MANAMA (Bahrain) - Al Ahli Club will be resuming their 2024/2025 FIBA West Asia Super League (WASL) campaign in the coming week without a head coach.
In easily one of the biggest developments in this young season, the Bahraini ball club have parted ways with Jad El Hajj, leaving them searching for a new figure to man the helm as their partnership with the Lebanese mentor lasted for so short a time.
El Hajj signed with the Eagles last October, taking over a team that settled for a runner-up finish to Manama in the 2023/2024 Bahraini Premier League.
He will still remain busy in the Kingdom, though, serving as the lead brain thrust of the men's program and as technical director of their national teams.
But while El Hajj gets to have more time developing the programs the best he can, Al Ahli find themselves in a race against time looking for his replacement, especially now that their domestic league has opened this weekend after a long wait.
So most likely, the assistant coaches will be taking turns in steadying the ship for now, and that could be the case when they take on Kuwait Club on Monday night.
Game time is at 19:30 local time at the BBA Arena in Manama, with the crew looking to make use of their homecourt advantage in a bid to avenge their Round 1 loss last October 21, 88-77, in their foes' own stomping grounds in Kuwait City.
They're out to sustain their winning ways, too, after earning their first victory in WASL following a 90-52 rout of Al Bashaer last December 3 in Oman.
However, they will be taking on a team that's been unbeaten thus far this season. The reigning, two-time Gulf League champions took the solo lead in Group A as they improved to 3-0 after outlasting the gritty Shabab Al Ahli in Dubai, 75-71.
But really, the biggest question is how agile Al Ahli could be as they navigate this situation, which would probably lead to another rebuild soon - just as when they were figuring things out in recent weeks under the former Cedars head coach.
Meanwhile, Shabab Al Ahli will look to get back on track against a familiar opponent in Al Bashaer on Tuesday night, 19:00 local time, at the latter's home floor in Bawshar.
It is going to be their fourth meeting dating back to the 2022/2023 WASL inaugurals, with the champions from UAE looking to keep their mastery of a club that remains in search of its breakthrough win in the pan-regional competition.
They last played in October 22 in Dubai and that ended up being a one-sided affair in favor of the home team, 93-65. Needless to say, they want to do it all over again in a bid to bounce back after that near-upset of the Sub-Zone League titlists.
FIBA