KUWAIT CITY (Kuwait) - Coach Joey Stiebing was filled with pride after Al Qadsia SC pulled off a major upset in their 2024/2025 FIBA West Asia Super League (WASL) debut by stunning perennial contenders Manama on Monday night.
The veteran mentor couldn't be any happier to see the Kuwaiti Division 1 Basketball League outfit realize its dream of competing in the pan-regional tilt, for he knows how much the ball club has long been hoping for this opportunity to come its way.
And to have begun their campaign with a stunner to the league's inaugural champions - and perhaps to the rest of the field, too - was indeed the icing on the cake.
"It was great. I'm happy for our guys," he said during the postgame presser of their 90-84 victory at the Shaikh Saad Alabdullah Sport Hall Complex.
"Because when I first took this job a year ago, their goal was to try to get to WASL. And we were able to achieve that, and beat a really good team like Manama."
Stiebing joined Qadsia just last year, a time where WASL was also in its second season and witnessed both teams from Kuwait write major achievements.
Kuwait Club successfully defended their Gulf League title, while Kazma made it to the Sub-Zone League's Semi-Finals. The two would go on to qualify for the Final 8 in Qatar, with Kuwait Club settling for fourth after a runner-up finish in the inaugurals.
What those teams accomplished apparently lit the fire within Qadsia to book a spot in the competition, thus the inspired play they put up in their own domestic league that ultimately led to another Finals appearance for the storied club.
They bowed to Kuwait Club, though, via sweep in the best-of-5 title bout. But their silver medal run proved enough to merit a qualification to WASL's third edition.
Fast forward to Monday night and the team showed that it deserves to be part of the meet, taking control of the game early and then building a huge lead in the third before showing elite composure in the endgame to ward off the visitors.
Yes, it all happened in just their very first outing. But a win is a win, as they say, leaving Stiebing glad of the fight his charges showed especially against a team like Manama, who despite fielding six new faces still threatened late in the match.
"Even though we made mistakes, we were still able to execute our offense," said the 63-year-old, who previously coached the national teams of Qatar and Jordan.
"When you play against good teams, you got to be able to execute. Now, can we get better? Absolutely. But we tried to do the right things," he furthered.
It was a balanced attack from Qadsia headed by Mohammed Ashkanani, who fired 17 points as he made five of the team's 16 three-pointers in the victory.
Four more players aside from the sweet-shooting winger finished in double figures and all that was produced within the system, much to the satisfaction of Stiebing.
"I felt like they let the game come to them. Like, he (Ashkanani) didn't force shots. We were penetrating, we would kick to open guys," he offered. as his team shot 44.3-percent from the floor and dished out 20 assists, with 8 coming from Phil Greene.
"And I thought early on, that's why we're able to get the lead, because our guys were just playing within the offense and taking the shots that came to them. And we always encourage our guys that if they're open, shoot the basketball," he added.
And we got to, between now and then, get better as a basketball team. I know we will.
Qadsia may have just issued a strong statement to the entire Gulf League following the triumph yet Stiebing remains grounded, believing that there remains a lot of room for improvement for his squad after the roller-coaster of a game in their debut.
"We have to learn to play for 40 minutes," the American bench tactician pointed out. "Sometimes, we're a good-stretch team. We'll play good in certain stretches, and then we will play poorly. We have to stick to the game plan for 40 minutes."
But at the same time, he's optimistic of their trajectory toward where they want to be, particularly when they meet Manama again in their stomping grounds in Bahrain.
"Down the road, we're gonna have to go to their place. It's gonna be a lot tougher," said Stiebing as a packed BBA Arena awaits them on January 7. "And we got to, between now and then, get better as a basketball team. I know we will."
FIBA