded to the customary postgame handshake as the match ended and not long after, the Saudi Arabian side would erupt in jubilation as the victory brought them to the Sub-Zone League's Final.
It was a rather emotional night for the whole organization, actually, that head coach Slobodan Subotic, even after celebrating with his men, appeared overwhelmed as he gathered his thoughts during the postgame presser.
"This is an emotional moment for me and for my team because when we started, nobody believed that we could go so far," he reflected on the heels of their 88-74 win. "Now, we're going to the Final."
How Ittihad managed to turn things around to get to where they are now is quite the story in itself. For the uninitiated, they only won twice in their six games in Group B back in the Group Phase.
Yet they proved lucky enough to finish as the third seed in the pool that actually became the Gulf League's 'group of death.' And so, it meant advancing to the best-of-3 Qualification to Semi-Finals.
But the squad had this switch of sorts, perhaps, which they flipped on come the Final Phase. A team that struggled early went on to oust Kuwait Club from their two-year reign in the Sub-Zone League via sweep.
Their bubble gut burst, though, in their Semi-Finals opener against Qadsia but bounced back solidly come Game 2 before completing the reverse sweep, which no team in WASL has done in the said stage until them.
"We came here in the first game, we lost by 13, we beat them in our court, and we came today and we played like we should all the time," recalled Subotic of their battle against the team that finished as Group B's no. 1.
Yes, Ittihad crushed the Final hopes of the same club that also beat them twice in the preliminaries, but it's not just that particular triumph alone that made it sweet for the rest of the squad.
It's how they overcame all the challenges and setbacks during this season - from missing players due to various commitments, to losing key center Makur Maker to a thumb injury which will require surgery.
"From the 25th of January, we have not practiced altogether," disclosed the former player turned mentor. "As you all know, we have so many players in the Army - they have camps, they have a championship."
"And many times, players came just the day before the game. We played so many games without two or three players. So, when you are not practicing together, you don't have chemistry, you don't have timing."
But the good thing with his team, according to the 68-year-old, is that they have the heart to fight through whatever comes their way and make sure to compete the best that they could.
And a testament to that was their success in the recent Saudi Basketball League, in which they outlasted Al Ahli Jeddah in the Final to clinch the crown - and find redemption after a runner-up finish in 2024.
"But if you have heart, if you believe, you can do so many things," said Subotic, who has now won championships in three different countries after winning his first two in Greece and Lebanon, respectively.
Besides heart, their belief has gone stronger than ever, too, especially now that they have booked themselves a trip to the Gulf League Final in what has undeniably been an improbable run for the team.
"Like he said, nobody believed. But now, we have the belief," said Keron DeShields, who starred in the deciding Game 3 with a game-high 34 points on 5 triples, on top of 2 rebounds, 4 assists, and 5 steals.
Still, the Cinderella story isn't finished yet for this group. And Subotic only hopes for one thing when they go up against Shabab Al Ahli in the best-of-3 title series that begins April 8 in Dubai.
"I hope we are still hungry," he said. "I wish that we stay hungry."
FIBA